PARKS & OUTDOORS
Bowditch Point Regional Park
Lee County · Gulf Coast
Seventeen acres at the northern tip of Estero Island, where Matanzas Pass and the Gulf meet San Carlos Bay.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
Water lies on three sides of it, which is unusual for a beach park and is the reason people come here for sunset rather than going to the main beach. About seven acres are developed for quiet use, meaning parking, restrooms, picnic tables and grills under the trees, and the remaining ten acres are left as natural areas under restoration planting. A short trail runs through the interior. The beach wraps around the point, so there is calm bay water on one side and open Gulf on the other, and the pass carries a strong current that makes swimming near it unwise. Dolphins work the pass regularly and shorebirds use the sand spit at the end. The park reopened in August 2023 after Hurricane Ian and took further damage from Helene and Milton in 2024. On September 8, 2026, the county closed the parking lot and the park's amenities to repair the hurricane damage, and it has given no reopening date. The beach can still be reached on foot, and the LeeTran Park and Ride and the seasonal beach trolley still stop here, which is the way to arrive until the lot reopens
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