The Estero River Scrub trails at Estero Bay Preserve indeed protect some scrubby habitats, although much of the property can be very wet.
Three colored loop trails and one short linear trail provide access to an impressive variety of different ecosystems.
The orange loop and eastern portions of the yellow and red loops are seasonally flooded.
Adventurous hikers can delve into the tidally influenced western side for a literally immersive trek through mangrove laden salt marshes.
Expect soft mud, soggy footpaths, and swamp wading along this wild trek on the edge of the suburbs.
Trailside mile markerResources
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Overview
Length: 5 miles
Trailhead: 26.441980, -81.836218
Addresses: 940 Broadway Ave W, Estero
Fees: $2 per vehicle
Restroom: At trailhead
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 239-992-0311
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome. Expect mosquitos and prepare for them before you step out of the car. Trails may be muddy or entirely a wade, depending on tides.
Directions
From Interstate 75 in Estero, exit on Corkscrew Rd and head west for 2 miles before turning right onto S Tamiami Tr. In 0.7 mile, turn left onto Broadway West. Continue straight for 1.6 miles, turning right at a parking area marked with a State Park sign.
Hike
At the trailhead, a covered pavilion and picnic bench stand alongside an information kiosk with trail maps and details about the preserve.
Turn to the left to begin the hike, heading westward down a broad pathway speckled with tufts of grass and pine needles.
Covered picnic table at the trailheadOrange painted metal poles mark the trail as it follows an access road to a junction with the Blue Trail at 0.3 mile.
Taking a detour here leads down a sugar sand laden, and occasionally flooded path for 0.2 mile to an outlook over the Estero River.
Estero RiverFrom the trail intersection, yellow blazes continue to the west for a quarter mile, passing bright yellow seaside goldenrods and milkworts.
Reach a bench near the high tide mark. The water level at the bench will indicate how swampy the next mile of trail will likely be.
Trail at high tideFiddler crabs scurry in every direction as you proceed into the squishy terrain of the tidal marsh.
Although markers are scarce in the marsh, the trail forms a very distinct narrow corridor cutting through densely clustered young mangroves and glasswort.
Red, white, and black mangroves thrive in the salty bayside habitat as well as salt-loving panicum and other grasses.
Hundreds of tubelike pneumatophores sprout from the muddy soils, allowing black mangroves to acquire oxygen in flooded conditions.
Continue straight at 1.9 miles, joining the Red Trail to the north as the Yellow Loop leads east towards the trailhead.
Mangroves with pneumatophoresIn areas where the path through the mangroves widens, deep footprints in the mud evidence the direction of the trail as it heads northward.
Passing alongside and over a few sandy beaches, the trail enters a drier section at 2.3 miles, where cabbage palms stand at the edge of the estuary.
Footprints in the mudThe trail weaves through a seasonally flooded palm forest dotted with slash pines for a half mile before climbing slightly into a mesic flatwoods habitat.
Red painted metal poles lead the way as the path reaches an edge of the property before circling to the south.
Pine flatwoodsAn occasional trailside bench offers a resting spot as the route crosses wide swaths of healthy pine savannah carpeted with saw palmettos and tall golden grasses.
Small candyroot plants produce puffy lemon-yellow flowers alongside carnivorous sundew plants and showy blooms of rose gentian.
Largeflower Rose GentianAt four miles, the Red Loop concludes where the Yellow Trail begins curving gradually east.
Crossing over a few patches of dry, scrubby flatwoods where gopher apple grows next to prickly pear cactus, the path reaches the trailhead after another mile.
Scrubby flatwoodsTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Estero Bay Preserve State Park
Estero Bay Preserve State Park An aquatic preserve, Estero Bay Preserve State Park has mangrove-rimmed flats beloved of flats fisherman and paddlers as well as two upland access points with extensive trails.Video
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
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.
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.
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.
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.