Named after a small canal close to the northern portion of the property, Yellow Fever Creek Preserve protects over 300 acres of sensitive land.
Restoration efforts are ongoing in a variety of habitats within the preserve, where fire suppression and hydrological changes have had a detrimental effect on natural communities.
The park offers two well-marked loop trails and a small pond near the entrance where fishing is allowed.
Bench along the trailResources
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Overview
Location: Cape Coral
Length: 2.3 miles
Trailhead: 26.705214, -81.941103
Address: 2801 Del Prado Blvd N, Cape Coral
Fees: Free
Restrooms: No
Land manager: Lee County
Phone: 239-707-8251
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome.
Directions
From the intersection of SR 78 and US 41 directly north of the Caloosahatchee River, head north on US 41 for one mile, before turning left onto Littleton Rd. Follow Littleton Rd for 2.1 miles, where the road becomes Kismet Pkwy E. Continue for one mile, then turn right onto Del Prado Blvd N. In 0.6 mile, a small parking area for the preserve is on the right.
Hike
From the parking area, a short length of paved sidewalk curves towards the preserve signage alongside an information kiosk displaying maps and details about the property.
Stepping through a gap in the fence, follow a well-worn path leading through a shady patch of forest accented with cabbage palms.
Palmetto pathwayAt the first trail intersection in less than a tenth of a mile, a path to the right provides access to an artificial pond, a popular spot for fishing and bird watching.
Continuing forward, yellow-painted trail markers lead eastward into a seasonally flooded mesic flatwoods habitat.
Fishing pondA sandy corridor cuts through dense clusters of tall saw palmettos before opening to wide fields of mixed golden grasses and scattered pine trees.
At a junction of two trails at the half-mile mark, a map indicates the location alongside an array of colored arrows.
Trail marker and mapYellow markers lead to the left, eventually looping back to the trailhead. Another leg of the yellow trail turns right towards an access point within a neighborhood to the south.
Crossing the intersection, follow green blazes into an increasingly open pine savanna.
Grassy pine savannaNear the eastern edge of the green loop, an increase in elevation produces a rapid change in habitats.
Pawpaw, bracken ferns and pennyroyal dot the forest floor, alongside a mix of lyonia, palmettos, tarflower, and sporadic oak trees.
Tarflower in bloomReaching 1.2 miles, the loop winds westward, paralleling a fence line as green trail markers lead through a variety of seasonally flooded ecosystems.
Turn right onto the Yellow Trail at a junction near the two-mile mark.
Continue following yellow markers along a wide sandy pathway through flatwoods to the end of the loop in a quarter mile.
Pine flatwoodsTrail Map
Video
A walk through Yellow Fever Creek Preserve
Nearby Adventures
Four Mile Cove Eco Preserve A forest of mangroves along the Caloosahatchee River, Four Mile Cove Eco Preserve is a rare find in Cape Coral, with a 1.2-mile loop hike partly on a boardwalk through the mangrove fringe.
Edison & Ford Winter Estates Tropical gardens from the 1920s grow lavishly around the historic winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers.
Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium Heaven and earth meet at the Calusa Nature Center, where a planetarium show complements the center's main mission of introducing the region's natural history, in part through its hiking trails.
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Winding 1.4 miles through the slough, the broad wheelchair-accessible boardwalk at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers leads you into a dark cypress strand.
- Calusa Heritage Trail - November 5, 2026
- Scherer Thaxton Preserve - October 21, 2026
- Little Awesome Preserve - October 19, 2026