WATER & COAST
Bunche Beach Preserve
Lee County · Gulf Coast
Seven hundred and eighteen acres of sand, salt flat and mangrove on San Carlos Bay, at 18201 John Morris Road.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
In 1949 this was set aside as the beach Black residents of Lee County were permitted to use, and for years it was the only one open to them. It carries the name of Ralph Bunche, the United Nations mediator who in 1950 became the first Black recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. That history is the reason the place matters locally, and it is also the reason the beach was left undeveloped long enough to become what it is now: a stretch of tidal flat that birders travel a long way for. The preserve is on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. White pelicans winter here with wingspans close to nine feet, and frigatebirds, ospreys, herons and, in recent seasons, flamingos have all been recorded. The shallows can be waded a long way out at low tide. An outfitter runs kayak trips into the mangrove tunnels from the launch. Parking is charged by the hour. The beach reopened in March 2023 after Hurricane Ian. The restrooms are composting ones, and there is no running water
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