Protecting 115 acres along Lemon Bay, Cedar Point is Charlotte County’s flagship environmental park.
On the coastline across from Lemon Bay High School, the park was established in the mid-1990s for environmental education and conservation.
At the point of Cedar PointWhile foremost a preserve of coastal habitats, this is a gentle place for hikers of all ages and a great place to bring the kids.
Despite the battering it took during the hurricanes of 2024, trail signage, benches, and pavilions still make this county preserve a standout.
Along the Tortoise TrailResources
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Overview
Location: Englewood
Length: Up to 2.5 miles
Trailhead: 26.925542, -82.335100
Address: 2300 Placida Rd, Englewood
Fees: Free
Restroom: At nature center
Land manager: Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center
Phone: 941-475-0769
Open sunrise to sunset. Environmental center Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30. No dogs or bicycles permitted. Be cautious of alligators when approaching shorelines.
Directions
From US 41 in North Port, follow River Rd south to Englewood. Take Pine St south to SR 775, and soon after crossing SR 776, watch for the park entrance on the right. There are two parking areas: a larger one just inside the entrance gate and a small number of spaces near the environmental center.
Hike
The Conservancy Trail connects the front parking area with the environmental center parking area with an extra quarter mile loop through pine flatwoods.
The main trailhead is at the environmental center, adjoined by restrooms. A kiosk with maps to take along stands out front.
Environmental centerWalk around the building to the path into the pine flatwoods. Stepping stones led to a covered kiosk with a much older map.
It’s no longer accurate, but the interpretive panels on the pine flatwoods and oak scrub that make up the high ground of Cedar Point certainly are.
Interpretive kioskBehind the kiosk is a linear path signposted Jeep Trail with arrows pointing both ways. Turn right and walk this broad path through the pine flatwoods.
Killed by salt water during the 2024 hurricanes, tall pines with browned needles stand beyond the junction with the Tortoise Trail sign.
Start of the Tortoise TrailTurn right on the grassy path beneath a canopy of healthy slash pines. Make a left at the next Tortoise Trail sign, walking the needle-strewn corridor.
Many of the tall pines are dead but the understory remains a vibrant green, edged by saw palmetto.
Healthy pine flatwoodsAt the next sign, veer left. The footpath becomes sandy on the approach to a bench. A quarter mile into the hike, meet the junction with the Girard Trail.
Beyond it, the Tortoise Trail proceeds to a bench right behind a subdivision that’s become visually intrusive with the destruction of the tree canopy by the hurricanes.
Girard Trail junctionThe Crystal Trail starts behind it, making a loop through a battered coastal flatwoods. Cabbage palms are the only trees still green.
Nevertheless, gopher tortoises still live and graze the grasses in this corner of the preserve.
Gopher tortoise on the Crystal TrailFollow the arrows behind the houses to loop towards Lemon Bay, the trail curving left to follow a wall of mangroves. Saltwort flourishes on the bay side of the footpath.
Pass clumps of needlerush before a glimpse of Lemon Bay across a strangely textured landscape of browned saw palmetto fronds.
Glimpse of Lemon BayCurving along this point, come to a bench and a Tortoise Trail sign at a half mile. To the right, a beaten path through the mangroves opens a portal to a keyhole view of Lemon Bay.
Resume the Tortoise Trail, following it through the dead flatwoods past the Crystal Trail junction. At the Girard Trail junction, turn right.
Crystal Trail junctionImmersing in the pine flatwoods, the Girard Trail has a soft footpath of pine duff as it curves through a sea of saw palmetto.
Walk amid a mix of live and dead slash pines. Songbirds add to the pleasant cadence of this walk.
Start of the Girard TrailAt 0.8 mile, this diagonal trail ends at the linear Jeep Trail. Turn right. An easy path under the ghostly pines, it meets the Big Pine Trail in a tenth of a mile.
Pass by this junction for now to continue on a round-trip to Cedar Point.
Along the Jeep TrailBeyond a substantial concrete memorial bench, the habitat shifts. Salt-loving sprays of sea oxeye spill onto the footpath.
It shifts from dirt to tacky sand edged by mangroves. Needlegrass fills lowlying areas. Divots in this path can flood.
Sea oxeyeAscend up and over the merest of ridges defined by cabbage palms and now-dead cedars.
Reach a clearing in front of a picnic pavilion on Cedar Point at 1.2 miles. A sweep of white sand steers the path to the right.
Picnic shelterContinue through the sea grapes to a low shell-strewn bluff, reminders of the ancient peoples who once fished these waters for sustenance.
Atop the bluff, a bench overlooks a panorama of Lemon Bay. Settle in and enjoy the view.
Lemon BayVisiting the picnic pavilion for a shady break, note the narrow path behind it. It leads to yet another perspective on the shallows of Lemon Bay.
At the end of Cedar Point, there’s nowhere else to go but backtrack.
Returning along the mangrove-lined pathOn the return, the transition from cedar flats to mangrove forest is more obvious. At the low spot in the mangroves, look right.
A beaten path between the saltwort leads to a tunnel through the mangroves to a cove where tiny waves break through sprouting mangroves.
A sign warns about disturbing nesting birds. A threatened species, least terns are among the migratory birds that build ground nests on the sandy spits starting in mid-April.
Hidden coveReturn to the Jeep Trail and continue along it to the junction with the Big Pine Trail at 1.5 miles. Turn onto it for the return loop to the Environmental Center.
Beginning in battered pine flatwoods, it transitions into cedar flats with cabbage palms and mangroves as it arcs towards the bay.
Nearing the Big Pine Trail junctionOne frequently muddy spot in the trail is bolstered by palmetto fronds.
Reaching a T junction, take a right. This sandy path through the flats leads through the mangroves.
Muddy pathEmerge on a gorgeous sweep of beach with a vista across Lemon Bay to a natural shoreline.
The crescent of sandbar in this cove is undoubtedly treasured by terns during nesting season. Do not step onto the beach if nesting birds are present.
Sandbar in a coveAt 1.7 miles, retrace the sand path to the junction with the two arrows and proceed straight ahead to resume the Big Pine Trail.
It makes gentle curves through a pine-palm flatwoods with a very open understory, with signage to keep you on the footpath.
On the Big Pine TrailAt the junction with the Fern Trail, continue straight ahead. Gaining a little elevation, re-immerse in healthy pine flatwoods with a lot of younger trees for the final stretch.
One ancient pine seems suited for an eagles’ nest. Unfortunately, none have nested at this preserve since our last visit. We were told to check Oyster Creek across the street.
Among the pinesReaching a T intersection with a bench at 2 miles, turn right. The rooftop of the Environmental Center is visible ahead through the trees.
Continue along this well-worn path to the entry kiosk and over the stepping stones to the trailhead, completing a 2.1 mile hike at the trail kiosk in front of the building.
If you parked just inside the entrance, the walk to and from that lot along the Conservancy Trail extends this to a 2.5 mile hike.
Approaching the Environmental centerA connector trail east from that lot also enables access to the trails of neighboring Oyster Creek Environmental Park, which abuts the high school.
Stop and take a look at the Cookie House on your way out. This historic structure was moved from Englewood to the preserve in 2006.
A 1931 log cabin made from “cookies” sliced out of lighter pine and stacked on edge, it is the only known remaining cabin of its type in Florida.
The “Cookie House” was Florida’s first marine biology station on the mainlandTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking Cedar Point Environmental Park
Slideshow
See our photos from Cedar Point Environmental Park
Nearby Adventures
Oyster Creek Environmental Park Along the northern shore of a mangrove-lined creek, Oyster Creek Environmental Park offers gentle hiking trails with interpretive stops beneath old-growth slash pines.
Stump Pass Beach State Park At the south tip of Manasota Key, Stump Pass Beach State Park sits at just the right angle to collect seashells like a scoop, so early risers have great shelling
Lemon Bay Park Explore the edges of Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve in this Sarasota County Park with more than 4 miles of trails - including accessible trails - winding through coastal habitats.
Amberjack Environmental Park At Amberjack Environmental Park in Rotonda, explore a surprising meld of scrub and mangrove habitats along the high ground of the Cape Haze Peninsula.
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