Rotary Park

An endowment from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has allowed for the permanent protection of 97 acres, which have become Rotary Park. Around the time when the 1980s began, the Rotary Club of Cape Coral was seeking for a good cause to support with the money they had earned through their different endeavors. Prior to its transformation into Rotary Park, the area was city-owned land. Three Cape Coral Rotary Clubs, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the City of Cape Coral worked tirelessly over the course of several years to create Rotary Park, which opened to the public in 2001.

The hilltop is home to the park’s environmental center, butterfly house, dog park, playground, picnic shelters, and open play areas. The environmental center’s 4,200 square feet are home to many different courses and events. If you don’t mind sharing your festivities with a few critters, this venue is available for hire. Most of the snakes, lizards, turtles, and fish in the park were originally undesirable pets that were surrendered by their owners.

Aside from the wheelchair-accessible 3/10 mile boardwalk at Glover Bight, Rotary Park is home to a number of difficult paths. The trail winds through mangrove swamps before arriving at Glover Bight, where you may observe wading birds on the oyster bars and shallow flats at low tide.

Rotary Park is located on the Great Florida Birding Track, and it features a challenging trail that is less than a mile long. The trail travels through uplands and salt marshes. Gopher tortoises, alligators, snakes, and a wide variety of wading and migratory birds may all make an appearance. If you plan on hiking this trail during the wetter months, be sure to bring water shoes.

The Glover Bight Trail is another trail option at Rotary Park. The boardwalk’s flat surface makes it suitable for wheelchairs, and it leads from the start at Glover Bight through a mangrove ecosystem. At low tide, wading birds can be seen in large numbers in Glover Bight, a large expanse of oyster bars and shallow flats. At various points along both paths are lookout towers from which hikers can take in panoramic vistas. The observation tower in Rotary Park has been updated and reopened to the public as of May 2020. Visit the park first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds. Keep a low profile and keep walking if you want to spot more wildlife. Please remember that these are nature trails and that jogging, riding, and dogs are NOT allowed on them.