Lovers Key

There are two excellent things about this state park: 1) Beautiful beach & 2) Awesome hiking trails
The beach: It’s much more secluded than Fort Myers Beach, which can be a nice escape. The water is still murkier in this area, but it’s still more beautiful relative to Fort Myers Beach. If you’re looking was beautiful beaches like the Caribbean or Hawaii, then you’ll be disappointed. We hiked from the North Gate along the beach all the way down to the pavilion, which was about 2 miles and we saw 2 other people until we got to the beach. Plus we found some great seashells!
Black Island Trail: this is a 2.6 mile round trip trail that loops its way around peninsulas and narrow bays of water. We saw multiple birds (egrets, blue herons, pelicans, esprey), squirrels, armadillos, two dolphins and two manatees while on the hike. The manatees were spotted about 10 feet away from us, munching on some mangroves! It also passes by an alligator pond, but unfortunately it was flooded while we were there. It a short little hike, but if you’re lucky you’ll be surrounded by some great wildlife!
You can park for free at the North Gate and walk south to the trails and beaches. There is a $ 2 donation/​person box as you walk in from the north. If you park within the entrance to the state park, which is further south, it is $ 8/​car.

Nice chill spot with trails to walk/​ride. A little more quiet than town square. Perfect place to get some r & r or workout.

This is such a cool place. Lots of hiking and biking trails that I never knew existed. Great spots to stop and have lunch, so bring a picnic

Visited here during a recent visit for additional property in the Ft Myers Beach area. The beach area is very relaxing with sandbars that jut out into the gulf. Very clean lots of wildlife to see and hear. I look forward to exploring it more in the future.