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Florida Hikes!

Your guide to Florida's outdoors, by Sandra Friend, Florida's hiking expert, and her co-author John Keatley, covering the Florida Trail and other trails throughout Florida.

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Sanibel Island

One of Florida’s most charming and popular barrier islands, Sanibel Island has a long history of drawing people to her shores to find spectacular seashells. Oriented east-west instead of north-south, the island is legendary for its bounty of shells. It is legendary, too, for Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1945 at the urging of nationally-renowned cartoonist J.N. “Ding” Darling to protect a large portion of the island from development.


Nearby: Cape Coral, Charlotte Harbor, Estero, Fort Myers, Pine Island


Trails and Parks on Sanibel and Captiva Islands

  • Ding Darling Bailey Tract Ding Darling Bailey Tract- One of the lesser-known trails at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is at the Bailey Tract, off Tarpon Bay Road. Loop around impoundments with great birding.
  • Calusa Shell Mound Ding Darling Calusa Shell Mound Trail- A wheelchair-accessible boardwalk near the end of Wildlife Drive in Ding Darling NWR, the Calusa Shell Mound Trail provides a peek into the ancient history of Sanibel Island.
  • Ding Darling Cross Dike Trail Ding Darling 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.
  • Indigo Trail Ding Darling Indigo Trail- At Ding Darling NWR on Sanibel Island, the Indigo Trail is the easiest trail to access from the visitor center and the most popular, with up to 4 miles round-trip.
  • Ding Darling NWR 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.
  • Red Mangrove Overlook Ding Darling Red Mangrove Overlook- The shortest walk in Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, the Red Mangrove Overlook provides a fine perspective for birding - and watching mangrove crabs up close.
  • Wulfert Keys Trail Ding Darling 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 at Ding Darling NWR to the edge of Hardworking Bay.

Related Articles

EXPLORING SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

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

The Florida Trail

Florida Trail history book

A comprehensive photo-rich history covering 50 years of Florida's favorite hiking destination. 9x12", 228 pages, full color.

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Our South Florida guidebooks

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


Florida Trail Guide Explorers Guide South Florida 50 Hikes in South Florida Exploring Florida's Botanical Wonders Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State

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