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Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

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Kayaker on the Estero River

Estero

Halfway between Fort Myers and Naples, Estero grew up around the Estero River, which flows into Estero Bay.

Estero is no longer the tangled jungle of vegetation it was when Cyrus Teed started his utopian community along the river at Koreshan, but it still has small pockets of “Old Florida” along the river, as well as access to large swaths of public land preserving where the waters meet the bay.

Exploring Estero

Barefoot Beach

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.

Black Island Trail

Black Island Trail

At Lovers Key State Park, head to the north end of the island to explore the Black Island Trail, a series of loops on “created” land.

Mangrove-lined tidal flats at Estero Bay Preserve

Estero Bay Preserve State Park

Providing a buffer between the heavily developed Gulf Coast between Fort Myers and Estero and the delicate estuaries that serve as nurseries for the aquatic life of the region, Estero Bay Preserve State Park encompasses ten miles of shoreline along Estero Bay.

Estero Scrub Preserve

Estero Scrub Preserve State Park

A tough hike when it’s wet, Estero Scrub Preserve State Park has several loops through wet flatwoods and tidal marshes along the rim of Estero Bay

Koreshan State Park

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.

Birding is superb at Lovers Key State Park

Lovers Key State Park

With a name straight out of tourist fantasies of 1950s Florida, Lovers Key State Park is a series of slim barrier islands between Estero Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, just south of Fort Myers Beach.

Midden shells on Mound Key (Kai Schreiber)

Mound Key Archaeological State Park

Launch your kayak from either Koreshan Historic State Park or Lovers Key State Park for a paddle into Estero Bay to see Mound Key, a significant Calusa archaeological site that is now its own state park.

Articles about Estero

The Planetary Court at Koreshan State Park

Florida’s Utopia

December 9, 2018//  by John Keatley

At the Koreshan Unity in Estero, Florida, a group of believers gathered in 1894 to build their paradise. It is now a National Historic Site and a Florida State Park. Walk the trails and streets of “New Jerusalem” to learn its story.

Ellen Peterson and the Scrub-Jay

Hiking to Happahatchee

December 5, 2011//  by Sandra Friend

A conservationist and a Floridian who truly made a difference for Florida, Ellen Peterson, founded Florida’s Sierra Club chapter in the 1970s and fought to keep Fisheating Creek open to paddlers. She leaves behind a sterling legacy for our state.

CREW Marsh Trails

New trails at CREW Marsh

August 26, 2011//  by Sandra Friend

Encompassing the northwestern edge of the Big Cypress Swamp – CREW, or Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed – protects more than 60,000 acres of wetlands between Estero and Immokalee. While they’ve had access for years to a trail system showcasing pine flatwoods and marsh ecosystems off CR 850, they’ve recently unveiled a brand-new trail system leading …

Nearby: Fort Myers, Naples, Sanibel Island

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SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA OVERVIEW
Big Cypress Swamp. Everglades National Park. Florida Trail

Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

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Discovering the Florida Trail

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A visual journey the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

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Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail HikesThe best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

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50 Hikes in Central Florida
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The Florida Trail

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Our history of the first 50 years of the Florida Trail, from its founding in 1966 to becoming a National Scenic Trail to volunteer efforts today.

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Guthook GuidesGuthook Guides Comprehensive logistics and offline maps for the Florida National Scenic Trail.

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Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Picnic table with a river view

Myakka State Forest North Loop

Myakka State Forest North Loop
Trail through open pine flatwoods in palmettos

Myakka State Forest

Myakka State Forest
Curving dirt path next to trees and open space

Celery Fields

Celery Fields
Expanse of water across trail in prairie

Myakka State Forest South Loop

Myakka State Forest South Loop

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Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

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Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

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Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

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Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

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Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

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