Kayaking adventures just simply won’t end in Southwestern Florida. While the Everglades and the Ten Thousand Islands provide a much needed challenge for those who have been kayaking for quite some time, Bonita Springs offers a different pace with short trails designated for beginners and the uninitiated such as the Peace River. Because everybody starts somewhere right? Anyway, we found another great spot to hone those paddling skills if not just spend an afternoon relaxing in the peaceful waters while at the same time not be too far away from the developed areas – presenting the Imperial River. This river is a quaint trail of 9 miles that starts from Bonita Springs and ends at Estero Bay by the gulf.
The Imperial River offers quite the delightful kayaking trail, complete with a canopy of oaks that provide shade from a hot noon while at the same time getting you that sentimental ambiance as the specks of light peer through the gaps of the oak leaves. There are pines as well and cypress trees that give density to the sides of the river, seemingly transporting you into another world. Of course, this kind of environment attracts local birds and turtles as well as fishes and the occasional manatee that you can see from where you are in your kayak since the waters are clear enough for you to see them. The river is teeming with avian and aquatic life despite its proximity to downtown Bonita Springs which can be a good thing in of itself because a balance between progress and keeping the natural environment safe is a prime objective of the people who take care of the region.
If you do not have a kayak with you but would like to get one from nearby, there are shops in the Bonita Springs downtown area that lets you rent these water crafts and the staff would be even pleased to answer questions regarding the Imperial River. To start your trip, you need to launch at Old 41. It’s up to you whether you start from the east side or the west. Both give you a natural bank with mangrove forests. The old trees already line up from the get go and they go pretty much consistently during the trip. Not further from there, you can already see what you came for – birds that chirp away and manatees that chomp of fresh green grass that hang over the side of the river. The Imperial River definitely offers a quiet and scenic trip for all the beginners out there.
For more rivers and kayaking trails like this one, head on to the Articles section of the website and read about the best vacation spots in Southwest Florida told to you in loving detail. If you are looking for something more straightforward, head on to the Tourist Guide section of the website. This is where we share all the hippest and coolest places around Naples area. Our podcast the Divine Naples Daily offers the latest news about these cool vacation places. However, if you want a nice place to chill and hang about while in downtown Naples, call us and we’ll have our Visitor Center ready for you.
