The southernmost and smallest of the Conservation Collier properties, Otter Mound Preserve protects a little over two acres of land on Marco Island.
Acquired by the county in 2004 and 2007 to protect rare tropical hardwood hammock habitat, the preserve also serves as a window into the history of early settlements in the area.
The first inhabitants created a shell midden hundreds of years ago, followed by a house within a pioneer village in the early twentieth century.
The last residents of the mound were Ernest and Gladys Otter, who are believed to have constructed the intriguing whelk shell structures that remain today.
Walkway through the hammockResources
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Overview
Location: Marco Island
Length: 0.1 mile
Trailhead: 25.911722, -81.698444
Address: 1831 Addison Court, Marco Island
Fees: Free
Restrooms: No
Land manager: Collier County
Phone: 239-252-2961
Leashed dogs welcome.
Directions
Exit Interstate 75 at Collier Blvd in Naples and drive south for 14.3 miles to Marco Island. Turn left onto N Barfield Dr. In 3.3 miles, make a left onto Watson Rd. Turn right in 0.2 mile onto Inlet Dr, and the paved parking area will be on the right in less than a tenth of a mile.
Hike
At the preserve entrance, the prominent whelk terraces immediately catch the eye. They form a strikingly unusual wall around the property’s outer perimeter.
A sidewalk alongside Addison Road provides close views of the terrace as it fronts the street for about a hundred feet.
Whelk shell terracesA short concrete walkway leads from the parking area to a very detailed sign about the area when it was known as Caxambas Village.
Over a dozen pictures illustrate what the community looked like, juxtaposed with a recent aerial photo showing the extent of housing development.
Detailed signageGumbo limbo and strangler figs border a wide mulched trail as it leads further into the preserve, passing signs about the Calusa and early residents along the way.
Roped off areas protect historically significant areas as the path ascends the ancient mound, reaching a short side spur near the top.
Roped trail on the moundAs the trail winds back towards the entrance, a side loop passes a wooden outhouse, the only historic structure remaining from the homestead that once stood upon Otter Mound.
The path continues for a short distance under a shady canopy of tropical trees before returning to the trailhead in less than a tenth of a mile.
Historic outhouseTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
Visiting Otter Mound Preserve
Nearby Adventures
Rookery Bay NERR Protecting vast mangrove forests and coastal habitats between Naples and Ten Thousand Islands NWR, Rookery Bay NERR encompasses a mind-boggling 110,000 acres.
Collier-Seminole Prairie Hammock Trail A parade of habitats awaits in a lesser-visited corner of Collier-Seminole State Park on this multiuse loop utilizing portions of the Old Marco Road built in the early 1900s.
Royal Palm Hammock Nature Trail Not quite a mile long, this intriguing nature trail explores a gradient of habitats from tropical hammock to salt marsh and mangrove forest.
Ten Thousand Islands Marsh Trail On the Marsh Trail, immerse yourself in the mangrove maze of the Ten Thousand Islands on a trail that takes you to places you'd normally only see from a boat. 
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- Sandhill Preserve - November 9, 2026
- Calusa Heritage Trail - November 5, 2026