Tarpon Bay Beach — Attraction in Sanibel

GREAT WAY TO EXPLORE SANIBEL'S MANGROVE WHILE KAYAKING We've been coming to Sanibel Island for almost 40 decades. Sanibel is a chill sanctuary Island. One of our Go To adventures is Kayaking at Tarpon Bay. I recommend wearing a swimsuit as sometimes a little water will come into the Kayak from the paddles. They do take reservations, but we usually just drop and have never had a problem getting kayaks. There are single or double kayaks and paddle boards. We were a group of 4 and rented 2 kayaks. Life vest are included. I usually use a ziplock bag for my camera but, for a small fee $ you can rent a floating, plastic container from Tarpon Bay. Staff is super friendly and will watch out for any incoming storms that may impact your safety. There was a storm about 30 minutes East the day we went out on the water and I gave them my cell number in case it was coming west to Sanibel. 1 1/2 hours is allowed for the round trip around the Commodore Creek Trail. There are numbered markers along the way so, you won't get lost. My son and his girlfriend who are in their earlier 20's challenged us and we did the trail in under 1 hour. Being in our late 50's we held our own and gratefully were not sore the next day :) Maybe we let them come in1st? The gift shop has grown into a very nice place to shop for those special Sanibel treasures. They offer a water refilling station and clean bathrooms. Make sure you take water with you and slather on the sunscreen. After you've burnt all those calories head over to Joey's Custard...

Im not sure what all the hubub is about - this beach is a 2 out of 5. You have to walk for e v e r to get to a bathroom or a drinking fountain...it says there are soda machines on their website, but there was none I saw in the parking lot or near the bathrooms. The walk to get to the beach is along a main road - which is not a big deal - but with all the fuss, you would think its worth getting to. not really. Highly overrated. If you are handicapped, there's still a fair walking distance between special parking and the shoreline. Would...

I used to go to this beach every weekend and the one weekend I have my 2 month old and 2 toddlers I get a $300 ticket for being 10min late back to my car. The parking guy named Rick tells me he’s so sorry to call and see if they will throw out my ticket, I contact sanibel and they tell me go to court or pay the ticket. This beach has lost my business, I will gladly pay $30 at Fort Myers Beach or $8 at Lovers Key and not get a ticket for all day parking. It’s funny how the people who drive fancy cars don’t get tickets...