The devastating effects of Hurricane Ian across the Florida peninsula will be felt for many years to come. This preliminary list of public lands affected includes parks and preserves presently closed due to flooding or infrastructure damage as well as ones now inaccessible according to county and state sources.
Because of the widespread destruction and flooding in the wake of Ian, call ahead to determine whether a particular park or trail is open before traveling there.
AREAS OF EXTREME IMPACT: Estero, Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Charlotte Harbor, Englewood, North Port.
The list below includes closures we’ve been able to confirm as of Nov 23, 2022.
Florida National Scenic Trail
KISSIMMEE. Damage assessments from Basinger north show muddy conditions, downed trees, and ankle-deep water in Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. It may be another two weeks before portions of the trail reopen. The S-65A lock is open to allow drainage of floodwaters, so hikers cannot cross it from Kissimmee Prairie northbound.
ORLANDO. At Bronson State Forest, the River Trail and its campsites remains closed east of the FT. Consider the white-blazed River Trail along the Econlockhatchee River between Bronson and Little Big Econ inaccessible, perhaps permanently. Portions of the FT and the White Trail (Kolokee) at Little Big Econ remain unusable. At Seminole State Forest, the Lower Wekiva Loop and Yellow Spur remain closed along with the campsites along them.
See the Florida Trail Association website for closure alerts. Check on individual public lands for specific destinations along the FNST.
National Park & Federal Lands Closures in Florida
Ding Darling NWR. A great deal of infrastructure on Sanibel Island was destroyed by storm surge. The preserve remains closed.
Everglades National Park. Coastal storm surge. Gulf Coast Visitor Center and environs closed. Flamingo Campground closed. Shark Valley and Main Park Road to Flamingo reopened.
Florida State Parks Closures
A full list of current park closures can be found on the Florida State Parks website.
Cayo Costa State Park. Hurricane Ian made landfall along the island with winds just under Category 5 strength.
Collier-Seminole State Park, Naples. Coastal inundation may have affected park infrastructure and trails.
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Naples. Experienced a storm surge that continued into residential communities east of the park.
Koreshan State Park, Estero. A storm surge swamped residential communities in Estero. The park has reopened but camping remains closed.
Long Key State Park, Florida Keys. Campground damaged and remains closed.
Lovers Key State Park, Fort Myers Beach. Barrier island off Estero-Fort Myers inundated by storm surge.
Mound Key State Park, Estero. Island inundated by storm surge which infiltrated surrounding communities along Estero Bay.
Myakka River State Park, Sarasota. Persistent flooding caused infrastructure damage.
Stump Pass Beach State Park, Englewood. Barrier island off Charlotte County affected by storm surge.
Florida State Forest Closures
See specific state forests for details. Division of Forestry stopped providing an overview list of closures in early November, but scattered trails and campgrounds / backcountry sites remain closed at a variety of forests. Forests directly impacted by Hurricane Ian winds may remain closed much longer. These include Myakka, Okaloacoochee Slough, and Peace River.
In late October, the list of forests that still had partial closures included Babcock Ranch Preserve, Bronson State Forest, Lake George State Forest, Lake Wales Ridge State Forest, Little Big Econ State Forest, Myakka State Forest, Seminole State Forest, Tiger Bay State Forest, and Welaka State Forest.
FWC Closures
Given the path of destruction of Hurricane Ian, we suspect Babock/Webb WMA (east of Punta Gorda), Hickey Creek WEA (east of Fort Myers), Orange Hammock (Charlotte Harbor), and Punta Gorda PSGHA to remain closed for some time.
Updates on FWC-managed public lands, which include both wildlife management areas and conservation lands, can be found on their Notices page. It is updated twice daily. They recommend checking their Twitter feed for up-to-the-minute closure details.
County Parks and Natural Lands Closures
CHARLOTTE (Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte). Hurricane Ian made landfall near the mouth of Charlotte Harbor and followed the Peace River upriver. The condition of parks reopened varies tremendously. The following remain closed: Spring Lake Park, Thornton Key Preserve. Full list of open / closed parks and preserves.
COLLIER (Naples, Everglades City). Storm surge along coast impacted Barefoot Beach Preserve, Caxambas Park, Clam Pass Park, North Gulfshore Beach, and Vanderbilt Beach Park severely. All remain closed as of 11/23/22, as well as North County Regional Park. Full list of open / closed parks and preserves.
LEE (Fort Myers). Direct impact of Hurricane Ian landfall. Catastrophic destruction on barrier islands and coast. County lands, including beaches and preserves, closed. Even once the area opens again, most natural areas on the barrier islands and coast will take some time to heal.
SARASOTA (Venice). Damage from Hurricane Ian still has the following parks and preserves closed: Big Slough Preserve, Carlton Reserve, Circus Hammock Preserve, Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, Jelks Preserve, Lincer Preserve, Manasota Scrub Preserve, Oak Cathedral Preserve, Pinelands Reserve, Rattlesnake Island, Sleeping Turtles Preserve (North and South), Snook Haven, Walton Ranch. Park and preserve closure list.
SEMINOLE (Altamonte Springs, Oviedo, Sanford). Due to intense flooding along the St. Johns River and its tributaries, many parks and preserves remain closed as of Nov 18. These include Black Bear Wilderness, Black Hammock Wilderness, Cameron Wight Park, CS Lee Park, Flagler Trail North, Flagler Trail South, Geneva Wilderness, Lake Jesup Wilderness, Lake Jesup Park, Lake Monroe Wayside, Lake Proctor Wilderness, Little Big Econ Canoe Launch, Mullet Lake Park, Overlook Park, and Spring Hammock Preserve.
VOLUSIA. Intense rainfall from Ian caused flooding damaging parks. As of 11/23/22, these parks remain closed: Colby-Alderman Park, Pooser Park.
If you have information to share on closures or reopenings, please contact us.