Come play on the blueway
The Great Calusa Blueway paddling trail meanders through Lee
County’s coastal waters from its northern point in Pine Island
Sound to its southern end on Estero Bay, as well as inland on the
Caloosahathcee River and its tributaries.
It travels by the waterfront communities of Sanibel and Captiva,
Fort Myers Beach, Matlacha and Pine Island, Bonita Springs and
Estero, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, and Buckingham
and Alva.
The 190-mile trail guides canoeists and kayakers via easy-toidentify
brown signs through shallow areas away from powerboat
traffic. Paddlers use free maps and/or GPS coordinates, both of
which are online at www.greatcalusablueway.com. Request a map be mailed to you at the Website or pick one up at area outfitters, parks, some government facilities, marinas. The Web site includes put-in sites, where to rent boats, how to find guided tours, and what to expect along the trail in various segments.
Wildlife along the blueway is abundant, from leggy wading birds such as a half-dozen varieties of
herons to other fowl such as seasonal white pelicans, year-round bald eagles, and soaring frigate
birds. Paddlers encounter dolphins, manatees, sea turtles and river otters as well. Snook, redfish,
tarpon and other gamefish abound.
The blueway is named for the Calusas, the seafaring American Indians who thrived for centuries
in Southwest Florida before the arrival of the Spaniards.
The trail is perfect for a one-hour trip for novices as well as avid back-country paddlers. Anglers,
bird watchers, day-trippers, families, adventure enthusiasts, and geocachers also enjoy the blueway.
Information: www.GreatCalusaBlueway.com; or call (239) 433-3855 or (239) 461-7400
Information on the Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival & the blueway photo contest:
www.CalusaBluewayPaddlingFestival.com