Outdoors
Lakes, reservoirs and rivers near Fort Myers for boating, kayaking, canoeing and paddleboarding.
Good to know: Life jackets are required for children on most waters, and many lakes require an invasive-species inspection or a launch fee.
6 mi northeast · Fish and Wildlife Service
The refuge was established by President Woodrow Wilson on July 1, 1920, through Executive Order 3299 as a ". . . preserve and breeding ground for native birds" upon the recommendation of Thomas and Mina Edison.
12 mi southwest · Fish and Wildlife Service
The islands contain two basic vegetative zones, upland sand ridges and mangroves. Several islands of the Matlacha Pass NWR are used as roosting and nesting sites for a variety of colonial water birds including the brown pelican, great…
12 mi northeast · US Army Corps of Engineers
Visitors flock to W.P. Franklin Campground for its well-kept facilities and location on the Caloosahatchee River, where campers can fish, boat and take it easy in sunny southwest Florida.
Map of 19 places loads as you scroll.
The refuge was established by President Woodrow Wilson on July 1, 1920, through Executive Order 3299 as a ". . . preserve and breeding ground for native birds" upon the recommendation of Thomas and Mina Edison.
The islands contain two basic vegetative zones, upland sand ridges and mangroves. Several islands of the Matlacha Pass NWR are used as roosting and nesting sites for a variety of colonial water birds including the brown pelican, great…
Visitors flock to W.P. Franklin Campground for its well-kept facilities and location on the Caloosahatchee River, where campers can fish, boat and take it easy in sunny southwest Florida.
WP Franklin South Recreation Area is a day use area located on the Caloosahatchee River adjacent to the WP Franklin Lock and Dam.
J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, on the subtropical barrier island of Sanibel in the Gulf of America along Florida’s west coast, is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States.
The Pine Island NWR is located on the southwest coast of Florida, north of Sanibel Island in the Pine Island Sound. It is administered as part of the J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR.
On the refuge, beaches and shores of the refuge provide loafing and feeding sites for shorebirds, gulls, and terns. The surrounding shallow bays provide valuable feeding areas for the wading and water birds.
An amazing world exists within the pristine mangrove-fringed waterways, uplands and freshwater wetlands that can be found only a few miles away from downtown Naples.
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1996 under provisions of the Arizona-Florida Land Exchange Act of 1988.
As lake, waterway and surrounding countryside, Okeechobee shows the many faces of Florida. A canopy of moss-draped live oaks hides clusters of sabal palms. A tangle of water plants marks the boundary where wetland meets lakeshore.
The freshwaters of the Big Cypress Swamp, essential to the health of the neighboring Everglades, support the rich marine estuaries along Florida's southwest coast.
In May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de Soto’s army of soldiers, hired mercenaries, craftsmen, and clergy made landfall in Tampa Bay. They were met with fierce resistance of indigenous people protecting their homelands.
Egmont Key NWR was designated as a national wildlife refuge in 1974. Egmont Key is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a national wildlife refuge to protect the island’s diverse natural, cultural, and historical features.
The Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1951 under the authority of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 with a 50-year license agreement between the State of Florida and the U.S.
St. Lucie Campground provides a relaxing camping experience on the St. Lucie Canal, part of the 152 mile Okeechobee Waterway that spans South Florida from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
Established in 1947 as the first national park created for its biodiversity, Everglades National Park protects 1.5 million acres of wetland, forest, and marine habitats and the native plants and animals that call it home.
The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area (ONA) is part of the Bureau of Land Management’s 27-million acre National Conservation Lands; and the only complete unit east of the Mississippi River.
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is situated in the Indian River Lagoon estuary, which runs 156 miles down Florida’s eastern coastline.
Within sight of Miami, yet worlds away, Biscayne protects a rare combination of aquamarine waters, emerald islands, and fish-bejeweled coral reefs.
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Fort Myers. Listings come from Recreation.gov’s federal recreation database; check each official page for hours, fees, fire restrictions and closures before you go.
THINGS TO DO · YOUTUBE SHORT
A local activity Short shared by Matador Network.
Watch on YouTube ↗
THINGS TO DO · YOUTUBE SHORT
A local activity Short shared by Moving to Fort Myers Florida with Chelsea Robinson.
Watch on YouTube ↗
Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Fish and Wildlife Service), about 6 miles northeast of Fort Myers as the crow flies. Next are Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge (12 mi) and W.P. Franklin N (12 mi).
Based on Fort Myers’s average highs, all year. Conditions at higher elevations can be much cooler.
Federal agencies including Fish and Wildlife Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, National Park Service. Each listing links to its official page for hours, fees, closures and current conditions.