Dog-Friendly
Parks and trails where dogs are verified welcome (leash rules apply). Beach rules are stricter: only the beaches listed here are verified to allow dogs on the sand.
- Caloosahatchee Creeks PreserveNorth Fort Myers, FLWetland, hammock and pine flatwoods trails along the north bank of the Caloosahatchee.
- Cape Haze Pioneer TrailPort Charlotte, FLAn 8.5-mile recreational trail following the historic Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railroad easement on the Cape Haze peninsula.
- CREW Marsh TrailsImmokalee, FLFree marked loop trails through pine flatwoods, oak hammocks and popash slough along a 5,000-acre sawgrass marsh.
- Gordon River GreenwayNaples, FLA 140-acre ecological corridor with 2.5 miles of trails through six native plant communities in urban Naples.
- Koreshan State ParkEstero, FLPreserved settlement of the Koreshan Unity, a communal religious society that built a working village on the Estero River.
- Myakka River State ParkSarasota, FLOne of Florida's oldest and largest state parks — 58 square miles of river, prairies, hammocks, pinelands and wetlands.
- Okaloacoochee Slough State ForestFelda, FLA 32,370-acre forest mostly in Hendry County, protecting slough wetlands and forest habitats.
- Prairie Pines PreserveNorth Fort Myers, FLAbout 17 miles of hiking and equestrian trails through flatwoods, marshes, wet prairie and prairie hammock.
- The Legacy TrailSarasota, FLA paved multi-use trail connecting Sarasota and Venice with numerous community access points.
- Venetian Waterway ParkVenice, FLPaved trails following both banks of the Intracoastal Waterway in Venice.
Beaches
Verified dog-welcome beaches. Most Southwest Florida beach parks prohibit dogs on the sand — when in doubt, leave pup home.
- Keewaydin IslandNaples, FLEight-mile barrier-island beach reachable only by boat, with no roads, cars or staffed facilities. Bring everything you need; floating vendors are sometimes present but never guaranteed.Official site
- Dog Beach ParkBonita Springs, FLLee County's off-leash dog beach at the end of Bonita Beach Causeway — an unsupervised, unimproved shoreline where dogs may run off-leash in the water.Official site
- Brohard Beach & Paw ParkVenice, FLSarasota County's designated dog beach — the Paw Park section welcomes leashed and off-leash dogs on the sand and in the surf.Official site
- Blind Pass Beach Park (Sanibel)Sanibel, FLShelling beach immediately south of the bridge connecting Sanibel and Captiva, best at low tide. Swift currents in the pass — do not treat beach access as safe swimming. No on-site restroom; facilities across the bridge at Turner Beach.Official site