LEHIGH ACRES TRAILHEAD PARK

Address

213 David Ave.
Lehigh Acres, FL 33936
239-369-1521
Google Map/Directions

Contact Information

Rebecca Flora, Supervisor
239-369-1521
DFlora@leegov.com
Facility Staff

Events

Open. Please avoid cautioned areas.

Dawn to Dusk

Park beautification opportunities available at this facility. Please contact Kathy Cahill at
239-533-7422 or kcahill@leegov.com for
more information.

Park Amenities:

• 0.5-mile long paved multi-use trail that encircles a 3-acre replicated prairie. Trail is designed for walkers, joggers, runners, people in wheelchairs, bicyclists, skateboarders, and inline skaters (motorized vehicles are prohibited).
• Parking
• Restrooms
• Picnic pavilions
• Boardwalk/observation area overlooking the prairie
• Outdoor fitness area
• Benches
• Picnic tables
• Dog stations
• Bike rack
• Interpretive signage and sculptural panels in the prairie

Leashed dog walking is permitted on the trail. Usage of inflatable systems (i.e. bounce houses) is prohibited in the park.

Don't Feed the Monster, Part Doo

Pet Waste that is left uncollected degrades water quality. With an estimated 134,000 dogs and 154,000 cats in Lee County, this results in a lot of waste that washes into our waterways increasing bacteria and nutrients. Join us in our Do your Duty campaign and pick up the waste! To learn more visit DoYourDuty.org and stop the Slime Monster.

Environmental Benefits:
Lehigh Acres Trailhead Park is a great example of adaptive reuse as the park is built on part of an old golf course. This park retains much of the site's original topography, integrating various berms, greens, and sand traps of the old golf course into its design. Consequently, fewer nonrenewable resources were expended by on-site construction equipment to grade the site. This park contains a series of manmade rain gardens (planted depressions) that help to improve water quality by capturing and filtering runoff prior to discharge into Able Canal. When the site functioned as a golf course, a culvert performed this function. Over 90% of the site's existing trees and palms were preserved. Most of these are slash pines, cedars, and sabal palms. The majority of invasive exotic trees, palms, shrubs, and vines were removed from the property (e.g. Brazilian pepper, Ficus, carrotwood, Senegal date palm, air potato). No fewer than 19,000 plants were installed at the park, including 297 trees and 381 palms. The prairie alone contains over 18,000 grasses and wildflowers and replaces a 3-acre area of Bermuda grass that required mowing, fertilizing, and pesticide/herbicide application. Plantings are adapted to local conditions and will only need to be watered following prolonged periods of low rainfall. Roughly 35 new plant species have been introduced to the site, 33 of which are Florida natives. The underlying goal of increasing plant diversity is to provide additional habitat for wildlife in the area. With the exception of the prairie, which was mulched with pine straw for seed germination purposes, all landscape beds in the park were mulched with a byproduct of invasive Melaleuca trees. A public bus stop is located across the street from the park's entrance, providing people with the opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by ride-sharing. There are also paths for pedestrians and cyclists leading into the park. Parts of the outdoor fitness area and boardwalk/observation area are constructed from eco-friendly materials. The surface of the outdoor fitness area is partially made from old rubber tires, while the decking on the boardwalk/observation area contains recycled plastics from post-consumer waste, such as milk and detergent containers.

The land was purchased in 2008. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on December 12, 2013. In the future, this facility will function as a trailhead for a greenway corridor along Able Canal. The first section of this greenway will connect Lehigh Acres Trailhead Park to Lehigh Acres Community Park and Harns Marsh.