PaddlePin

Whiskey Creek - Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park

South Florida · Broward County · Whiskey Creek / Stranahan River connection

EstuaryCreekOceanBeginner to intermediate

A 1.5-mile mangrove-lined creek inside a Broward beach state park, with easy access, SUP/kayak rentals and sheltered nature close to Fort Lauderdale.

High confidenceReviewed and approved

Last checked . What this means

Map position was derived from this record’s sources and is awaiting confirmation against the research directory.

Official state source explicitly defines Whiskey Creek as a 1.5-mile mangrove-lined SUP/kayak/canoe waterway and confirms rentals. Easy/beginner is a PaddlePin interpretation to field-validate; exact launch point and route duration remain unresolved PUBLISH REVIEW 2026-08-26: tide sensitivity raised to high on the sourced statement that portions of the creek run only a few inches deep at low tide. The short creek paddle is rated beginner and the 3.8-mile designated loop intermediate, each on its own stated evidence.

Why paddle here

  • It is unusually convenient for a real mangrove paddle: short, defined, rental-supported and close enough for repeat field testing.

Launches, parking and access

Where you actually put the boat in, how far you carry it and over what. This is the part official sources are worst at, so it is the part we say most plainly — including where we do not know yet.

Park boat ramp / Dania Beach Adventures waterfront

Unconfirmed
Launch type
Carry-in watercraft launch / beach access
Access
Public access
Hours
8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year
Fees

$6 per vehicle park admission ($4 single-occupant); $9 boat launch fee does not apply to canoes and kayaks; rental fees separate

High confidence
Parking

Trailer parking available

Boat ramp lot accommodates 90 vehicle and trailer rigs; additional lots near the park entrance

High confidence
Carry to the water
Carry not yet measured
  • Reported as a materially long carry from parking to the water. Neither the distance nor the route has been measured. A local source describes launching from the beach a little south of the boat ramp, with no trailer parking there, to avoid the ramp fee. The park boating page states the $9 launch fee does not apply to canoes and kayaks at all, which removes that rationale. The beach is not recorded as a second launch: that one local description is the only evidence for it.

Nobody has checked this yet.Report the carryHow far did you carry your boat from the parking area to the water? (opens in a new tab)

How hard that carry is
Not yet assessed

Nobody has checked this yet.Rate the carryHow hard was that carry with a loaded boat? (opens in a new tab)

Restrooms and rinse
Not yet measured from the launch

Nobody has checked this yet.Report facilitiesHow close are the restrooms and showers to this launch? (opens in a new tab)

Rules at this launch
Creek is only a few inches deep in places at low tide

DESK RESEARCH 2026-08-26. Official park pages confirm a boat ramp that takes trailered boats to 36 feet with a 90-rig lot, and rentals through the on-site concession, now trading as Dania Beach Adventures with the Whiskey Creek Hideout Grill as its food outlet. A high-quality local source describes a second put-in behind the Dania fishing pier just north of the parking area; that is not on an official page and is recorded here rather than as a second launch. NO OFFICIAL SOURCE PUBLISHES A CARRY DISTANCE. This remains the field question this location exists to answer FEE RECONCILIATION 2026-08-26: the state park boating page gives $6 per car, $4 for a single occupant, and a $9 boat launch fee that does not apply to canoes and kayaks. The previously held record said only $6 per vehicle. A local source claims the $9 ramp fee does apply to paddlecraft and that the beach south of the ramp avoids it; that conflicts with the park page and is preserved here as a contradiction, not resolved.

Unconfirmed at this launch — can you help?

Routes

Difficulty belongs to the route, not the location. One place can offer a beginner loop and an advanced crossing.

  • Whiskey Creek designated paddling trail

    Intermediate
    Loop· 3.8 mi· Timing matters

    Put in at Park boat ramp / Dania Beach Adventures waterfront.

    Why it is rated this way

    • Described as suitable for more experienced paddlers rather than beginners
    • The Intracoastal leg is a major shipping channel serving Port Everglades
    • Portions of the creek are only a few inches deep at low tide

    Best paddled on a high or rising tide; portions of the creek are only a few inches deep at low tide.

    DESK RESEARCH 2026-08-26. The state designates a 3.8-mile loop from the creek out to the Intracoastal Waterway and back, and states explicitly that it is best paddled on a high or rising tide because portions of the creek are only a few inches deep at low tide. The distance and the tide dependency are both published, so neither is inferred. This is a longer, separate route from the short creek paddle already recorded for this location, not a correction to it. No published difficulty or duration DESK RESEARCH 2026-08-26: difficulty and the shipping-channel hazard are stated for this loop specifically.

    Help verify this route

    Have you paddled Whiskey Creek designated paddling trail (3.8 mi)?

  • Whiskey Creek short creek paddle

    Beginner
    Out and back

    Put in at Park boat ramp / Dania Beach Adventures waterfront.

    Why it is rated this way

    • Sheltered mangrove-lined creek out of the wind
    • Official guidance names this as the beginner option: launch at the park marina or Whiskey Creek Hideout, paddle south toward Dania Marina and return

    DESK RESEARCH 2026-08-26. Local sources describe a short creek paddle of roughly a mile and a half, but state that as a creek length rather than as a route with a stated basis. Distance is withheld rather than published under a guessed basis DESK RESEARCH 2026-08-26: the beginner rating is stated for this specific out-and-back, not inherited from the designated loop.

    Help verify this route

    Have you paddled Whiskey Creek short creek paddle?

What conditions do here

How much each factor typically governs a trip at this location.

These are not live conditions. This describes how much each factor typically governs a trip here. Always check the current forecast, tide table and river level before you launch.

Wind
Not yet assessed
Current
Not yet assessed
Tide
Trip-deciding
Boat traffic
Not yet assessed
  • Boat traffic: Some motorboat traffic possible via connected waterways

Planning

Exposure
Sheltered mangrove creek with nearby open-water options
Seasonal
Some park facilities are closed as of Mar. 9, 2026; follow posted closure signage.
Reservations & permits
No self-guided paddle reservation stated

Hazards

  • Motorboat traffic

    Motorboat traffic near connected waterways

  • Other

    weather

  • Other

    posted temporary facility closures

Stay within your comfort zone if leaving the sheltered creek for Stranahan River or ocean-facing water; check current park closures.

Amenities and craft

Craft suited to this water

PaddleboardKayakCanoe

Bringing your own boat: Yes

Amenities

  • RestroomsYes, but restrooms 3 and 4 currently closed
  • Showers — not recorded
  • Picnic area
  • Food nearbyYes - Whiskey Creek Hideout restaurant
  • Drinking waterYes - concession sells water

What you will see

mangrovesbirdsbeach stoppicniccoastal sceneryeasy local paddle

Rentals and outfitters

  • Whiskey Creek Hideout / Dania Beach Adventures

    Rentals
    High confidence

PaddlePin tips

  • Treat the 1.5 miles as the named Whiskey Creek waterway length, not automatically a 1.5-mile round-trip route; field-test the best user-facing route.

    High confidence
  • Safety Notes: Stay within your comfort zone if leaving the sheltered creek for Stranahan River or ocean-facing water; check current park closures.

    High confidence

Been here? Help keep it accurate

PaddlePin is researched from official sources. Paddlers who have actually been are how it stays true.

Contributions are reviewed before anything on this page changes. PaddlePin stays the researched directory — your report is evidence we check, not an edit to it.

Sources

Where this information came from, and when we last read it.

  1. Primary source Florida State Parks, read
  2. Secondary source Florida State Parks, read

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