Spanning over 60,000 acres, the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) encompasses a critical watershed on a vast scale.
Several agencies are involved in management, including the CREW Land and Water Trust, Florida Audubon, and South Florida Water Management District.
Cypress canopy in a strand swampCREW focuses on providing a habitat for a multitude of native species, recharge of the aquifer, filtering impurities, and flood control.
Recreation is a key component, with Flint Pen Strand providing five trails to choose from at one of the easiest to access destinations for residents and visitors.
Trail tunneling into a palm hammockTied to the hydroperiod of the Big Cypress Swamp, trail conditions change dramatically throughout the year.
Expect seasonal wading in the pine flatwoods, prairies, swamps, and strands found in this vast landscape.
Bromeliad growing in a popash swampResources
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Overview
Location: Bonita Springs
Length: 13.4 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.
The Kehl Oaks Campsite must be reserved online and can be driven to.
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 before turning left onto a dirt road. Follow the signs indicating the Lake Parking, which is 0.6 miles east at the end of the dirt road.
About the Preserve
Reached by three trailheads off Bonita Beach Rd, the trails of Flint Pen Strand offers a variety of habitats to traverse. Two start at the Main trailhead.
The Yellow Trail (5.9 miles in two parts) and the Red Trail (1.5 miles) are loops. The Yellow Trail is open to equestrians.
Red Trail between the pinesAccessible from the those trails or from Pinewoods trailhead are the 2.9 mile Orange Trail loop and the Purple Trail loop.
The Purple Trail is made up of several components, enabling shorter loops using cross trails: Purple Pine, Cypress, and Bromeliad.
The Lakes trailhead at the end of Bonita Beach Rd provides access to those trails as well as the “Lakes,” a series of borrow pits that make a great birding destination.
Heron at the LakesThe Purple Trail heads east through swampy terrain to Bird Rookery Swamp in Corkscrew Strand, connecting to its 7.7 mile tramway loop within the strand.
It is possible to hike a 7-mile linear trek between Flint Pen Strand and Bird Rookery Swamp using the lower end of that loop and a car at each trailhead.
Parking signs point to the exit of Bird Rookery SwampThe Big Loop uses the perimeter of all the loops except for the Red Trail to enter Bird Rookery Swamp, incorporating a small section of its 7.7 mile loop.
CREW Flint Pen Strand Big Loop Plunge into a wild landscape of verdant pine forests and mysterious cypress swamps on a series of connected loops stretching from Flint Pen Strand to the Bird Rookery Swamp Trail.
CREW Flint Pen Strand Red Trail The westernmost of the loops at Flint Pen Strand, the 1.5 mile Red Trail is an easy introduction to the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed. Trail Map
Green: Bird Rookery Swamp Trail. Dashed: Flint Pen Strand Big Loop. Blue: connectors.
Explore More!
More in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed
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.Video
Hiking CREW Flint Pen Strand
Nearby Adventures
Estero River Scrub Skirting the edge of a tidal marsh alongside Estero Bay, the loop trails at Estero River Scrub are incredibly unique and a challenge to hike. 
Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Historic and natural landscapes come together along impressively accessible trails at this picturesque conservation area on a WWII-era training base.
Koreshan State Park When Dr. Cyrus Teed founded a commune along the banks of the Estero River in 1894, he envisioned a utopia in the tropics. Koreshan State Park preserves that slice of history.
Barefoot Beach Preserve In a hidden corner of Collier County, Barefoot Beach Preserve provides immersion in nature at a beauty spot along two miles of natural shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico just north of Wiggins Pass. 
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