USA TODAY readers picked Florida location as a 'Best Hiking Trail' in America. It's in SWFL

Mark H. Bickel, Fort Myers News-Press
Updated ·2 min read
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Battered by Hurricane Ian a year and a half ago, Sanibel Island is working its way back to beloved status. The global vacation destination received a big boost in its recovery efforts on Wednesday.

The 2024 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards were announced May 22 and the Indigo Trail at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge was named one of the Best Hiking Trails in America. It is an impressive honor when you consider places like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Yellowstone National Park are on the list. And no other Florida locations are in the Top-10.

Also noteworthy is the fact that Sanibel is known more world-wide for its shelling and not its hiking trails.

The USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards highlight the very best in travel, food + drink, and lifestyle. Every week, USA TODAY 10Best invites a panel of industry experts to nominate their favorite points of interest and attractions across a wide range of categories. 10Best editors then vet these nominations and select a final set of nominees to be presented to the voting public for a period of four weeks.

More: Famous Fort Myers Beach boat, left stuck on dock after Hurricane Ian, now a work of art

Sanibel's Indigo Trail picked a 'Best Hiking Trail' in America

The Indigo Trail is an easy 4.4-mile loop located It's best known for visiting migratory birds and is a favorite spot for hikers, bikers, and trail runners. Visitors can enjoy it year-round and even bring along their pooch, as long as they're leashed.

According to the J.N. "Ding" Darling website:

  • Along the Indigo Trail, visitors often spot wildlife such as alligators, night-herons or white ibises.

  • The Indigo Trail is CLOSED FRIDAYS ONLY. The boardwalk leading from the Visitor and Education Center to the Fee Booth is CLOSED. To access the Indigo Trail, go down Wildlife Drive and turn left at the fee booth.

  • 3/10 of a mile from the Visitor and Education center, on the Indigo trail, the Wildlife and Education Boardwalk (WEB) interprets wildlife scat, tracts and gives a great view of the freshwater area where alligators, and seasonally, nesting birds can be viewed over the water with a two-story observation pavilion.

Best Hiking Trails in U.S.

1. Whispering Cave (Hocking Hills State Park)

2. Porters Creek Trail (Great Smoky Mountains National Park)

3. Fairyland Loop (Bryce Canyon National Park)

4. Bridal Veil Falls (DuPont State Recreational Forest)

5. Fairy Falls Trail (Yellowstone National Park)

6. Indigo Trail (J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge)

7. Cliff Walk (Newport, Rhode Island)

8. Scenic Overlook via Bald Mountain Trail (Ketchum, Idaho)

9. Tunnel Creek Trail (Incline Village, Nevada)

10. Hollywood Sign via Innsdale Trail (Griffith Park, Los Angeles)

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Where is the best place to go hiking on Sanibel Island, Florida?