On episode 3 of "Can I Canoe Here?" we explore a very easy paddle location just outside of John D Macarthur Beach State Park. This is located on the northern tip of Singer Island in Palm Beach County, FL. This is a saltwater tidal estuary just north of the Palm Beach Inlet. Paddling here is dependent on the the tides as it does get pretty shallow at low tide. I suggest paddling at mid incoming tide. There is unofficial free parking on the east side of A1A just south of the small bridge (coming from Singer Island, before you get to the park entrance). This parking is NOT official and has been allowed by local authorities as long as it doesn't get out of hand, so please be courteous and don't leave anything like trash or damage.
The canoe launch is on the west side of the road behind the hand rail. It is a small rocky cut in the mangroves, the bottom is sandy with a few rocks but nothing really dangerous. Most of the paddle is wide open with a slight shelter from the wind by the mangrove islands. On the north side of Munyon Island you will find the entrance to the mangrove paddling trail. On the west side of Mounyon island is the beach and boat dock area.
Named for John D. MacArthur whose Foundation donated a portion of the land for its construction in the 1970s, is located on and just north of Singer Island, Florida in North Palm Beach, Florida. The park was first opened to the public in 1989. It covers 438 acres (1.8 km2) on land and underwater, including an Estuary crossed by a 1,600-foot (490 m) boardwalk, and Munyon Island (named after Dr. James Munyon), a wilderness isle in the Intracoastal Waterway that was home to the lavish Hygeia Hotel at the turn of the Twentieth century. The hotel burned to the ground in 1917. Hiking trails and pavilions are open for public use on Munyon Island, which is accessible only by kayak or boat.
One section of the park was popularly known as Air Force Beach from the early 1940s until the renaming of the park because it was used by Palm Beach Air Force Base personnel. Nude bathing officially ended with the state's takeover of the park in 1982.[2]
MacArthur Beach is a nesting ground for rare sea turtles, including the threatened loggerhead, the endangered green sea turtle, and occasionally the rare leatherback. Many species of birds also visit the park, including peregrine falcons, wood storks, and least terns. In addition to state funds and gate fees, the park receives community support through a local organization, Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park.
The William T. Kirby Nature Center features exhibits about the park's natural history, and includes live animal exhibits such as two loggerhead sea turtles.
Beach Outfitters Gift Shop and Kayak Rentals, operated by Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park, offers a variety of gifts and provides rentals of kayaks, dive flags, lockers and binoculars.