Florida Hikes

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

Charlotte Harbor

Charlotte Harbor

Where the Peace and Myakka Rivers meet, Charlotte Harbor covers more than five square miles, with the Charlotte County Blueway Trails providing paddlers access
INTERACTIVE MAP

Alligator Creek Preserve

Punta Gorda   2.9 miles

A series of loop trails radiate from Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, exploring upland habitats and wetlands where freshwater and saltwater ecosystems converge.

Cape Haze Pioneer Trail

Englewood   7.0 miles

A legacy of Florida's early phosphate mining, the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail now provides a protected greenway through a very residential corner of Charlotte County.

Cayo Costa State Park

To spend a day or a weekend on your own deserted island? Heaven. This is one of the tougher and costlier state parks to get to, but well worth it.

Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park

Stretched long and thin to follow the convoluted shoreline of Charlotte Harbor, Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park protects more than 100 miles of coastline along the Gulf Coast.

Gasparilla Island State Park

Protecting a string of beaches along the Gulf shore of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island, this far-flung outpost of Lee County has one of Florida's most delightful lighthouse museums.

Old Datsun Trail

Punta Gorda   1.4 miles

Where pine flatwoods and palm hammocks regain a foothold atop formerly farmed fields, the Old Datsun Trail loops what was once an agricultural school

Pine Island

Once an important cultural center for the indigenous Calusa, Pine Island north of San Carlos Bay is a laid-back outdoor destination near Fort Myers.

Ponce De Leon Park

Punta Gorda   0.5 miles

A city park with dramatic sunsets over a beach on Charlotte Harbor, Ponce De Leon Park is a delight for birders and paddlers, too.

Port Charlotte

North of Charlotte Harbor, Port Charlotte encompasses a vast residential area with both city parks and larger environmental lands

Punta Gorda

Along the sweep of Charlotte Harbor at Punta Gorda, natural lands provide places to trek and paddle while miles of bike paths beckon