This is such a cool preserve. I highly recommend using the Ponce de Leon Park boat ramp to drop in kayaks and doing the mangrove tunnels just south of it, on the north end of the preserve. A little pro-tip for visitors: you can see the mangrove tunnels that are deep enough to kayak in on google maps satellite view by looking for dark lines in the mangrove forests.

Great park nice trails can get wet at times we hiked through ankle deep water at times. We did get a great hike in. Not to far from places to grab something to eat

Went on a solo adventure during rainy season. It was soggy. Ankle deep or so water in some spots. The hike was worth the view but not the smell. Must have been low tide. Beautiful place!!’

Geocaching brought me to this preserve on a beautiful Sunday morning. Lots of water on the trails but had a great adventure.

I stopped in to visit the nature preserve and walk the trails on a Saturday afternoon. The nature center was closed when I arrived, but the trails were still accessible. I found that the Eagle Lake trail was closed after walking about 5 minutes down the path. I had better luck on the Three Lakes/Pine Flatwoods trails, which were very well-marked.During my visit I saw plenty if wildlife, including a 5 foot gator on the Eagle Lake trail, snakes, a gopher tortoise, signs of wild pigs, and lots of lizards and birds. Due to the size and unexpected proximity of the gator, I would not recommend walking pets near the water. However, I would definitely recommend stopping by to explore the trails!

We really like walking around the trail. We just wish something could be done in the low spot that ends our walk in wet times.

Anything I can do to get closer to natural habitat brings me joy. Bring a rod n reel.

Peaceful place to walk in the woods without a lot of people around.

Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park is a 46,000-acre (190 km2) Florida State Park, composed of islands and land that surrounds Charlotte Harbor. It is part of the Southwest Florida Water Management District and protects the Gasparilla Sound/ Charlotte Harbor, Cape Haze, Matlacha Pass, and Pine Island Sound aquatic preserves. It is site 22 on southern section of the Great Florida Birding Trail and offers boating, paddling, fishing, and hiking.

It was cool. It was well shaded down the trails. Make sure you have bug spray, I forgot and had to leave early

I like that its close. It really needs something like the tower walk at Myakka state park. So close to the waters of the harbor but you cant see it.This time we went it is the middle of June. I dont think I will ever go into a trail again after the rainy season begins. We got 1/3 into the walk and suddenly the mosquitoes descended on us and were unrelenting!When we went during the dry season the mosquitoes were nonexistent.

Its pretty grown over, trails arent too maintained. Small loop, maybe 0.5mi round trip. Wear appropriate hiking gear, ie. long pants, hiking boots, and take a stick, in case of possible alligator encounter.

Definitely better in dry season. Not quite as muddy. But if youre willing to forego the mud, its an awesome park with alot of trails. Theres a learning center, but was closed when we were there. Wasnt there 20 minutes, and saw a bobcat. Alot of birds. Going back as soon as it dries out a little

Lots of wildlife....take the nature trail for a wonderful view

The trails are flooded- I wish they had that updates somewhere before heading out there.

A Great place to hike & take in the scenery. The ground trail we were on was about 1.5 miles. Do take bug spray or essential oils, because there are a lot of mosquitoes... No, we did not see any alligators, but they are there so be careful.

Pretty easy hike, but VERY buggy on day we were there- had to liberally apply OFF backwoods with 25% DEET 3 times in 3 hours. Saw tortoise, a few gators, healthy number of fish in the waters. Fair number of benches to rest weary feet.

This was a more than expected workout. A bit of overflooding kept us limited in terms of completing a full loop around traverse, we were forced to 180° are direction and follow the original path back to the vehicle. That being said this trail had more of a wild untouched side to it then others weve recently visited. I would certainly recommend bringing a camera, water, and a sandwich for sustenance.

Nice natural environment accessed by a trail system. The signage needs to better differentiate each trail and pointing back to start at each trail meeting point would be very helpful. Otherwise, a very enjoyable walk through Floridian nature.

All I did was Maintenance the AC units from the looks everything was very well built and put together. Margarie was so nice and made me feel welcome .

Nice walk on the Old Datsun Trail

Highly reccomend a stop. The staff is full of information

I am visiting the panhandle of Florida for the month of January. I found the Great Florida Bird Trail on the internet and have tried to go to as many sites listed as possible within driving range. It has proven fantastic. The trails are marked very well with brown signs along the highways, well enough in advance to prepare to turn at the designated areas. And the areas marked are indeed good birding areas. Great job Florida!!

Lots of all natural Florida trails to hike and explore

Enjoyed by boat. Amazing natural beauty. We saw dolphins jump beside us, stingrays scurry from the sand below us, rare white pelicans. Highly recommended.

Liked the walkable areas. They should have more detailed maps and a way to get to the shoreline.

Well kept and clean

Im not sure which trail of this preserve is by all the gopher tortoise burrows at the north end of Burnt store road but that trail wasnt very well cleared and was alot of old furniture etc.. I believe to be people living down there? Not sure but as a female with a young child with me we turned around and left. Im giving 5 stars for the natural beauty

Its the perfect place to go and have family fun, or just to visit. Theres so many things to do here. The staff is at your call for anything that you need. I had a very wonderful time and experience here, cant wait until my return.

Vista del sol 2 bedroom condos overlooking charlotte harbor. Call tean steve and lesley for your new condo

Nice trail, with a look out over the harber and several points of ingress. Knee to waist high water for close to one fourth of a mile out, provides a great fishing habitat for a array of different types. I was only on the trail for ten minutes and a group of Bob white quail ran across.

It was closed, so didnt get to see!

Good hiking trails was muddier than I expected but had a great time with family

This is a small park with a public pool the harbor also has a nice pier that you can take beautiful pictures from. We always see alot of people fishing as well. I love it here because its not over populated so you can enjoy yourself. See the natural beauty of SW Florida. Great place to get away from the hustle and bustle for a while.

Staff is very friendly at helpful. There are a number of excellent walking trails, each a mile or so long. Ask the staff about their project to restore the ecology of this location. It is important to the water quality of Charlotte Harbor.

Excellent natural paths. A great place to walk and see birds.

Clean an wonderful place to go an enjoy time with family. Lots of space for kids to run around and play!

Quiet little park not far from downtown. Nature trails as well as educational material. They also do summer and spring break camps for young children.

Reminds us of our time in Italy! Excellent food and friendly service. We also wanted our accordion serenade.

PURE NATURE AT ITS FINEST....

Great place for a hike. Trail was wet and muddy. Lots of pig tracks.

Lots of protected land. Many parcels, some have no facilities at all, Google maps will take you to the office, not a public place.

If you like 90 degree hot sweaty walks through the sticks......this is the place. Bring lots of water. 1.7 mile loop through the brush on a good beaten down path. Must have more utv traffic from rangers we didnt see any wildlife. Not even a bird. Few grass hoppers and a gecko.

Always a good place to relax and watch the dolphins love coming here

Very pretty tropical forest. Plenty of native plants. Make sure you bring PLENTY of water because it is easy to get turned around and lost for a couple of hours. Im not kidding. I was creeped out because I was waiting for an alligator or boa constrictor to come out and bite my leg off. Dont totally trust the signs.

We visited a section of this 46,000 acre park adjacent to the parks headquarters just off of Burnt Store Rd. south of Punta Gorda. The park rangers use several all-terrain vehicles to manage this remote, sprawling and unblemished park, working to mitigate invasive plants, executing controlled burns, and protecting the park’s resources.Today, the park held an open house with an inaugural ride on their swamp buggy type vehicle. A ranger was the driver and took 11 lucky people for a 1-1/2 hour ride into the estuary wilderness. This was one of the most fascinating, up-close and educational park tours weve ever encountered. There are a number of trails and waterways around the park for another day; we live only a ½ hour away.

Its so beautiful there and Serene you really feel like youre in Florida and Ive been living here for 21 years Ive actually been there less than a year ago

Limited parking. Signage along the trail is good. Trail is water covered and impassable about 3/4 mile in. Nice walk.

A little piece of paradise constantly getting upgraded an updated very clean and very safe

First time on white trail ran into water. Doubled back and went reverse on white trail. Shaded. Easy trail, just some stumps every now and then.

Fun place to check out nature on multiple trails

Great experience, saw lots of wildlife including 2 squirrels in the car park and a spider in the toilet. Would definitely come back again....

Great hike, lots of flora and fauna. Animal tracks everywhere. Wear mosquito repellent.

Ive been there a few times and probably havent seen it all, but the area I have been in is beautiful. A sand dune beach on the sandspit.The beach can get very crowded, with some boats blasting music. Maybe avoid weekends?

I just got my lucky day at Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park. I took a number of nice pictures that Ill be able to show to my friends. Yet, it wasnt a rainy day :-).

Just a great place to visit.

Beautiful place on the beach. Lots of pelicans nice pier, good place visit plenty crowded this time of year.

This park is completely unexpected. We happen to stumble across this little gem. Great amount of wildlife running around and tons of birds. My kids were doing a school project on wild animals, and the problem we ran in to was picking what animals to choose from what we saw. Next time we come Ill remember to save the pictures to share here.

Relaxing and you feel away from all the hustle

Nice place to ride your bike and after get some icecream

Great place to hike and enjoy the wildlife

You are actually in FL wilderness here! All kinds of animal tracks! Nice hiking trails but make sure you have boots or shoes for mud and water. Have plenty of deet bcuz mosquitos AND THEY HURT HERE... Only reason gave four stars is bcuz you should have a restroom...

Great place for a walk through the forest. Then you come out on beach of Charlotte harbor. Would be better if you didnt have to dodge the dog doo left by inconsiderate, irresponsible dog owners.

My islands are amazing

Beautiful place to be great atmosphere and wonderful people to be around

Lots of room to ramble. Trails pretty muddy when we were there.

Staff is super friendly, however there is a lot of road traffic noise and airplanes flying constantly. Not very peaceful but a pretty park to go for a quick hike.

Place was beautiful! ROOM beautiful, clean, and thought of almost everything that you would need!. Restaurant there was excellent. Educational event areas suburb!!. Poolside room was out of this world excellent. Only problem was tv was broke for the 2 day stay. They tried to fix with remote but both failed. Also my breakfast never arrived that was ordered for 7:00 amAll in all would rate them a 4 and one half star!!! Check out was horrible for my boyfriend when trying to get a cart and valet Man yelled at him for parking to the side, out of the way. It was pouring rain ...no carts available. We had late check out. At 12...could have usedv1:00, as education was over then .

Love to take our kids here on nature walks. The alligator pond is super cool and the water in the lake is clear enough to see a lot of the fish. The walking trails are super nice and decently maintained.

Excellent nature experience. Trails takes to a jungle and we saw couple of gators there

The parking area and the first 100 feet of the trail were the only parts that were dry. The rest of the trail was so flooded it was impossible to hike.

Love their expertise, Mickey and Crystal are the best

Expert work and high qualty people.

Favorite place to go to and just relax with the family.

This park is more than 90% water but is such a cute little place to hangout in the weekend do a bar b que or just try catch your fish. its perfect to go kayaking or paddle boarding on a nice sunny day.

Great place to hike Some areas not open.

Natural preservation great place to observe wildlife in natural habitat

Amazing place .

No idea where were going or where the trails went no maps or signage of zny kind

A good place to go to and loves to go back again

A great humanitarian effort, preserving injured birds. A non profit that does really work. Educational and very worth while.

Love going here great trails and bird blind

Guided walks through unspoiled Florida.Wear old shoes, it might be wet. See wildlife and native plants and trees.

This park is HUGE....46,000 acres that has islands and land surrounding Charlotte Harbor, south of Punta Gorda. GREAT, AWESOME place to visit!!!

Awesome place, great fishing and wildlife

Always a good place for a peacefull walk in nature. Can be muddy in spots along the trails.

Great place for walks. Not overcrowded.

Gret place

Great area with really nice new construction

This is a fine way to see natural florida on the Charlotte Harbor estuary coast line. It is a large place strung out along the coast line with some areas going inland a ways. I feel it is a fine way for a community to preserve its natural environs.

Beautiful place peaceful.

It is a great place to watch the sunset. It a couple pavilions, a small playground, a nice nature walk and places to fish.

Boat parade and the company on the boat we were on was beautiful. THANKS to all the boats,,,you did a beautiful JOB. Merry Christmas to All

Nice, flat walk. Handicap accessible. Bring water and bug spray.

The pier is a great place to get pictures

Nice park for a picnic, grills and tables available. Swim in the harbor or pay for the community pool. Showers available. Boat ramp on site.

Great beavers.

Needs to be cleaned up a bit. But its nice just to walk there and see the sunset

Natural Florida not the manicured tourist sites

Love everything Port Charlotte has to offer.