St. James Residents have access to the ICW. The kayak launch ramp at Waterway Park is to the left of the dock area and provides access to the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). You must carry or use a manual cart to get your kayak from your vehicle to the ramp. There is no road to drive the kayak to the dock. 

Before venturing onto the ICW, check the local tides. There is a four to five hour window on either side of high tide for a safe launch and recovery. The launch ramp may be inaccessible at lower tides.

Here are some destinations for kayaking along the ICW. Going right (west) from the launch it’s 0.4 miles to the St. James Marina, 2.2 miles to the Swain’s Cut Bridge and 6 miles to the Lockwood Folly River. Going left (east) it’s 0.7 miles to Beaver Creek, 2.7 miles to the Barbee Bridge and 5.6 miles to Southport’s Yacht Basin.