Among the qualities that make Collier County so attractive are its many parks and preserves. Luckily for visitors, several are open year-round and offer guided boat and canoe trips, walking and bike tours, and more. Briggs Nature Center is an educational facility within a mangrove estuarine sanctuary. Everglades National Park , the nation s third largest, encompasses 1.5 million acres, including 1.3 million of wilderness area. Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve envelopes 63,172 acres.
Facilities are limited but a boardwalk provides access to a virgin cypress strand.
Florida National Scenic Trail winds its way along 1,300 miles from Big Cypress National preserve in South Florida through the State s three national forests, and culminates at Gulf Island National Seashore in the western panhandle. Inc. All rights reserved.