Hiking Southwest Florida | biking, camping, paddling – Page 5

De Soto National Memorial

Bradenton 1.2 miles

Interpreting the landing of Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto, De Soto National Memorial occupies a peninsula where the Manatee River flows into Tampa Bay.

Deep Hole

Sarasota 4.6 miles

An impressively deep riverside sinkhole within Myakka River State Park, Deep Hole provides a year-round home to some of the park's largest alligators.

Deer Creek Prairie Preserve

North Port 5.3 miles

Part of a complex of public lands protecting the Myakka River and its tributaries, Deer Creek Prairie Preserve blankets over 7,300 acres between Venice and North Port.

Delnor-Wiggins Nature Trail

Naples 2.8 miles

At the northernmost end of Naples, the breezy shores of Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park entice beachgoers and nature lovers to an observation tower, nature trail, and beach walk.

Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park

Swift tides rolling through Wiggins Pass define the northernmost beach of Naples, a spread of sun-drenched sand within sight of a line of condos that stretch southward.

Ding Darling Bailey Tract

One of the lesser-known trails at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is at the Bailey Tract, off Tarpon Bay Road. Loop around impoundments with great birding.

Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Preserving more than half of Sanibel Island for the sake of its bird life, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is one of the top places in the United States to view rare bird species.

Bear bagging is the art of hanging your food properly out of reach of bears. If you're a Florida backpacker and haven't learned how, here's a short course. Securing your food from bears is required in the Ocala, Osceola, and Apalachicola National Forests.