Find the top rated birding trails in Villas, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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I recommend if you're not already "on island", to park on the mainland and bike over. I appended this trip to the Cape Haze Trail and parked for free. You will still have to pay a $3 toll on a bike. The causeway is a great ride too!
Super fun trail, with walkers, dog walkers, joggers, inline skaters, electric golf carts, and the occasional iguana to share the trail. EVERYONE was super respectful about sharing and it was not busy.
I recommend creating your own spurs to see some cool homes and natural beauty. Banyan Street is one of the prettiest canopied roads you can see.
Red tide note as of Sept 6, 2021: I did not see/smell any evidence of the red tide and my sinuses let me know immediately last time I got close to it. I didn't notice anyone swimming in the ocean though.
We managed to ride both sides of the canal despite the confusing directions. Be aware you will have to cross bridges - a local told us the best bridge to cross was 41 drawbridge which we did the first pass. We crossed the bridge by the Train Depot on our way back and had to walk our bikes across. Unfortunately the canal had quite a few dead fish which we attributed to the red tide. We saw plenty of bunnies and gopher tortoises. The trail itself was mostly poured concrete but not too jarring. We will definitely do this one again - preferably in cooler weather!
My husband and I biked to Bokeelia from Matlacha. It was very nice to see the communities and farmland. We saw a lot of lizards, birds, monstrous crickets, and indecisive turtles along the way. The motorists were considerate of us. Wear sunscreen and a hat/helmet, skin and scalp will get burnt…crispy. Bokeelia is beautiful and there is one public pier near a restaurant, but it’s mostly private property up there and you can’t just get into the water. Did see a lot of sting rays at the public pier though.
Taking all the side parts of this paved/boardwalk trail, we got in 6 miles from Gordon River Greenway Park to the end where it dead ends into a regular street near another park. Great for a leisurely bike ride, not appropriate for going fast on bikes b/c of the winding path and pedestrians that have right of way. Very scenic.
This is a nice paved trail. Make this ride almost twice as long by turning north (left) at Ortiz and go about 2 more miles north. We park at the trailside park on veronica shoemacher drive ..just north of winkler road. I like these paved trails that are not right on the road... much safer and wide enough to ride at least 2 bikes side by side.. About 8 miles total...up and back....
Nice views of the waterway. Ride on both sides for a change of perspective. Add to the Legacy for a nice long local ride
We Pay $6 for Toll but worth Excellent Experience Safety,Enjoyable , The Track Smooth, Few Places to take a break and Nice Ocean View. Relaxing Place.
I can't believe I waited so long to come to Sanibel and ride the trail. The ride is a mixture of residential, nature, business and waterviews. Plenty of places to stop for a bite to eat or park the bike and continue on foot. I will return.
Nice ride that has plenty of room for other bikers and walkers. There is some shade along the way which is a welcome break. The trail and the canal are well cared for and there was a maintenance person cleaning debris from the trail the day we rode. Felt very safe. We didn't see any restrooms but there were a few covered areas to rest and enjoy the surroundings. There is a fair amount of road noise but not enough to detract from the ride. We took a small detour along the way and rode in the Pine Villas neighborhood. It was filled with lush landscaping and beautiful homes. Enjoy!
Made a nice day trip out of this by going past the airport to Baker's park. From there a few blocks into Naples to Gulfshore Blvd and then north to Lowdermilk Park and had lunch and refreshments at Rita's there at the beachside pavillion. We reversed that course and made it a 14.5 mile round trip, but found later that if we would have went north from Lowdermilk towards Doctors Pass, we could have wound up just a couple blocks from the parking lot back at Gordon River Park. Also could have had some beach time at Lowdermilk if we had brought our swimwear! Very nice beach facility there. Highly recommended trip!
A nice change, riding along the canal watching boats cruise by and planes take off from the airport. The concrete trail passes 3 parks on the east side. We parked at the Patriots park, which is actually on the Legacy Trail and rode the pedestrian bridge over Tamiami highway towards the train Depot. There the waterway park begins.
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