Backcountry Hells Bay Chickee — Everglades National Park

This is the third time we've been to this site, but we chose it because we wanted to see the new platforms which were installed this past year. The platform is a little shorter than the last one (closer to the water), but looks nice and has ladders. However, the decking used on the new Hells Bay chickee hurts ones feet after just a few minutes of walking on it, and tears up socks. Shoes are a necessity. The two platforms are also significantly closer together than before which is less than ideal. I certainly missed the angled walkways that made the old platforms feel more separate. We were happy to be the only ones on the platforms that night. The cooking table is definitely better than the previous one; it is stable and quite wide. It you relied on the overhead crossbeams on the older style chickees to store fishing poles or tie up hammocks, you're out of luck. The new roofs do not have these. There's still places on either side, but not the multiple slats like the older chickees. The new posts are made of metal, so they feel a little more secure than previously. Lastly, the porta-potty was not updated. It still does not lock and is currently held close with a carabiner when not in use. It was also so incredibly full and was in desperate need of being emptied. The southern platform definitely got wafts of the port-potty due to the fullness and how close the new platforms are. Overall, we will continue to visit this chickee, but the type of decking and how close the new platforms are to each other is a less than ideal. I hope Everglades NP talks to users before updating any of the other chickees.

The Hell's Bay Chickee is one of 4 that I have visited. The structure itself needs a little love. I liked the angled boardwalk which made it feel a little more separate from the other platform. It is definitely one of the oldest chickees. The porta-potty doesn't lock and someone put a string on it to hold it shut. There are no ladders like some of the new chickees so on a super low tide some may have issues hauling themselves up. There is also no cooking station so there are a lot of areas where camping stoves melted the composite floorboards. However, it is a stable structure and the porta-potty was clean. There were fishing line and hooks wrapped around a few of the posts, but I blame inconsiderate campers for that and not the NPS. The paddle was relatively easy; we had a moderate headwind at one part which may have been more difficult for less experienced paddlers. I thought the trail was well marked from the head of the the Hells Bay Canoe Trail, however, I mapped and planned a lot ahead of time which may have factored in. Heads up that if you are the first paddler of the day, there will be a load of spider webs across the trail. Contrary to some other reviewers, we saw a lot of wildlife! A few dolphins swam by the Chickee and on the paddle we saw sharks, seabirds, and fish. Mosquitos were awful right after sunset, but a strong north wind came in which blew them away. Winds can change drastically and quickly, so make sure to tie of your watercraft really well; we went from flat calm to 25knots in just 5 minutes.

We kayaked the Hells Bay trail in January and had a great time. The trail is well marked for the most part and easy enough for a beginner paddler. The chickee was windy, but in good repair. It would have been slightly uncomfortable if the other camp of the 2 site chickee was in use, just based in privacy and proximity. If you are in the fence, you should totally do this paddle/camp. We didn’t see much wildlife at all - just a few fish and a few birds.

We have only done 1-2 overnight paddle trips before, but the park rangers were very helpful in getting us set up. The paddle took about 3-4 hours each way but we took our time. There was only one place where we were unsure which direction to go, but after paddling around a bit we found our way and the rest was smooth sailing. We only saw a few other people on the water. No signs of wildlife anywhere, except for a few birds here and there. Enjoyed an awesome sunset and sunrise from the chickee. Stars were great but hard to enjoy because as soon as the sun goes down the bugs SWARM. Pack some cards or something to do in the tent after sunset before bed. Beautiful sunrise.