A Comprehensive Guide to Eco-Friendly Experiences
Florida’s Paradise Coast is widely known for its pristine beaches, luxury resorts and dining culture, but there’s a whole other realm of experiences to be had — in the great outdoors. Visitors can explore such ecological marvels as huge nature preserves, vast wetlands and, of course, the Gulf, where they can paddle, fish, snorkel, scuba, hunt for seashells and enjoy other fun-under-the-sun activities. Florida’s Paradise Coast also has an expansive array of guided experiences like eco-tours on kayaks, fishing charters, manatee and dolphin encounters, shelling expeditions, hiking adventures, and even swamp walks.
Here is a rundown of the many eco-friendly places to go and things to do on Florida’s Paradise Coast. The best part? They all come with spectacular views.
Kayaking, Boat Tours & Wildlife Encounters
Places To Go
Ten Thousand Islands — This vast network of mangrove islands and islets in the coastal Gulf is where local fishing captains point their boats to catch snook, redfish and other feisty sportfish. Kayakers can wind through the mangroves, oyster bars and shallow bays, stopping at secluded beaches. Wildlife abounds, including dolphins, manatees, myriad bird species and more. There are numerous places to launch a boat or drop in a kayak.
Rookery Bay — One of the Paradise Coast’s ecological jewels, Rookery Bay is a protected estuary that consists of 110,000 acres of open waters, mangrove forests, freshwater marshes and estuaries. Considered the northern gateway to Ten Thousand Islands, it’s a playground for paddling, boating and fishing. A selection of guided eco-tours are available.
Keewaydin Island — One of the last undeveloped barrier islands on Florida’s Gulf Coast, this narrow, eight-mile strip of pristine white sand is known as a shellers paradise. A visit to Keewaydin Island, which can only be accessed by watercraft, makes for a perfect beach day.
Big Cypress National Preserve — Part of the larger Everglades ecosystem, Big Cypress consists of 729,000 acres that include six distinct ecosystems. Founded in 1974, it was America’s first national preserve. Unlike most national parks, which ask you to stay on prescribed trails, Big Cypress offers visitors broad access throughout the park and allows recreational activities like paddling, fishing, cycling, and camping.
Paradise Coast Blueway — An official network of paddling trails throughout Florida’s Paradise Coast, the Blueway comprises 73 miles of designated and mapped routes perfect for kayakers, canoeists and standup paddleboarders. Collectively, these paddle trails run through some of the area’s most scenic coastal environments.
Things To Do and See
Kayaking
Visitors can kayak virtually anywhere there’s water, but click here to learn more about six kayak trips you won’t want to miss.
Paddleboarding
Another favorite outdoor activity on Florida’s Paradise Coast. Click here for some preferred areas and information on rental agencies.
Boating and Fishing
So many ways to get out on the water, so many fish to catch, and so many operators that will gladly take you. Here’s a comprehensive list, and some tips for boating.
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving
There are countless places where you can strap on a mask and dive. Here are six recommended destinations for nearshore snorkeling and offshore scuba diving.
Shelling
It’s relaxing to roam the beach and pick up colorful shells. Several shelling excursions take visitors to the best spots to find them.
Guided Tours
A multitude of operators will take visitors out to paddle, bike, hike, see the sights, and enjoy outdoor tours that take place on everything from Segways to airboats to sea planes. Click here for a comprehensive list.
Eco-Tours
Guides take visitors to explore the area’s many natural treasures by kayak, paddleboard, boat and bicycle, mixing in education for the ecology-minded. Here’s a detailed overview.
Hiking Trails, Boardwalks & Swamp Walks
The most basic way to experience the Paradise Coast’s gorgeous natural vistas and view its abundant wildlife is with your legs. Here are a variety of wondrous walks.
Rookery Bay
The Snail Trail consists of three contiguous half-mile paths — one boardwalk, two unsurfaced — that collectively wind through five habitats, including hammocks, flatwoods and swamps. The self-guided tours start at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, conveniently located about halfway between downtown Naples and Marco Island. An observation platform looks out over Henderson Creek. Hikers will see wildlife aplenty. The Snail Trail is rated as an easy hike for people of all ages.
Big Cypress
From casual sightseers to hiking enthusiasts, people can do all the walking they want on this massive preserve’s 40 miles of designated trails. On the easy side is the Kirby Storer Boardwalk — at less than a mile roundtrip, it's the longest of the four boardwalks in the park. Hardcore hikers may want to trek the 15 miles of the Blue-Orange Trail. All of the trails in Big Cypress are rated either easy or moderate. For walks of another sort, Big Cypress offers “slough slogs,” off-trail hikes through shallow water led by park rangers.
Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
One of the highlights of this 13,000-acre preserve is its 2.25-mile elevated boardwalk, which takes visitors through several ecosystems. Corkscrew Swamp’s main distinction is its 740 acres of old-growth bald cypress trees, the largest remaining stand in North America. The boardwalk is the preserve’s only hiking route.
Collier-Seminole State Park
This 7,200-acre preserve, located 17 miles southeast of Naples, offers the one-mile Royal Palm Hammock Nature Trail (with substantial boardwalk) and the 3.5-mile Old Marco Road Trail, plus seven miles of backcountry hiking trails.
Picayune Strand
This protected state preserve, about 75,000 acres, offers more primitive hiking than Collier-Seminole State Park, its neighbor to the north. While the Sabal Palm Trail, a 3.2-mile loop, is the easiest trail in the park, it’s not paved. Picayune Strand has no boardwalks.
Fakahatchee Strand
At 85,000 acres, this is the largest state park in Florida. Its primary feature is a 20-mile, north-south freshwater swamp. Most of the trails are remnants of old logging routes. They’re unpaved and often unevenly surfaced. (An easy introduction is the half-mile Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk.) Fakahatchee Strand offers guided swamp walks — the toughest of which is a half-day excursion that goes six miles into the preserve to assist in field research and data collection.
Birdwatching and Wildlife Spotting
These two activities are among the most popular outdoor adventures on Florida’s Paradise Coast. All of the above parks and preserves are can’t-miss spots to look for, and photograph, hundreds of winged creatures and other animals — on land, in the water, and in the air.
Corkscrew Swamp and Big Cypress are especially valued for birding. But not surprisingly, the beaches also make for fantastic birding. Of particular note is Tigertail Beach on Marco Island, which has tidal pools that provide food for osprey and sands that shelter threatened species. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park is the northernmost and wildest beach on Florida’s Paradise Coast, making birds particularly abundant.
Click here for more detail on birding and wildlife viewing.
Stargazing
And finally, there’s plenty to see in the night skies of Big Cypress National Preserve. Here, far from populated areas, light pollution abates and the sky becomes coated with stars. Here’s an overview of dark sky exploration in the park, as well as some of the prime stargazing spots.
The bottom line? If you like adventure, you’ll love a visit to Florida’s Paradise Coast. Plan your eco-friendly vacation soon!