Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park

Stretched thin and long to follow the convoluted shoreline of Charlotte Harbor, Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park encompasses more than 70 miles of coastline along the Gulf Coast.

Resources

Overview

Location: Punta Gorda
Lat-Long: 26.87355,-82.023981 (headquarters)
Fees: free
Open: 8 AM until sunset daily
Leashed pets welcome

Location

Details

Covering 42,000 acres, most of it wet, this is a wilderness park that includes Calusa archaeological sites on shell-topped islands, wet pine flatwoods, mangrove forests, and mud flats along the coast.

Start your visit at the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, a destination for families and school groups to about the broad variety of habitats to explore. Discover them on foot, by boat, and by a sea kayak trail threading through a vast mangrove wilderness.

Park headquarters are based in Punta Gorda at Alligator Creek Preserve, where you can obtain information about the many different facets of the park, stretching from Pine Island to Boca Grande, along Charlotte Harbor’s lengthy shoreline.

Trail Map

Explore the park

Alligator Creek - Part of Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park, Alligator Creek has two loop trails where freshwater and saltwater habitats meet, enabling you to explore a variety of coastal habitats in less than three miles.
Old Datsun Trail - The Old Datsun Trail at Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park loops 1.7 miles through circa 1905 farmland established by the Miles School of Practical Agriculture