Hiking & Trails
Verified hiking and walking trails across Southwest Florida — from boardwalk strolls through old-growth cypress to 20-mile trail systems in state forests and preserves.
- Babcock Ranch PreservePunta Gorda, FLA 67,619-acre working ranch managed for compatible recreation and conservation.
- Big Cypress Bend BoardwalkCopeland, FLA boardwalk through Fakahatchee Strand swamp ending at an alligator pond and observation deck.
- Big Cypress National PreserveOchopee, FLWilderness recreation in the Big Cypress Swamp, with two roadside visitor centers on the Tamiami Trail.
- Caloosahatchee Creeks PreserveNorth Fort Myers, FLWetland, hammock and pine flatwoods trails along the north bank of the Caloosahatchee.
- Caloosahatchee Regional ParkAlva, FLA 768-acre park of flatwoods, scrub oak, cypress swamps and oak hammocks divided by North River Road.
- Cape Haze Pioneer TrailPort Charlotte, FLAn 8.5-mile recreational trail following the historic Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railroad easement on the Cape Haze peninsula.
- Charlotte Harbor Preserve State ParkPunta Gorda, FLA 46,000-acre preserve protecting the Charlotte Harbor shoreline, with hiking walk-throughs and paddling trails.
- Collier-Seminole State ParkNaples, FLA 7,271-acre park blending temperate and tropical plant communities, home to the historic Bay City Walking Dredge.
- Corkscrew Swamp SanctuaryNaples, FLA Ramsar Wetland of International Importance protecting the largest remaining old-growth bald cypress forest.
- CREW Bird Rookery Swamp TrailNaples, FLFormer logging tramways crossing a maple-cypress swamp rich in wildlife.
- CREW Marsh TrailsImmokalee, FLFree marked loop trails through pine flatwoods, oak hammocks and popash slough along a 5,000-acre sawgrass marsh.
- Estero Bay Preserve State ParkEstero, FLTwo land entrances to rugged conservation lands bordering Estero Bay.
- Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State ParkCopeland, FLFlorida's largest state park, emphasizing preservation of its wild character over visitor facilities.
- Gordon River GreenwayNaples, FLA 140-acre ecological corridor with 2.5 miles of trails through six native plant communities in urban Naples.
- Hickey Creek Mitigation ParkAlva, FLA Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail site with five miles of looped hikes through protected habitat.
- Myakka River State ParkSarasota, FLOne of Florida's oldest and largest state parks — 58 square miles of river, prairies, hammocks, pinelands and wetlands.
- Myakka State ForestEnglewood, FLAn 8,593-acre forest purchased in 1995 as part of the Myakka Estuary conservation project.
- Okaloacoochee Slough State ForestFelda, FLA 32,370-acre forest mostly in Hendry County, protecting slough wetlands and forest habitats.
- Oscar Scherer State ParkOsprey, FLAn island of preserved habitat important to the Florida scrub-jay, surrounded by development.
- Prairie Pines PreserveNorth Fort Myers, FLAbout 17 miles of hiking and equestrian trails through flatwoods, marshes, wet prairie and prairie hammock.
- Six Mile Cypress Slough PreserveFort Myers, FLA 1.2-mile elevated, fully accessible boardwalk through a freshwater wetland in Fort Myers.
- 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.
Worth the Trip
Outside Southwest Florida, but worth the drive.