Preserving more than half of Sanibel Island for the sake of its renowned bird life, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is named for editorial cartoonist J.N. “Ding” Darling, who in the early 1940s actively worked to get the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to purchase the land for conservation when the State of Florida planned to sell it to developers.
Resources
Overview
Location: Sanibel Island
Lat-Lon: 26.445460, -82.112938
Fees: $5 per vehicle, $1 per hiker or cyclist. Access to the Visitor Center is free.
Open: Hours vary daily but are roughly dawn to dusk; see their website for specific hours by month. Wildlife Drive is closed on Fridays.
Activities by map
Details
While most visitors come to drive the scenic loop around the refuge, to truly explore the nooks and crannies of this preserve, you have to take to the trails. With the exception of the Indigo Trail, which is up to a 4 mile round-trip out into the mangrove forest on an elevated berm, the rest of the park’s trails are short interpretive walks meant to focus on a specific aspect of this refuge, noted for its large migratory bird population during the winter months.
Roseate spoonbills feeding at Ding Darling NWR
Be sure to stop at the observation deck along Wildlife Drive to scan for roseate spoonbills – their pink feathers show up well against the dark mud of the marsh – and take the time to walk the Shell Mound Trail, a loop around an ancient midden in a tropical hammock.
A separate portion of the refuge, the Bailey Tract, has its own set of hiking and biking trails surrounding a group of ponds created long ago for mosquito control. They’re now an excellent place for birding.
Explore the park
Ding Darling Bailey Tract - One of the lesser-known trails at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is at the Bailey Tract, off Tarpon Bay Road. Loop around impoundments with great birding.
Ding Darling Cross Dike Trail - Connecting Wildlife Drive and the Indigo Trail, the Cross Dike Trail at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is an easy paved walk between two impoundments. 
Ding Darling Indigo Trail - At Ding Darling NWR on Sanibel Island, the Indigo Trail is the easiest trail to access from the visitor center and the most popular, with up to 4 miles round-trip.
Ding Darling Red Mangrove Overlook - The shortest walk in Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, the Red Mangrove Overlook provides a fine perspective for birding - and watching mangrove crabs up close.
Ding Darling Shell Mound Trail - A wheelchair-accessible boardwalk near the end of Wildlife Drive in Ding Darling NWR, the Shell Mound Trail provides a peek into the ancient history of Sanibel Island.
Ding Darling Wulfert Keys Trail - Does a crocodile smile? You might find out with a walk down the Wulfert Keys Trail, which follows a mangrove-lined canal at Ding Darling NWR to the edge of Hardworking Bay.
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