Ten Thousand Islands, Gulf side
The same protected mangrove wilderness Everglades City is famous for, reached instead from our Goodland dock — open water, passes and barrier-island beaches.
Departing Southwest Florida
Boat Tours Near Everglades City, Florida
Everglades City is the historic gateway to the Ten Thousand Islands, but our Gulf-side boats don’t launch from the Barron River — they run from Goodland and Naples, a scenic drive north. Make the short trip and trade freshwater backcountry creeks for real Gulf beaches, dolphin-rich passes and shelling on islands the tide just refilled.
Drive timeAbout 40–45 minutes to Goodland or Naples
Departs fromSan Marco Marina, Goodland & Naples Bay Resort & Marina
You may seeDolphins, shells, the Cape Romano ruins & sunsets
Great forEverglades City & Chokoloskee visitors wanting a Gulf beach day
Why Drive North
Two different sides of the same wild coast
Everglades City has earned its reputation as the historic gateway to the Ten Thousand Islands — a onetime Collier County seat turned stone-crab fishing village where the Barron River meets Chokoloskee Bay and Everglades National Park’s backcountry begins. The boat tours based right there run into the freshwater-to-brackish mangrove rivers and grass flats of the Park’s interior, the classic airboat-and-backcountry experience the town is famous for.
Our boats run a different stretch of the same wild coast. From San Marco Marina in Goodland or Naples Bay Resort & Marina, a scenic 40–45 minute drive north on the Tamiami Trail, we head into the Gulf side of the Ten Thousand Islands — open barrier-island beaches like Kice and Shell Island, dolphin-rich passes, and the storm-toppled Cape Romano dome-house ruins, instead of freshwater backcountry creeks.
It’s worth the short drive if you want real Gulf sand under your feet: empty-shell beaches refilled by every tide (empty shells only, per Collier County rules), wild bottlenose dolphins working the passes, and a sunset with nothing but open water on the horizon. Our USCG-licensed captains know this stretch cold — pair the drive with lunch in Goodland or dinner downtown and make a full day of it.
- A scenic 40–45 minute drive north to our Goodland or Naples docks
- Real Gulf-side barrier-island beaches instead of freshwater backcountry
- Dolphin-rich passes & the Cape Romano dome-house ruins
- Empty-shell hunting, sunset cruises & private charters
Pick Your Adventure
Boat tours to book from Goodland & Naples
All depart Goodland or Naples, a scenic drive north of Everglades City. Tap a tour for full details and live booking.
Shelling ToursHunt rare shells on remote barrier islands the tide just refilled.
Dolphin & WildlifeWild bottlenose dolphins, manatees, ospreys & roseate spoonbills.
Sunset CruisesGolden-hour Gulf cruising as the sky lights up over the water.
Private ChartersThe whole boat is yours — a captain and a route built around you.
Beach & IslandCastaway on a roadless Gulf island for swimming, sandcastles & shells.
Two Ten Thousand Islands
Where our trips go (from Goodland & Naples)
A scenic drive north trades the Park’s freshwater backcountry for the Gulf side of the same island wilderness.
Cape Romano Dome Ruins
The storm-toppled dome-house ruins off Cape Romano, half-submerged since Hurricane Ian (2022) — one of the coast’s most photographed oddities.
Kice & Shell Islands
Remote, boat-only barrier-island beaches piled with whelks, conchs and sand dollars — empty shells only in Collier County.
Goodland
The old-Florida fishing village and our closest dock to the islands, about 40 minutes north of Everglades City.
Gordon Pass & Naples Bay
Dolphin-rich inlet and calm downtown water if you make the slightly longer drive north to our Naples dock.
Chokoloskee & the Everglades backcountry
Right next door to Everglades City — the National Park’s own boat tours explore this freshwater-to-brackish side of the wilderness.
🐬 Dolphins work the Gulf-side passes near Goodland year-round — a different, saltier slice of the same Ten Thousand Islands.
Who Makes the Drive
Worth it for these kinds of Everglades City days
Shell hunters
Empty-shell beaches on remote barrier islands beat anything reachable on the Park’s freshwater side.
Wildlife lovers
Dolphin-rich Gulf passes make a nice complement to the Park’s own gator-and-bird backcountry.
Families staying in Everglades City
Pair a morning in the Park with an afternoon Gulf beach day for two very different Everglades experiences.
Photographers
The Cape Romano ruins, open Gulf sunsets and barrier-island light are a change of pace from the mangrove tunnels.
On the Water
What’s waiting north of Everglades City
Tap any photo to look closer.
Keep Exploring
Nearby waters & planning help
Driving in from elsewhere around the Ten Thousand Islands? These help too.
Boat Tours from Goodland, FloridaOur closest dock to Everglades City and the Ten Thousand Islands.
Boat Tours from Chokoloskee IslandRight next door to Everglades City — how to reach our Gulf-side trips.
Boat Tours from Isles of Capri, FloridaAnother close-in feeder town on the way to our Goodland dock.
Ten Thousand Islands Boat ToursThe Gulf side of the wilderness — mangroves, dolphins & Cape Romano.
Goodland, FL Travel GuideDocks, directions & what to expect at our Goodland departure.
Good to Know
Everglades City boat tour questions
What guests staying near Everglades City ask most before booking.
Do your boat tours leave from Everglades City?
No — our boats depart from San Marco Marina in Goodland and Naples Bay Resort & Marina in Naples, both a scenic 40–45 minute drive north of Everglades City on the Tamiami Trail. We don’t run trips out of the Barron River or Chokoloskee Bay.
How far is Goodland from Everglades City?
About 40 minutes by car, mostly along US-41 (Tamiami Trail) and Collier Boulevard. It’s the closer of our two docks and the fastest way to reach the Gulf side of the Ten Thousand Islands.
What’s the difference between an Everglades City boat tour and one of yours?
Tours based in Everglades City typically explore the freshwater-to-brackish backcountry of Everglades National Park — mangrove rivers, grass flats and airboat country. Ours are Gulf-side saltwater trips from Goodland and Naples: open barrier-island beaches, shelling, dolphin-rich passes and Gulf sunsets.
Is it worth the drive from Everglades City for a Gulf beach day?
Many guests staying in Everglades City think so — it’s a genuinely different experience, with real Gulf sand, empty-shell beaches refilled by every tide, and dolphins working the passes. Pairing a Park backcountry trip with a Gulf-side afternoon makes for two very different Everglades days.
Can we see the Cape Romano dome-house ruins from Goodland?
Many of our Ten Thousand Islands trips can route past the storm-toppled Cape Romano dome ruins, conditions permitting — just let your captain know you’d like to see them. The homes were toppled by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and now sit half-submerged in the shallows.
Can we book a private charter if we’re staying near Everglades City?
Yes — a private charter from Goodland or Naples lets your captain build the day around your drive time and what you want to see, whether that’s shelling, dolphins or a sunset cruise.
Reserve Your Seats
Book a boat tour near Everglades City
Live availability and instant confirmation — pick your date and trip at our Goodland or Naples dock, or call and a local captain will help you plan the drive.
The Gulf side is calling
Trade the backcountry for open Gulf water
A scenic drive north from Everglades City puts you on real barrier-island beaches, dolphin-rich passes and Gulf sunsets. Book your Goodland or Naples boat tour today.