Description: 127 acre park located at the south end of Gasparilla Island.
Vegetation Communities: Beach dune, coastal strand, maritime hammock, mangrove swamp, and beachfront.
Location: Located on Gasparilla Island (Boca Grande). Follow the Boca Grande Causeway to Fifth Street turn right. At Gilchrist turn left. Four public parking beaches are along the way with the Lighthouse Museum at the south end of the island.
Amenities: Public beach, parking ($3 fee), restrooms, boardwalks, trails, fishing, swimming, birding, shelling, Lighthouse Museum. The museum was built in 1890 and is one of the oldest structures found in Lee County. For information call 941-964-0375.
Birding by Kayak on Gasparilla Island: Lee County has a non-motorized boat launch at 19th Street. Free parking and an excellent put-in area. No picnic or restroom facilities. Paddling north from the launch, you will encounter uninhabited keys on the way to Gasparilla Sound and Charlotte Harbor. The southward paddle is through a residential area to Gasparilla Sound and Charlotte Harbor.
For further information on the web see:
Animal Species: You may not be able to see all these species
Birds that you may encounter year-round include: Anhinga Cormorant, Double-crested Egret, Great Egret, Snowy Yellow shafted Flicker Laughing Gull Northern Gannet Ring-billed Gull Great Blue Heron Little Blue Heron Yellow-crowned Night Heron Mocking bird Osprey Brown Pelican Black Skimmer Least Tern Royal Tern Sandwich Tern Willet Woodpecker, Red-belliedCarolina Wren
Migrants that you may see:Catbird Bald Eagle White Pelican Black-bellied Plover Snowy Plover Wilson’s Plover Sanderling Ruddy Turnstone Assorted Warblers
Documented Mammals: Dolphins Gray Fox Florida Manatee Virginia Opossum Marsh Rabbit Raccoon Palm Rat Gray Squirrel
Documented Herps: Gopher Tortoise Loggerhead Turtle Green Turtle Cuban Brown Anole * Green Iguana* Mexican Spiney-tail Iguana*Black Racer SnakeGreen Iguana*Red Rat Snake
*Non-native Species