Naples is the gateway to the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp, as well as a sweep of coastline that includes sparkling beaches and the Ten Thousand Islands. Hikes here tend towards boardwalks or full-out swamp walks, sloshing through crystal-clear rainfall on backcountry trails. This is one of the more interesting regions for hiking in Florida, with extreme, sometimes jungle-like ecosystems to be explored.
Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk - To the east of Naples, the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk at Fakahatchee Preserve State Park offers a peek into one tiny corner of the Fakahatchee Strand, but it’s significant in two ways – it’s the [...]
Big Cypress National Preserve – Kirby Storter Boardwalk - It took many years and a lot of local effort by the Friends of Big Cypress to get this gentle introduction to the wilds of the Big Cypress Swamp in place, but the Kirby Storter [...]
Big Cypress National Preserve – Tree Snail Hammock Trail - In this hammock, you enter a world inhabited by rare and tiny creatures—the colorful and endangered liguus tree snails of South Florida’s hammocks. You’ll likely enjoy spotting liguus snails on the trees— look for them [...]
Collier-Seminole Hiking Trail - Created by the Florida Trail Association, the Collier-Seminole Hiking Trail is one of South Florida’s most beautiful trails, but it’s not for the inexperienced hiker. Wilderness savvy is in order, as you’ll be wading the [...]
Collier-Seminole State Park – Royal Palm Hammock Trail - At Collier-Seminole State Park, the short and intriguing Royal Palm Hammock Trail is a wild but gentle introduction to the habitats protected by this park. Although the boardwalks are slippery, you can explore the coastal [...]
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary - You’ll find Florida’s best and most extensive boardwalk hike at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, meandering 2.3 miles through an old-growth cypress forest. Managed by the National Audubon Society since 1912, Corkscrew Swamp, encompassing 315 square miles, [...]
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park - At the northernmost end of Naples, the breezy shores of Delnor-Wiggins State Park entice thousands of beachgoers on summer days – especially on weekends. On weekdays and early mornings and evenings, people who like a [...]
Estero Scrub Preserve State Park - One of the tougher places to hike in Southwest Florida, Estero Scrub Preserve State Park, established in 1966 as Florida’s first aquatic preserve, has several loops through wet flatwoods and tidal marshes along the rim [...]
Florida Panther NWR - In addition to the very gentle 0.4-mile Leslie Duncan Memorial Trail that starts at this trailhead, a longer 1.3 mile loop appeals to hikers willing to get their feet wet while they feel a real [...]
Florida Panther NWR – Leslie M. Duncan Memorial Trail - Two separate loops make up the Leslie Duncan Memorial Trail, an exploration into the cypress sloughs and wet prairies of the Big Cypress Swamp. The accessible 0.4 mile loop allows those in wheelchairs and strollers [...]
Lovers Key State Park – Black Island Trail - Lovers Key State Park is a favorite place for beachcombers thanks to the broad, sunny strand on the Gulf of Mexico and its excellent shelling. But for a bit of adventure, head to the north [...]
Picayune Strand State Forest – Sabal Palm Trail - Take a walk on the wet side—built by Boy Scouts, this slosh through swampland celebrates the preservation of a segment of the Big Cypress Swamp that was once a part of the biggest real estate [...]
Ten Thousand Islands Marsh Trail - One of the world’s most mysterious places, the Ten Thousand Islands is where the Florida peninsula breaks apart into thousands and thousands of tiny pieces – clusters of mangroves forming islands in a shallow estuary [...]
