Along the vast sweep of Charlotte Harbor, natural lands provide places to trek through a variety of sometimes soggy habitats. Look for moderate to short hikes, sometimes challenging in nature, as well as walks through vast prairies near the Telegraph Swamp.
Babcock Ranch – Ecotour Trail
For a taste of the palmetto prairie that attracted ranchers to South Florida, head off the beaten path to explore Babcock Ranch on foot. At Babcock Wilderness Adventures – a popular ecotourism attraction east of Punta Gorda – the Ecotour Trail is a no-cost option to getting your feet wet on an exploration of wet [...]
Babcock Ranch – Footprints Trail
Mind the “Beware of Cows” sign as you enter this trail system in the heart of Babcock Ranch, where cattle roam free across thousands of acres of open prairie and cypress swamps east of Punta Gorda. These wet flatwoods drain into the Telegraph Swamp, a vast system of cypress sloughs and strands northeast of Fort [...]
Cayo Costa State Park
To spend a day or a weekend on your own deserted island…heaven. Cayo Costa State Park is one of the tougher and costlier state parks to get to, but well worth it. Solitude is guaranteed. The trail system meanders through the location of an old village and takes side trips out to the shoreline; you [...]
Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park – Alligator Creek
Showcasing the interface of freshwater and saltwater habitats along Charlotte Harbor, Alligator Creek Preserve in Punta Gorda is an outreach center and living laboratory of the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center at Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park. Here, the stir of a salt breeze riffles across cypress domes close to the sea. Resources Overview Location: Punta [...]
Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park – Old Datsun Trail
Providing a different take on the uplands around Charlotte Harbor, the Old Datsun Trail at Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park meanders through an area once covered in vegetable farms – the historic Miles School of Practical Agriculture and Free School for Truckers, circa 1905. You’ll hardly believe it today, with the size of some of [...]
Ponce De Leon Park
Protecting the tip of a peninsula where Little Alligator Creek meets Charlotte Harbor, Ponce De Leon Park is a city park where residents of Punta Gorda can enjoy dramatic sunsets over the harbor from a sweeping stretch of beach created to showcase the waterfront. Most of the park is an untrammeled mangrove forest, which you [...]
