The Red Trail is one of five distinct trails blazed through an easy-to-reach corner of Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed just four miles east of Interstate 75.
It might be wet. It might be dry. It all depends on the season and recent rainfall. It’s a walk through one tiny piece of a critical watershed for the region.
Bromeliad growing in a popash swampOne of many trails among over 60,000 acres of wetlands now edged by subdivisions, it illustrates the beauty and diversity of the Big Cypress Swamp.
With its own separate trailhead from the interlocking trails of the Big Loop to its east, it’s the shortest of the blazed paths within Flint Pen Strand.
Red Trail between the pinesResources
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.
Overview
Location: Bonita Springs
Length: 1.5 miles
Trailhead: 26.333780, -81.690867
Address: 15970 Bonita Beach SE, Bonita Springs
Fees: Free, donations accepted
Restrooms: Portable restroom at trailhead
Land manager: South Florida Water Management District
Phone: 239-657-2253
Open one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset. Dogs are allowed on a leash.
Seasonal hunting occurs on some of the northern portions of the property. Check the preserve website for dates.
Directions
From Interstate 75 in Bonita Springs, head east on Bonita Beach Rd SE for 2.6 miles. Continue eastward at the traffic circle, staying on Bonita Beach Rd SE for another mile, and the trailhead is on the left side of the road.
Hike
Starting at the trailhead for the Red Trail, be sure to look at the kiosk for information about the property and pick up a map if needed.
Beyond a gap in the fence, a bench sits next to a well-maintained path bordered by plumes of golden grass.
Trailhead benchPalmettos grow in clusters on the grassy forest floor alongside wax myrtles, grapevines, and passionflowers.
Leaving the pines at 0.2 miles, enter a wide-open area before crossing an intersection with the yellow-blazed equestrian trail.
Passionflower in bloomTo the west, pillars of tall, bone-white tree remnants rise from the horizon in stark contrast from the otherwise lush green landscape.
These are remains of the highly invasive and ecologically disruptive melaleuca tree, the removal of which is part of an ongoing habitat restoration project.
Melaleuca remnantsAt 0.6 miles, the trail enters a small hammock of live oaks and cabbage palms. Ferns carpet the richer soils here, prospering under the shady canopy.
After crossing an old manmade ditch, the path takes sharp turn to the right, meandering towards the Kehl Canal.
Oak and palm hammockTurn right in a tenth of a mile, following the canal eastward. Its water is not visible through the dense shrubs bordering the trail.
Thudding and the laughter-like calls of pileated woodpeckers echo through the forest as they search for a meal in the treetops above.
Mixed forest alongside the canalReaching one mile, take a turn to walk alongside the canal. It is common to see anhingas, cormorants, herons, and ibis perched in trees and on the banks of this linear waterway.
Pay close attention to the trail markers here when the forest is flooded to avoid slipping into the deeper water.
Continue following red blazed posts as the trail bends southward, completing this 1.5 mile loop in another half mile.
Canal viewsTrail Map
Green: Bird Rookery Swamp Trail. Dashed: Flint Pen Strand Big Loop. Blue: connectors.
Explore More!
Learn more about CREW Flint Pen Strand
CREW Flint Pen Strand Just four miles east of Interstate 75, get your feet wet in one corner of the vast the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed on the trails of Flint Pen Strand.Video
Hiking the CREW Flint Pen Strand Red Trail
Nearby Adventures
CREW Bird Rookery Swamp Rich with wildlife, CREW Bird Rookery Swamp near Naples provides up to 12 miles of hiking/biking in Big Cypress habitats on tramways through a primordial swamp
CREW Cypress Dome Trails On this 4.4 mile loop, experience an impressive array of habitats in Florida panther habitat - from sandy flatwoods to flooded cypress swamps - in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed.
CREW Marsh Trails At CREW Marsh, a network of well-marked paths crisscrosses the northwestern tip of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed, providing loops of up to 3.1 miles along a vast marsh.
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Weaving beneath a canopy knit by old-growth cypress trees in a majestic swamp forest, the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is one of Florida's best hikes.
- Calusa Heritage Trail - November 5, 2026
- Scherer Thaxton Preserve - October 21, 2026
- Little Awesome Preserve - October 19, 2026