Barefoot Beach Preserve in Bonita Beach, Florida Gains Attention from Dr. Beach

This is the beach at Barefoot Beach County Park as viewed from Wiggins Pass State Park, looking north.

During last summer’s beach guide update tour, Barefoot Beach was one of the public beach facilities that impressed me the most. Clean, green, quiet, and more than a mile of undeveloped beach on the north side of Wiggins Pass make this a perfect spot for a day at the beach.

I’m not surprised to see that Dr. Stephen Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach, has moved this beach from the number six spot on his top ten list in 2013, to the number 2 spot in 2014.

Sure, all beaches in this part of Florida are fantastic, and it’s hard to go wrong with any of them. So I’ll tell you a bit about Barefoot Beach and why it’s a different experience.

First, how to get there. You can either drive south from Ft. Myers Beach to Bonita Beach, and follow Bonita Beach Road to Barefoot Beach Blvd., or from Interstate 75, you can take exit 116, Bonita Beach Road (865), west through Bonita Springs to Barefoot Beach Blvd. Turn south on Barefoot Beach Boulevard–there is a traffic light–then drive past the guardhouse in the gated Barefoot Preserve community. It’s about a mile to the park, so take your time and enjoy the beautiful homes, the giant Royal palms, and the tropical landscaping.

The official address of the park is: 505 Barefoot Beach Blvd, North Naples, FL 34134

It’s a little hard to believe that there’s a beach park waiting for you at the end of the brick  road, but there is.

Driving through the Barefoot Preserve luxury homes on the way to the beach park.

This is a typical home in the Barefoot Preserve neighborhood.

After  driving a mile on the brick road you’ll come to  another much less grand guardhouse, which is the entrance to the County park known as Barefoot Beach. Pay your entrance fee and you’re in! There are three separate parking areas. The main restrooms and concession are located at the first parking area.

The first thing you’ll probably notice is that Barefoot Beach is very well maintained and the facilities are outstanding, largely thanks to a volunteer citizen support organization called Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve. You’ll probably encounter volunteers working in the park to keep it beautiful. Stop for a few moments to enjoy the butterfly garden, and watch out for Gopher tortoises crossing the road!

One of the most noticeable features in this park is the nature center, built and maintained by the Friends organization. It’s a place for classes and lectures and hands-on discoveries using exhibits and various natural specimens found in the park. Kid of all ages will find it interesting, and it’s a good way to get out of the sun for a few minutes.

An extensive system of boardwalks leads through the thick vegetation along and to the beach. Rinse-off showers are located on the shady boardwalk.

This park has over 8,000 feet of Gulf beach with white / light brown sand ending at Wiggins Pass.  The park is completely undeveloped, and the road does not go all the way to the southern end of the beach. This means that if you want to go all the way to Wiggins Pass, you’ll have to either walk on the beach or on the nature trail in the woods above the beach. It’s a beautiful, quiet walk, whichever route you take.

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Boardwalk to Barefoot Beach Preserve.

Important Things to Know About Barefoot Beach

There are no lifeguards on duty, so conduct yourself accordingly.

Food and beach equipment concessions have limited summer hours, usually just open on weekends. During the season they are open every day.

Special beach wheelchairs are available for anyone with mobility challenges.

To get to the more secluded beaches in the park, drive all the way south to the unpaved loop road at parking area #3. From there you can walk even further south on the beach as far as you like.

Don’t confuse Lely Barefoot Beach with Barefoot Beach Preserve County Park. Lely Barefoot Beach is adjacent to Bonita Beach Park, which is the main public beach access in Bonita Beach. Barefoot Beach Preserve County Park is further south toward Wiggins Pass.

Accommodations in the immediate area are slim. There are no resorts or large hotels along Bonita Beach. There are some rental condos and beach houses on Bonita Beach, but nothing near or inside the Barefoot Preserve Park.  There is a mom & pop style motel at the northern end of Bonita Beach called the Bonita Beach Resort Motel. There are several clean and modern chain hotels in Bonita Springs along Bonita Beach Road (865) between Interstate 75 and Bonita Beach. There are plenty of places to eat, including seafood restaurants, on Bonita Beach Road.

The park has nature trails and kayak/canoe launch areas which give access to the backwater areas.

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Nature You’ll Encounter at Barefoot Beach Preserve County Park Beach

Gopher tortoises make the park their home and you’ll see plenty of them. Just remember that they are land tortoises–they cannot swim–so don’t mistake them for sea turtles!

Ospreys are constantly soaring overhead with fish in their talons. They make a lot of noise, as to the gulls and terns that hang out near the beach. Long-legged wading birds and pelicans are permanent residents in the park. Migrant bird species can be seen in the spring and fall.

Sea turtles engage in nesting activities all summer, but are generally active at night, so don’t expect to see any, although you may find empty turtle egg shells on the beach where they have hatched during the night.

Dolphins can be seen in the water all year, and Manatees come into the Gulf and swim near the beaches from about April through the first serious cold snaps.

Many plant species live above the beach and a self-guided nature trail will introduce you to many of them.

Check out the Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve website for information on ranger guided canoe trips, Saturday morning lectures, and special programs for children.

Visit the official Collier County website for details about Barefoot Beach Preserve.

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Have a look at Barefoot Beach from an aerial drone:

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