Banner Outdoors: A winding, watery trail

A plump and shiny mullet bounces along the brackish surface like a flat rock while a trio of wood storks float overhead in search of fall feeding grounds. With the warm waters below teeming with life, an osprey perched high on a red mangrove limb scans the shallow waters for an easy mid-afternoon meal.

Great blue herons, blue crabs, egrets, manatees, dolphins, sharks, spotted eagle rays and even eagles themselves call this coastal area home. Thankfully for beginning paddlers or those lacking local waterway knowledge, a route through the moderately developed creeks, rivers and bays of coastal Lee County has been plotted and marked.

Called the Great Calusa Blueway, a watery trail of about 35 miles winds through Lee's coastal waters, stretching from the Imperial River boat ramp in Bonita Springs all the way to the north end of Fort Myers Beach.

It includes secluded spots such as Fish Trap Bay and the Estero River as well as historic Mound Key, Lovers Key/Carl E. Johnson State Park, Hell Peckney Bay and Bunche Beach.

Along the way, paddlers get a taste of traveling through the Everglades or Lee County as it was in the day of the Calusa, an ancient Indian tribe that ruled all of South Florida and trekked extensively by way of canoe.

"You're paddling in some areas and seeing what the Calusa saw hundreds of years ago," said Nancy MacPhee, Blueway project coordinator for Lee County. "You see dolphins, and there are several bird rookeries along the way. You see lots of neat birds like roseate spoonbills and you may see a manatee. They're in Lee County waters year-round."

The route that winds through the Estero Bay area officially opened in March. The county is in the permitting stages for a second route that will connect Bunche Beach to the Pine Island Sound area and paddling trails in Charlotte County.

Funded by the county's Visitor and Convention Bureau, the Blueway has dozens of markers along the waterways that aid in navigation. The markers all have GPS coordinates that are available on the Blueway Internet site.

MacPhee said the second phase is expected to open next year.

"It will be for more advanced paddlers because it's more open-water and more remote," she said of the Blueway's future Pine Island Sound portion.

The county has also started sponsoring canoe and kayak races on portions of the Blueway. The next race is today at 9 a.m., beginning at the Imperial River boat ramp along U.S. 41. Paddlers can choose a four-mile section going upstream or a 10-mile race that runs from the boat ramp to Fish Trap Bay and back. A $20 entry fee includes a T-shirt and snacks.

Although there aren't as many camping destinations as in areas such as Ten Thousand Islands or the coastal Everglades, the Blueway does connect to a public campground at Koreshan State Historic Site. Once the Pine Island Sound portion opens, the Blueway will also offer camping at places such as Cayo Costa, a state park on a mostly undeveloped island at the western edge of Charlotte Harbor.

For day trips, the Blueway connects to several parks and preserves, such as the Estero River Scrub and Koreshan State Historic Site, where paddlers canoe stretch their legs and hike or just stop for a brief lunch.

Lovers Key is one of the main attractions along the route. With its shallow waters warding off power boats and an abundance of watchable wildlife, the park is an ideal spot for a day paddle.

Park manager Paul Rice said the county's Blueway has already begun to draw visitors from South Florida and other states as well.

"It seems that people are finding it and finding us," Rice said. "I'm looking forward to this season because we've already had a lot of people this summer. I think we'll see a lot more paddlers this winter."

A central destination along the Blueway, Lovers Key/Carl E. Johnson State Park offers several kayak and canoe launch and landing areas as well as picnic tables, fantastic beaches, a concession area, kayak and canoe rentals and restroom services.

For more information on the Great Calusa Blueway, visit www.greatcalusablueway.com or call Lee County Parks and Recreation at 461-7400.

(Contact Staff Writer Chad Gillis at 213-6040 or cegillis@naplesnews.com )