WATER & COAST

Lovers Key State Park Beach

Lee County · Gulf Coast

Two miles of beach across four barrier islands that were once reachable only by boat. The trams have been discontinued, so the beach is a walk: 1,000 feet from parking area 1 over the Mid-Beach wood bridge, or half a mile over the South Beach concrete bridge. Manatees and dolphins come into the canals and lagoons, and ospreys and shorebirds feed in the shallows. The Black Island Trail and the Eagle Trail run behind the sand. Restrooms, showers, water fountains, a visitor center, a boat ramp and a canoe and kayak launch; no gift shop, no food and no bait shop, though paddling and beach rentals run daily. Open 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year, $8 a vehicle.