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, where most of the landscape has been developed (to the detriment of those little burrowing owls) over the past fifty years. Tucked right up against the Midpoint Memorial Bridge, this park provides a gateway for kayakers to launch an expedition into the puzzle of waterways that snake through the mangroves, and for anglers to cast a line off a generous platform on the river. Hikers, too, have their day in the shade.

Start at the visitor center and turn left to follow the boardwalk into a coastal prairie (a rare find in these parts) and thence into the thick tangle of mangroves: red and black predominate. Peer carefully into the overhead limbs to glimpse birds roosting. There are several benches along the way to make birdwatching a cinch. The trail has a side spur out to the platform on the Caloosahatchee; you can see the Edison Home in the distance. Continue to where you reach land again, and follow the footpath through a habitat restoration area back to the visitor center.