Detailed coverage of the Wilderness Waterway is beyond the scope of this guide. For more information, the interested paddler should contact personnel at either the Flamingo or Everglades City ranger stations. In addition, a copy of A Guide to the Wilderness Waterway of the Everglades National Park by William G. Truesdale is well worth the money. It contains a series of maps, which lead the paddler across the waterway, as well as a narrative covering the natural and cultural history of the area. Nautical charts are available at most marinas as well as the National Park ranger stations and visitor centers.
Many paddlers consider the Turner River one of the finest canoe trails in the Everglades.
Flowing into Chokoloskee Bay, it meanders from the northeast for about ten miles, passing through several types of mangrove forests, a large marshland of sawgrass, and several areas of high ground richly vegetated with tall pines and old oaks. Numerous side streams intersect the Turner, inviting exploration. Some end in impassable overgrowth, while others lead to interesting little bays. The river flows from north to south into Chokoloskee Bay, although within a few miles of the mouth of the river, the tides affect the direction of current. This trip resulted in several armed conflicts that effectively ended the Third Seminole War.