Free launches, Crystal River to Siesta Key

Not every good launch costs money. These spots are free to park and put in, from spring-fed rivers up north to the bay launches around St. Pete and the south-coast ramps near Sarasota. A few fill up early on weekends and a couple have almost no parking, so the honest notes are on each spot page.

Tap any launch for the full rundown and today's live conditions.

• Anclote River Park

  River-mouth launch, easy paddle out to the Gulf or upriver. Sandy beach put-in

• Ballast Point Park

  Free city park with a pier and an on-site ramp/slip on the west shore of Hillsborough Bay.

• Bayfront Park (Anna Maria)

  North tip of Anna Maria Island. Open paddling toward Egmont Key and the Skyway

• Bird Key Park

  Bay beach launch at the foot of the Ringling Causeway. Closed at the launch after Milton damage; the nearby bay water is still...

• Brasher Park

  Free waterfront carry-launch on the Gulf at Millers Bayou. Storm-damaged: structures torn down with porta-potties only as of...

• Butler Hole (Tierra Verde)

  Roadside locals' put-in for Shell Key. Park along Pinellas Bayway, slide through a gap in the mangroves

• Clam Bayou

  Gulfport/St. Pete hidden mangrove preserve. No motors, classic locals' secret

• Cockroach Bay (Ruskin)

  Aquatic preserve, no motors, marked paddling trails. Hidden Hillsborough gem

• Coffee Pot Bayou

  NE St. Pete neighborhood launch. Tiny, sheltered, perfect first-paddle spot

• Coquina Beach Ramp (AMI south)

  South end of Anna Maria, Sarasota Bay side. Quiet alternative to the Gulf-side beach scene

• Davis Islands Boat Ramp

  Free city ramp on Hillsborough Bay at Seddon Channel, the practical downtown-area launch.

• Dunedin Causeway

  Free park-and-launch. 15-min paddle west to Caladesi Island, the iconic crossing

• Eagle Point

  Free county park with a developed kayak ramp on a Gulf-side cove.

• Emerson Point (Palmetto)

  Mouth of Manatee River meets the bay. Wide-open paddling with Skyway views

• Fort Hamer Park (launch)

  Free 24-hour boat and kayak ramp on the upper tidal Manatee River in Parrish. Also a rowing-crew training venue.

• Fort Island Gulf Beach

  Open Gulf county beach with real fetch exposure. The calmer Fort Island Trail ramp sits a few miles inland on the river if the...

• Green Key

  Robert K. Rees Memorial Park, a west-facing key beach with open Gulf exposure.

• Ken Thompson / City Island

  City Island kayak launch with access to New Pass and the Lido mangrove tunnels, the SUP draw here. The on-site tour operator is a...

• Key Vista

  Free county nature park with a beach carry-launch, sharing the same shallow Gulf water as the canonical Anclote River Park nearby.

• Kingfish Boat Ramp

  Major public ramp and kayak launch at the east foot of the Anna Maria Island bridge on Anna Maria Sound. Shade and portapotties;...

• Lassing Park

  Best on straight-E wind; flat shallow water

• Maximo Park

  Sheltered ramp, S fetch toward Skyway

• Mobbly Bayou (Oldsmar)

  Tucked, no-wake bayou at the top of Old Tampa Bay. Hidden, dead-calm most days

• Nick's Park

  Public launch reaching the Gulf through the Port Richey canal and bayou.

• Old Homosassa Public Ramp

  Cherokee Way public launch on the spring-fed Homosassa River. This is the real public put-in, not the commercial Riverside rental...

• Ozello Community Park

  Free county park launch into the Ozello backwater maze on the north side of Crystal Bay.

• Palma Sola Causeway Ramp

  Free causeway ramp on protected Palma Sola Bay, opening toward Anna Maria Sound.

• Philippe Park

  Old Tampa Bay east shore, Safety Harbor. Sheltered from W winds, exposed to E

• Picnic Island Park

  Free city park at the interbay tip by the Old Tampa Bay entrance. Use the public canoe/kayak launch and beach, not the on-site...

• Robinson Preserve

  700 acres of restored mangrove, NW Bradenton. Tunnels feel like a separate world

• Seminole Waterfront Park

  Free city park with a launch pad and rinse station on the salt side, Long Bayou into North Boca Ciega Bay. Not the freshwater...

• Sims Park

  Free city park with a dedicated kayak launch on the tidal Pithlachascotee (Cotee) River in downtown New Port Richey.

• Strickland Memorial

  The Robert J. Strickland Memorial Park boat ramp on Armand Way, reaching the Gulf via the Hudson channel. The park proper up the...

• Sunset Beach (Tarpon)

  Tiny, free, quiet. Locals' sunset launch just south of Fred Howard

• Ted Sperling / South Lido

  Sarasota's famous mangrove tunnels. Protected even on windy days

• Turtle Beach (Siesta Key)

  South Siesta Key. Launch into the intracoastal, paddle to Jim Neville Preserve's hidden beach

• Warner's Bayou Ramp

  Free 24-hour ramp and kayak launch on a lower Manatee River inlet at 59th St W in Bradenton. Osprey nest and dolphins per reviews.

• Weedon Island

  Long S/SW fetch up Old Tampa Bay