Hiking Lovers Key State Park

My family has been going to Ft. Myers Beach for 20 years and this year was my first time visiting Lovers Key State Park! Man, I’ve been missing out! Lovers Key is a collection of islands off of Estero Island and was turned into a state park in 1996.

Lovers Key State Park is on Estero Blvd right off of Ft. Myers Beach/Estero Island. It’s $8 to park/enter the park, but is worth it. They offer the following:

kayaking (guided for $65)

canoeing ($52)

paddle boards ($30-60 for 1-4 hours)

biking ($24)

hiking (free)

fishing (free)

and beaching (also free).

They offer 2 hiking trails covering about 5 miles (2.6 and then 1.5 miles each). We went hiking on the Black Island Trail which is the 2.6 miles trail. It was an easy hike as it is mostly shaded and covered by trees (wear a hat!), but it was still Florida in July, so it was hot and humid :)The trail takes you through some canopies and along waterways and is very sandy, so be sure to wear tall socks or tall shoes so it doesn’t rub against your achilles and give you blisters. Here are some photos from the hike.