Only open November through June!! Absolutely gorgeous but that is the only time it is open.read more

We spent about two hours at Pepper Ranch Preserve enjoying the majestic display of Southeastern…read moreSunflowers. The preserve was open for a weekend in October to view the sunflowers. Once in the preserve the roads are not paved and can be muddy, I have a low car and there was one area I was a little nervous about, but we did not have any problems. We were given a map of the preserve at the entrance where we checked in and the pleasant worker suggested the best location to see the flowers. The preserve is open weekends November through May except when there is hunting. There are camping sites available. There are hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trails. The preserve is quite a distance off Alligator Alley, but it was worth the time to get there. I would definitely return.

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.

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.

Immokalee Zocala is a small square park located at the corner of N. First Street and West Main…read moreStreet. Immokalee means my home in the Seminole language and zocala is the main square in Mexican cities. Immokalee is 70 percent Hispanic and many of the people here work in the agricultural industry. The grand opening for the park was held on May 20, 2024. The Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency was able to obtain money to transform a neglected area into a park. After soliciting suggestions from the community, an empty lot in downtown Immokalee was transformed with plants, walkways, benches, bike racks, and a small stage. It was designed to be a welcoming central town plaza like the zocalas that can be found in Latin America. During the holidays the plaza is decorated with holiday lights, decorations, and the town Christmas tree. Lots of great spots to take pictures. As I was taking pictures I spotted a couple of chickens and roosters running around. Although small the plaza is very cute, especially during the holidays.

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 Cypress Dome Trails is also known as Gate 5. A cypress dome is a swamp that has mainly pond cypress and bald cypress trees. Tall trees are at the center with smaller trees at the edge which creates a dome effect. The moist environment is also ideal for other plants, shrubs, and trees. The dome removes carbon emissions and stores water, recharges the aquifer, and provides drinking water. In the dome you can expect to find flatwoods salamanders, white ibis, and wood storks. Be aware that black bears and panthers also live here. There are six miles of loop trails that traverse through pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, wet prairie, popash slough, and two cypress domes. Trails are flat grass and sand. The trail connects to the Caracara Prairie Preserve which is owned and maintained by Conservation Collier. A $3 cash donation is suggested for use of the trail. Trail maps are located at the trailhead along with one port-a-potty. Bring your own water.This trail allows horseback riding With a free special use license from South Florida Water Management. During my visit it was hunting season. Although I didn't hear any shots being fired all of the signs about it made me feel nervous. I went down the trail a way before becoming uncomfortable and deciding to head back. I don't know why they allow the shooting of migratory birds. I can't imagine flying 1,500 miles to Florida to get shot by a hunter. SMH. The only thing I want to shoot birds with is my camera. I'll be back after hunting season. Hopefully some birds will have survived the hunt.

This beautiful nature preserve is home to a variety of really cool native species (both plants and…read moreanimals) which makes for an adventurous hike! The camping site is also a calming space to practice yoga under the trees, which was a nice way to unwind from the long hike through the trails. I will definitely be coming back here. * Tip: hike barefoot, it feels great!! *

The Corkscrew boardwalk is always a pleasure, even when the animals are hiding! On our most recent…read morevisit the first half of the boardwalk was quiet - some bird calls in the distance but no sightings. The second half was quite different - numerous bird sightings including a barred owl and numerous egrets, an alligator and, for the first time ever, two otters! Every trip is different- sometimes it is just a quiet walk in the woods, sometimes the animals decide to share with us. It isn't a zoo, it is nature so anything can happen.

I do want to say that I love Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and have been going since I was a kid. This…read moretime, I got to bring my kids who are 12 (twins). My caveat is, perhaps, to call the Sanctuary and see how dry it is? When we visited, there was no "swamp" to be seen for much of it, and I've been many times so I knew where the water was supposed to be but because of the drought - nope. This made about 75% of the boardwalk walk very boring for my kids as there really were no animals to see. It was only when you get to the lettuce lake area that we spotted a few alligators. I was not happy that we drove an hour for my kids to not see much and be bored (and frankly, so was I). The Audubon does a fantastic job, the visitor center is wonderful, and the info on the trails is great...but the "no swamp swamp" got to us on this visit.