Ding Darling Red Mangrove Overlook

The shortest walk in Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is one you shouldn’t miss on your drive along Wildlife Drive.

Pull off a mile into the drive to see the Red Mangrove Overlook via an accessible boardwalk emerging at a sweeping view of a shallow salt marsh.

Observation deck as seen through mangroves

Observation deck on the marsh

Resources

Resources for exploring the area

South Florida Explorers Guide book cover

Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

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Overview

Location: Sanibel Island
Length: 0.1 mile round-trip
Trailhead: 26.465425, -82.133951
Fees: $10 per vehicle, $1 per hiker or cyclist. Access to the Visitor Center is free.
Restroom: At the Visitor Center
Land manager: US Fish and Wildlife Service
Phone: 239-472-1100

Visitor Center open 9-4, closed Fridays and Federal holidays. Wildlife Drive is open 7-5, closed on Fridays.

Directions

Cross the causeway to Sanibel Island (toll) and, at the T intersection, turn right on Periwinkle Rd. Turn right on Periwinkle Rd and follow the “Captiva” signs through Sanibel to Sanibel-Captiva Rd. Drive 5.1 miles to the park entrance on the right. Follow Wildlife Drive through the refuge. The Red Mangrove trailhead is on the right one mile past the fee station.

Hike

Our description is of the trail as it was before Hurricane Ian

The Red Mangrove Overlook is an interesting immersion into the mangrove forest, tunneling into a thicket of red mangroves, notable for their prop roots.

Following roots and limbs and trunks, dark mangrove crabs scuttle around on their highways of wood below and above you.

Boardwalk under the mangroves

The air is infused with a murky salty smell, not unpleasant but definitely not an everyday aroma.

As a critical part of the estuarine habitat, mangroves filter the water through their roots, and provide a protected nursery for the young of many saltwater species.

Red mangrove roots are distinctive

From the observation deck at the end of the boardwalk, hundreds of gar are visible in the clear water, shimmering in the shallows.

While the water looks to be only a foot deep, the soft nutrient-rich muck on the bottom might be more than six feet deep.

Sometimes you’ll see water, other times, mud

On the return through the tunnel, look closely into the mangroves instead of over the side of the boardwalk into the swamp.

Besides the ever-present crabs, you may be rewarded with a glimpse of a yellow-crowned night heron or a green heron camouflaged by the greenery.

Returning to Wildlife Drive, you’ve strolled a tenth of a mile.

Mangrove crabs

Trail Map

Explore More!

Learn more about Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Preserving more than half of Sanibel Island for the sake of its bird life, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is one of the top places in the United States to view rare bird species.

Nearby Adventures

Indigo Trail Get to know mangroves for miles and miles on the linear Indigo Trail, open to hikers and cyclists as a parallel route on a levee that connects to Wildlife Drive near both ends.

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.

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 to the edge of Hardworking Bay.

Calusa Shell Mound Trail Near the end of Wildlife Drive, this accessible boardwalk loops a site revealing the ancient Calusa culture that once flourished on Sanibel Island.

Trail Map (PDF) Volunteer! Official Website