Lafayette Passage Paddling Trail
About the Trail
The paddling trail is a 7.8 mile round trip from the boat ramp at Piney Z Lake, or a 6 mile round trip from the boat ramp at the end of "Road to The Lake" in Chaires. It traverses property owned by the City of Tallahassee, Leon County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Plan your trip within your ability and be sure to have plenty of water, snacks, proper clothing, insect repellent, etc. Paddling the entire trail from Piney Z Lake will take about 4 hours or more. Currently, there are no dry land rest areas provided along the trail.
Entering Lower Lake Lafayette from Piney Z Lake requires a portage over the earthen dam between the lakes. The portage includes a 25' slope from the Piney Z take-out to the top of the dam, and a similar decline to the put-in area on Lower Lake Lafayette. The entire distance is roughly 50'' over a grassed earth. A beach area, covered with gravel, is located at each end of the portage to facilitate exiting and entering boats.
The "Road to the Lake" is an actual road that follows the railroad track in Chaires. Follow the road to the end, it will enter a wooded area, to a small dirt ramp and small parking area. Boats may be trailer launched. To enter the trail from Piney Z Lake, take Heritage Park Blvd., which goes through the Piney Z Plantation neighborhood, off of Conner Blvd. Heritage Park Blvd. will end at the Lafayette Heritage Trail Park parking area. A large dirt parking area is provided at the south end of the parking lot and signs show how to reach the hand boat launch located there. Boats must be carried 120' to the launch.
Share the trail for Duck Season
Duck hunting is allowed on the FWC owned portion of the paddling trail, which constitutes the majority of the trail on Lower Lake Lafayette. Maintenance and improvement of the trail is partially funded through efforts to manage waterfowl habitat and hunting access. In Leon County, hunting is allowed on Wednesdays and weekends, sunrise to sunset, November through February. Hunters are usually present during early morning and late afternoon. During those times, paddlers can show proper courtesy by enjoying only those portions of the trail located on City of Tallahassee property, where hunting is prohibited. Since boundary demarcation is often difficult along waterways, if you’d like to avoid hunters then you can ensure you’re on City property by staying on Lake Piney Z. For more information on hunting regulations, visit myfwc.com. For paddling trail issues on City property, please contact PRNA staff at 850-891-5314 or 850-509-5746.
Piney Z Rules
- Fishing license required - including cane poles
- Swimming, firearms, and alcoholic beverages prohibited
- Hand-launched watercraft only, no gasoline motors
- No motor vehicles on dams, spillways or fishing fingers
- Use or possession of minnow seines or cast nets prohibited
- No person shall kill or possess any black bass
- No person shall take in any one day:
- More than 20 panfish in the aggregate
- More than 6 channel catfish
The Piney Z Lake Fish Management Area is cooperatively managed by The City of Tallahassee and The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.