Matanzas Pass Preserve is a 60-acre area of protected land in Lee County, Florida, located one mile south of Matanzas Pass Bridge off Estero Boulevard on Estero Island in Fort Myers Beach. The preserve has trails and a paddle craft landing. It is along the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail.
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We were there on a Sunday morning and the Estero Island Historic Society building was not open, so couldn’t get any info. We took the easy option and walked the extremely well maintained boardwalk trail through the mangroves towards the river overlook. Not a long walk probably 15mins at most, but It’s a decent nature trail, although the only wildlife that we saw were hundreds of tiny crabs which disappeared into the mud as we approached. At the end of the boardwalk is the river overlook platform, but it’s disappointing; it’s situated inside a tiny alcove/bay and doesn’t project out into the river. You thus only get a full view in one direction. Sat and watched the activity on the water for a while but water was murky so you couldn’t see anything in it. Very quiet place when we were there; only saw one other person on the trail the...
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This is a cute little preserve with a wooden boardwalk through the mangroves. There are several signs along the path with facts about the local wildlife and history. It would be great for small children and folks with limited mobility, because it's an easy walk. We had kayaked through mangroves on the first day of our trip, so it wasn't as interesting as it would have been if we had not already seen them. I would recommend it if you want to see the mangroves, which are pretty neat. We were there on a day when the museum isn't open (hours are pretty limited), so I can't comment on that. There's no fee to...
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This was the easiest to walk, most beautiful preserve trail in the Fort Myers Beach area. Behind the Fort Myers Beach Library. Free, free parking, a dock for kayaks, and a bike rack.
The observation deck of Estero Bay is great and we enjoyed all the signs/points of interest along the way. It's one of the few protected areas left on the island. You can stay on the raised, wooden path, or you can take the dirt trails farther in. We had to turn back because the trails were too muddy. We will go back for sure to see the rest when it doesn't rain during the week. No...
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