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Needlerush marsh Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park

Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park

Stretched long and thin to follow the convoluted shoreline of Charlotte Harbor, Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park protects more than 100 miles of coastline along the Gulf Coast

Punta Gorda      ( 26.87355,-82.023981 )      

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More than 45,000 acres are included in the puzzle of mangrove islands, estuaries, and uplands that were originally established as Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve in the 1980s.

It is now Florida’s third largest state park, but most of it can only be accessed by boaters and by paddlers along a series of marked blueways established by Charlotte County.


Resources

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Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.


Overview

Location: Punta Gorda
Address: 12301 Burnt Store Rd, Punta Gorda
Fees: Free
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 941-575-5816

Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs permitted. Bicycles allowed on trails except where posted.

The park office is located at the address above Alligator Creek Preserve in Punta Gorda. Use the Trailheads information below to find the many access points to this massive preserve.

Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park


About the Park

The Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center played a major role in conservation of the estuaries and islands surrounding the harbor, where the Myakka and Peace Rivers meet.

A nonprofit volunteer organization that works hand-in-hand with the state park, it maintains two nature centers, at Alligator Creek Preserve in Punta Gorda and Cedar Point Preserve in Englewood.

Volunteers maintain trails open for hiking and biking in both of these locations. The trails at Alligator Creek Preserve are on state park land.

Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park also has a bevy of much wilder trails scattered from Pine Island to Englewood. These are not regularly maintained. We’ve found some of them tough to follow.

There are entrances at York Street, Coral Creek, and Tea Street that access the state park through back gates. Trails are unmarked but signage and walk-through stiles indicate entrances to public land.

Because this preserve is so large, access is free but other than at the trails at Alligator Creek and Catfish Creek, don’t expect amenities like interpretation, benches, and restrooms.


Trailheads

Trailhead Address City
York Street Trailhead 7085 York St Englewood FL
Coral Creek Trailhead 200 Links Ln Rotunda West
Catfish Creek Trailhead 11375 Gasparilla Rd Placida
Sargassum Trail Trailhead Rotunda Trace Placida
Tea Street Trailhead 2298 Tea St Charlotte Harbor
Alligator Creek Preserve 12301 Burnt Store Rd Punta Gorda
Old Datsun Trail 12301 Burnt Store Rd Punta Gorda
North Cape Flats Trailhead 3915 NW 44th Pl Cape Coral
Little Pine Island Trailhead SR 78 Little Pine Island

Trails at Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park

These are the trails we’ve personally explored within the state park.

Named trails that we haven’t visited yet include the Catfish Creek Trail, Sargassum Trail, and North Cape Flats Trail.

Pond at Alligator Creek Preserve

Alligator Creek Preserve

At Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, Alligator Creek Preserve offers two gentle loop trails where freshwater and saltwater habitats meet

Old Datsun Trail

Old Datsun Trail

Where pine flatwoods and palm hammocks regain a foothold atop formerly farmed fields, the Old Datsun Trail loops what was once an agricultural school

Fiddler crabs in marsh

Little Pine Island High Marsh Trail

Get to know the little details of the coastal estuary protected by Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park on this loop through tidal marsh habitats

On current park maps, an extension to the Old Datsun Trail is shown as the Hammock Trail, heading north from the top of the loop towards Alligator Creek Preserve.

However, the Hammock Trail does not appear to connect with the trails of Alligator Creek Preserve yet.


Trail Map

This map shows trailheads for all named trails in Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park, plus the CHEC Cedar Point Environmental Center at upper left.

Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park trailhead map


Explore More!

Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Cedar Point Englewood

Cedar Point Environmental Park

Where Oyster Creek meets Lemon Bay in Englewood, Cedar Point Environmental Park provides easy interpretive hikes through coastal habitats on a wildlife-rich peninsula

Tippecanoe Environmental Park entrance

Tippecanoe Environmental Park

With 380 acres of uplands and wetlands along the rim of Tippecanoe Bay, Tippecanoe Environmental Park can be explored on an extensive interconnected network of hiking trails.

Oyster Creek Environmental Park

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

Ponce De Leon Park boardwalk

Ponce De Leon Park

A city park with dramatic sunsets over a beach on Charlotte Harbor, Ponce De Leon Park is a delight for birders and paddlers, too.


Park Brochure (PDF) Official Website

Category: Biking, Day Hikes, Florida State Parks, Hikes, Launch Points, Nature Trails, Paddling, Parks, Southwest FloridaTag: Archaeological Sites, Birding, Charlotte Harbor, Fishing, Florida State Parks, Mangroves, Myakka River, Wildlife Viewing

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