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

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Koreshan State Park

Estero

Halfway between Fort Myers and Naples, Estero grew up around the Estero River, which flows into Estero Bay.

INTERACTIVE MAP

Barefoot Beach Preserve

Barefoot Beach

Naples      ( 26.308604, -81.836644 )      

In a hidden corner of Collier County, Barefoot Beach Preserve provides immersion in nature at a beauty spot along two miles of natural shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico just north of Wiggins Pass.

Black Island Trail

Black Island Trail

Lovers Key State Park  |  Estero
( 26.394387, -81.876292 )      5.0 miles

At Lovers Key State Park, head to the north end of the island to explore the Black Island Trail, a series of loops on “created” land.

CREW Cypress Dome Trails

Cypress dome

Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed  |  Estero
( 26.456468, -81.562205 )      4.4 miles

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.

CREW Flint Pen Strand

Red blaze post amid pines

Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed  |  Estero
( 26.333780, -81.690867 )      13.4 miles

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.

Estero Bay Preserve State Park

Mangrove-lined tidal flats at Estero Bay Preserve

Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve  |  Estero
( 26.442232, -81.834292 )      

Providing a buffer between the heavily developed Gulf Coast between Fort Myers and Estero and the delicate estuaries that serve as nurseries for the aquatic life of the region, Estero Bay Preserve State Park encompasses ten miles of shoreline along Estero Bay.

Estero Scrub Preserve State Park

Estero Scrub Preserve

Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve  |  Estero
( 26.442232, -81.834292 )      4.8 miles

A tough hike when it’s wet, Estero Scrub Preserve State Park has several loops through wet flatwoods and tidal marshes along the rim of Estero Bay

Florida’s Utopia

The Planetary Court at Koreshan State Park

December 9, 2018    John Keatley

At the Koreshan Unity in Estero, Florida, a group of believers gathered in 1894 to build their paradise. It is now a National Historic Site and a Florida State Park. Walk the trails and streets of “New Jerusalem” to learn its story.

Hiking to Happahatchee

Ellen Peterson and the Scrub-Jay

December 5, 2011    Sandra Friend

A conservationist and a Floridian who truly made a difference for Florida, Ellen Peterson, founded Florida’s Sierra Club chapter in the 1970s and fought to keep Fisheating Creek open to paddlers. She leaves behind a sterling legacy for our state.

Koreshan State Park

Koreshan State Park

Estero      ( 26.43117,-81.814781 )      

When Dr. Cyrus Teed founded a commune along the banks of the Estero River in 1894, he envisioned a utopia in the tropics. Koreshan State Park preserves that slice of history.

Lovers Key State Park

Birding is superb at Lovers Key State Park

Estero      ( 26.393215,-81.867292 )      

With a name straight out of tourist fantasies of 1950s Florida, Lovers Key State Park is a series of slim barrier islands between Estero Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, just south of Fort Myers Beach.

Mound Key Archaeological State Park

Midden shells on Mound Key (Kai Schreiber)

Estero      ( 26.418317,-81.865444 )      

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.

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Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

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MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

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Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

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