CREW is the acronym for the sixty thousand acre Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed. The CREW…read moreLand & Water Trust was established in 1989 as a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to purchase land, manage it, and offer public outreach. The CREW project includes parts of southern Lee and northern Collier Counties in southwest Florida. The Corkscrew Marsh, Bird Rookery Swamp, Flint Pen Strand, Camp Keais Strand, and the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary are all CREW lands. Fifty-five thousand acres of CREW land is in preservation and it provides flood protection, water filtration and important aquifer recharge. They would like to purchase even more land in order to preserve natural resources such as water and to offer protection for wildlife. I have been fortunate enough to explore several of the CREW properties and each is a treasure of native plants and animals and unspoiled wilderness. The CREW Marsh Hiking Trails is also known as Gate 1. There is a $3 suggested cash donation requested. The Marsh Trails has 5.5 miles of marked loop trails through pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, and popash slough communities that sit along the edge of a 5,000 acre sawgrass marsh. Most of the trails are wide and flat with few onstructions. The Hammock Trail leads to a primitive camp site at the south\western end of the trail system. The Pine Flatwoods Trail Loop is a grassy trail that goes through the uplands where you will see a lot of wildflowers. The Marsh Loop Trail extends off of the south side of the Pine Flatwoods Trail. It goes through pine and palm scrub land before running alongside a Sawgrass marsh at the southern edge of the loop. You may encounter mud on the trail in the winter and standing water in the summer. An observation deck sits over the open sawgrass marsh and a short boardwalk ends at an observation deck over a seasonal pond. Suzanne's Pavilion which is a good place for a picnic lunch is an approximate .7 mile hike from the parking lot. The CREW Marsh Trails are part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. Bird watchers can expect to find woodpeckers, flycatchers, warblers, hawks, owls, bald eagles, turkeys, songbirds, and Swallow tailed kites who nest here each spring. This is also an area where you can expect to see black bears, panthers, deer, and alligators. This is a primitive trail system. A port-a-potty is available at the trailhead along with a kiosk that provides maps and information. There are no trash cans so take out what you bring in. CREW Marsh Trails are open one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. Five dollar guided hikes are offered the 3rd Tuesday of the month from November through April.

Enjoyable hike around the swamplands. Interesting sign about the vultures stealing the rubber…read moreseals on cars.

This is one of my favorite places to go and hike. There is no entrance fee and chances are you will…read moresee an alligator.

The tram is a section of South Eastern Goldengate estates on a sand trail road it is clear and used…read moreby old and young depending on the time or day of the week. They must have had a bad fire last summer because when I returned I noticed plenty of scorching and plenty of new growth. There are a few ways to get here. If you need directions to the tram chances you probably shouldn't be out here. People use this road for riding motocross, ATV, riding horses. On certain nights the police will be down to observe and some times they break up parties. Which leads to piles of bottles and cans. Off road conditions range from dry, dusty to muddy in some parts. A great time for simple affordable fun. Sand can be really soft and ATV or 4x4 truck or SUV is mandatory or you will get stuck in about 3 main areas. Trails run all the way to 75. While out you may see cows, deer, wild hogs, coyote, bobcats, and turkey. I've noticed more people seem to care about cleaning up the clutter as it's far more easier to clean your own cans. Bottles should not be left out there since many people are barefoot and tires are not inexpensive. If the owners of this land seen the amount of trash left by the lazy idiots I would not feel so bad if they fenced it to keep the trespassers out. Remember how bad luck prairie got closed? It can happen again here.

i love the tram it's super fun nothing better than the tram! Riding is just the best when your with…read morethe fam and friends! highly reccomd

This was a nice spot to take the dog for a walk. We wanted to try another park but once we got…read morefurther in it was too wet and a little overgrown. Definitely will come back there were spots to look out onto the wetlands and several benches to sit if needed along the way. Some shade but not a lot. We brought water along for the pup so she was good.

It was a very beautiful day today. I was excited to be able to take a walk in this park and it is…read morereally close to our home. The path is made out of crushed shells and easy to walk on. The long winter shadows cast their images along the winding walk. There is a little boardwalk and bridge which actually runs along the swampy area. I expected that to see an alligator baking In the sun. There are benches every so often, so you can stop and take in the beauty of the area. I love the winters here....... A hidden gem in our local community!

This animal rescue sanctuary is truly a special place. My husband and I loved it. You can feel the…read morecompassion and dedication the moment you arrive. Julie and the volunteers clearly care deeply about the animals and go above and beyond to ensure they are safe, healthy, and loved. The sanctuary is clean, well-organized, and focused on the animals' well-being above all else. It's inspiring to see animals given a second chance at life in such a nurturing environment. Thank you Julie for being our tour guide! It was amazing!! The sanctuary is a must see!!

I'll just go ahead and say it. You can't walk through the gates of Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary on a…read moreguided tour and come out the same person you were before. Not if your heart is beating. Nestled in a secluded animal mecca near the Babcock Ranch proximity of Punta Gorda, live 57ish forms of wildlife who have found their forever home in Octagon, most of whom would not be alive had it not been for the compassionate hearts who saved these sentient beings. Yes, of course, this Disneyland For Wildlife has lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! (admit it, you saw that one coming), but so much more, including species you would not expect to see at a wildlife sanctuary. For example, the homing pigeons who landed at Octagon because they were orphaned and have no knowledge of how to forage for food. As well as the alligator who grew up in a bathtub (don't even get me started). How about the pair of Macaws that were rescued from a dentist's office after the patients were teaching them one too many curse words ? And the monkey (cue the waterworks, it's ok to cry along with me) who was abandoned in a cage and left at the gates to Octagon on Thanksgiving Day. We can't forget the baboon who spins gleefully on three legs when he thinks no one is watching, which is extraordinary when you learn that he came to Octagon because of a history of being mentally abused. The one thing they all have in common? They're all rescues. All of these majestic creatures have been rescued and offered a New Beginning to live out the rest of their lives in a place where they are happy and well-cared for. In fact, Octagon was rated as one of the Top 10 wildlife sanctuaries in the country for the happiest animal residents. Now, that's saying something. Octagon even has resident "squatters", i.e. animals that don't need to be here but choose to be, for example Blue, the handsome peacock who hangs out to spread his beautiful plumage for the lady hens (hang in there, pal, one day you might get lucky) and the ibis who travel in and out to the sanctuary, to score a free meal and to swap stories with their friends. The feeling of joy is palpable as you walk along the path, as every animal resident (humans too) was thrilled to see my tour guide, Tracey Pirozzi, chuffing at the fence to gain her attention. No animal is ever asked to do anything it doesn't want to do. Every enclosure is arranged to make the animal as comfortable as possible. In fact, enclosures are often customized to the resident to work around any historical triggers they may have. In addition to the opportunity to see these precious animals thriving at their new beginnings, the tour also was extremely educational. I learned so much, as did the others in my tour group. Tracey kept things light and informative, engaging everyone in fun games and quizzes along the way. While fielding questions and engaging us with the animals along the way, Tracey speaks earnestly and passionately about the purpose, about the origins, of Octagon. I shed a few tears (maybe more than a few) when I saw how dear this place is to her heart. And it's easy to see why. Every animal here is given some sort of enrichment, something to keep their mind stimulated, which is critical to their overall well-being, whether it's a large ball that they can push around, a hanging crate of meat that they have to unpuzzle to claim, or a TV to watch their favorite cartoon. And marshmallows! Psst, Tracey, how about another marshamllow, puhhhhleeeeezzzzzz? As a 501(c)(3) nonrprofit organization, Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary depends entirely upon donor support, with no government assistance. As you can imagine, Octagon has a hefty expenditure in just keeping their doors open. Their food bill alone, as you can imagine (we saw one tiger tackle five chickens for breakfast), runs in the tens of thousands of dollars every month. Not only that, but there are no paid jobs here. The facility is managed by a 100% volunteer workforce, and every volunteer we encountered had a huge smile on their face, and a fierce passion upon their brows. We could feel it. The animals could feel it. The guided tour is suited for people of all ages, a terrific way to spend the morning. One little boy in our tour group was so engaged and so spot-on with the answers to Tracey's questions that I'm pretty sure that he'll soon be a tour guide . For Southwest Florida residents or for visitors from out of town, I highly recommend this opportunity to see nature at its best. I give it four paws up. To make your tour extra special, make a reservation for the 9:30am tour on Thursdays, so Tracey can show you this magical place!

The sand here is white and like quicksand, so soft. Best time to go is early in the morning or…read moreafter 3pm otherwise impossible to find parking. You can walk through the inlet (in water - if youre under 5'8" youre going to get more than your legs wet) and then over to the beach...if you walk north, its less busy and you feel like youre on your own remote beach. Its not a deep beach so in areas near parking it can get crowded, but if youre up for a walk, its worth it!

We went to Tigertail Beach on Thursday at the suggestion of some friends…read more Be prepared for nearly a half mile walk from the parking lot to the ocean. And if you are walking barefoot, the beach is very shelly, not the white soft sands and some of the other beaches we visited in the area. If I was hunting for seashells, this might be a good beach, but I probably wouldn't come back just for a beach day. Between the long walk and lack of bathroom facilities or food nearby, I would pass.

At dawn we drift where the still reeds sigh, Silver line…read morekissing a blushing sky. Egrets stitch light through the cypress air, Herons pause--like thoughts we share. An alligator glides, old moon on the tide, Ancient eyes watching love pass by. Cast after cast, the world slows its breath-- Hooked not on fish, but the hush of this depth. Hand in hand where the water remembers, We fall in love with the day's soft embers.

We got to see an alligator in the pond swim around. Worth the quick trip just for this!read more