Bonita Springs, FL 34135
Located in south Lee County within the city limits of Bonita Springs, this 174-acre preserve includes manmade lakes and surrounding natural plant communities of mixed cypress pine, pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, and floodplain swamps. The lakes provides important habitat for a number of wading birds, including herons, egrets, sandpipers, and Black-necked stilts. Alligators and otters have also been observed at the lake.
An extensive invasive exotic plant removal project was performed to remove a dense coverage of melaleuca trees. Exotic plant control continues and a hydrological restoration project is also currently underway at this preserve.
Although there is no marked trail system at this preserve, a pedestrian gate is available on Kent Road for visitors to access the preserve and hike the fire lines. These fire lines are seasonally disked and may become flooded during the wet season. Visitors may park in the YMCA parking lot on Kent Road, directly across the street from the preserve. A second pedestrian gate is located in the south western portion of the preserve. This gate connects to existing hiking trails at the Bonita Nature Place.