Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park — Attraction in Bonita Springs

UPDATED REVIEW SINCE OPENING: So happy to have this beautiful slice of heaven reopened. Even though it is not nearly what it once was, it’s nice to see Mother Earth healing.

YOUR GUIDE/Things to note:

1. The sand got sifted here, so not only does it feel pretty good (since after Ian) but it’s a little more reassuring that the chances of slicing your foot on something from the aftermath of Ian are slimmer compared to the public beaches like Bonita. Sifting only ON the beach, not in the water- still use caution.
2. NO grilling. Now that there aren’t picnic areas, grilling is no longer allowed. Please respect this- your neighbors and the wildlife really appreciate it.
3. Fishing, like always, is down at area 5 ONLY (you’ll see the double red flags.. that’s your indicator that you can fish but NOT swim there- dangerous rip current).
4. Please stay OUT of the roped off areas. They are there for a reason. The native wildlife is desperately needing to regrow and it is! So please just let it do it’s thing and respect the dune restoration. 5)There are now honor boxes, $6/vehicle (single occupant is $4), $2/pedestrians+bikers. During the summer there is a $1 off special for all of these prices (so $5/car, $1 pedestrians, etc).
5. Porta-potties only! No more restrooms or shower stations until more construction happens. Use the Blue Bill facilities if you need those (right before entering the park).
6. Like always, when the park gets full try not to get frustrated at the rangers.. it’s not their fault this is a popular park. Now with only 2 parking lots, there are a lot LESS parking spots (obviously).. they have a set number of cars they need out before they let more in, just do a lap around Gulf Shore Dr and I’m sure they’ll be open again. Conner Park is a COUNTY parking lot.. so yes, if you pay there you also need to pay for Delnor Wiggins.. so my advice is just wait to get into the park so you only pay once 🤷‍♀️.

I love this beach, I just wish the visitors would care for it like it was their own. So much trash is left, people constantly not following the simple rules.. it’s exhausting to watch (and to clean up after). I’ve volunteered here for the last year and a half and try to be an active member in this little community. Please just respect the park, the workers and most importantly the nature. Now more than ever it really just needs to regrow and it takes YOU to help make that a...

Beautiful beach with great grilling and picnic table areas under the huge sea grape trees.

We love to spend the morning out on the beach shelling and playing in the quite clear water. We time lunch around the tides so that we can be on our paddle boards while tide is pushing in through the pass. This way it's easier to paddle from the beach into pass and through the kayak trails behind the state park and Barefoot Beach. It's nice to stop on the southern tip of barefoot beach on our way in to grab a prize shell 🐚 or two. Paddling through the mangroves is a beautiful experience. Depending on the tide times, we probably brought lunch with us on the boards, so we all tie together in a big opening and have our afternoon snack on the water before heading back to follow the tides back out of the pass to head back to our camp spot at the beach to start grilling dinner! Wiggins-Pass is our favorite place to go and can enjoy it during any season.

Like anywhere great, this park gets VERY busy during season! They only allow a certain number of vehicles in at a time before they close the park. This is a great thing and a terrible thing depending on when you get there. The great part is, the beach rarely gets over crowded because once they close the park to cars, you have to park quite a distance away making it difficult if you have gear for a full day on and off the water. So basically, plan for a full day and get there EARLY, especially...

Wonderful beach to go to. It has everything you need in the park: water, fun, restrooms, showers, a bit of food to buy, etc. Plenty of seashells to find (including some that may be small conch & are nice to display). We've even been approached by dolphins during previous visits when we were hanging out on the sandbar. Even when the beach is pretty full, it doesn't feel like it, as everyone has plenty of space. As seen in the later pictures, this time was a tiny bit frustrating as a group of 20 somethings decided to sit right directly in between us and the water, even though there were MANY other spots open to them. They saw it wasn't a nice thing to do, mentioned that it probably made us mad, but they didn't care. Them being between us and the water made it a bit harder to watch our little ones as they were in the water, but one or both of us were in the water with them most of the time. Clearly people can sit wherever they'd like, but if there are plenty of water front spots to sit, generally it's not very nice to sit in between someone else and the water. Eh... ultimately, it happens and wasn't a huge deal... not everyone is going to follow social constructs the way they should... hopefully they will learn someday. Bottom line, even with an occasional challenge or two, it's still one of the best beaches to go in southern Florida, and we'll be back time...