You get to Estero RiverPark from a side road you have probably passed for years. Turn east onto County Road just north of Estero River Outfitters, drive past the fire station to the end, and turn right into a new 85-space lot. A few spaces have shade. From there you walk across the Estero River on a new pedestrian bridge and into the preserve.
The Village of Estero completed the first phase earlier this year. It includes the entrance off County Road and Highlands Avenue, the parking lot, a restroom building, the bridge, boardwalks and trails. According to EsteroToday's park page, that first phase covers less than 6 acres of the Village-owned property. This fall you can only see a small part of the park, and how fast the rest opens depends partly on a pair of bald eagles.
What You Can Use on a Weekend Morning
For now the park runs as a soft opening on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. During this period the Estero Forever Foundation leads activities and operations. These are opening-period hours, so they may change as more of the park comes online.
The new bridge is 10 feet wide. It connects to an 8-foot, ADA-accessible porous multi-use path on the south side of the river. The restrooms near the main lot on the north side are built in an Old Florida style, and there are bike racks. The Village chose mulch over pavement for the walking paths to save money.
| Feature | Status this fall |
|---|---|
| Parking lot off County Road, 85 spaces | Open |
| Pedestrian bridge over the Estero River | Open |
| Phase 1 trails and boardwalks | Open Fri–Sun, 7 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| On-site kayak launch | Described as coming soon |
| Historic buildings, including the Girl Scout House | Described as coming soon |
| Phase 2 paths south of the river | Contract approved Sept. 9, 2026 |
The Squeeze, a Southwest Florida newsletter, walked the loop in September for its weekly community roundup. The writer called it "an easy 20-minute stroll from end to end." The trail stayed dry after rain, but mosquitoes were out in force. A jogging stroller handled the compact path with no trouble. The route goes past Ellen's River House and a well-loved heritage oak near US-41, with a view toward the wetlands where the eagle pair nests. Foundation volunteers told the newsletter they are planning a full slate of programming and will soon open the historic buildings and the kayak launch.
Less Than Six Acres of Land Once Approved for 530 Homes
The park is small right now because of how the Village came to own this land. Before the purchase, the site was approved for 530 housing units and 300,000 square feet of commercial space. In January 2019 the Village bought the 62.5 acres for $24.5 million. The Village's RiverPark page says that was about three times the Village's annual revenue at the time. The Village then amended its Comprehensive Plan to set aside about 35 acres as open space and permanent natural preserve.
The land carries older history too. The Girl Scouts of the USA set up a campsite here in the 1940s, and the Girl Scout House still stands. This August a local troop came to paint rocks and explore the grounds. In 1972 environmentalist Ellen Peterson bought riverside acreage as a personal retreat. In 2006 she formalized it as the Happehatchee Center, an eco-spiritual sanctuary. Peterson led the fight to save Fisheating Creek and won Outstanding Florida Waterway designations for several local rivers. The Happehatchee Center was donated to the Village in December 2019 and became part of RiverPark. The Estero Forever Foundation has managed the center for the Village since November 26, 2024.
EsteroToday describes the 4.5-acre Happehatchee preserve as home to some very rare plants. The land south of the river has mature trees, a wetland area and a section where gopher tortoises live. Most of this is south of the river, which is where the next phase of trails will go.
Eagle Season Started October 1
The Village says a pair of bald eagles has nested on the property since 2022. To protect the federally protected birds, construction is restricted during nesting season, which runs from October 1 to May 15. EsteroToday puts the nest in the southwestern part of the property and says a bald eagle management plan is in place.
The next round of trails is planned around those birds. Phase 2 adds paths on both sides of the river, a fence around the property south of the river, and a path along the north side of Corkscrew Road. EsteroToday says these paths "will allow people to walk through the area during the eagle's nesting season." Estero Life says Phase 2 will almost double the park's paths.
At its Sept. 9 meeting, Village Council approved a $244,075 contract with Honc Industries to build the Phase 2 paths, plus a $24,000 contingency. The agenda sheet lists clearing, grubbing, grading and fill. Work was expected to start within three weeks of the notice to proceed and finish within 11 weeks of it. Lee County also gave the Village a $163,100 Tourist Development Council grant for more trails south of the river. At the same meeting, Council approved a five-year, $90,895 contract with Earth Balance to treat non-native plants along the RiverPark trails. The first treatment is due within 45 days of the purchase order.
In its August capital project update, Estero Life said Phase 2 construction should start in fall 2026 and finish by spring 2027. That timeline overlaps the nesting window the Village set out. The Village RiverPark page is the best place to check for updates as the season goes on.
The River Was Already Open Next Door
The park's own kayak launch isn't open yet, but the river has been open to paddlers for a long time. Estero River Outfitters, at 20991 Tamiami Trail next to the park approach, rents kayaks, canoes and paddleboards from its own dock. Its rental page says it is open seven days a week and takes walk-ins without reservations. Rentals launch between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., and boats are due back by 5 p.m. Listed two-hour rates are $22.50 for a single kayak or canoe and $45 for a tandem kayak.
According to the outfitter, its dock is 4.5 miles from Estero Bay. The usual route goes downstream past Koreshan State Park and the Estero Bay Buffer Preserve before paddlers turn around and come back to the shop. The outfitter is open every day, while the park is open three. A weekday paddle on this stretch of river is an option even when the RiverPark gates are closed.
November 7 Is the First Scheduled Event
As of this week, the only event announced at the park is a Native Plant Giveaway and Sale on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Coccoloba and Naples chapters of the Florida Native Plant Society are presenting it with the Florida Wildflower Foundation and the Village of Estero.
What the morning includes, per the Village announcement:
- A 9:30 a.m. early entry for people who preregister through the Florida Wildflower Foundation, so they can choose and pick up a free one-gallon native plant.
- A giveaway of a few hundred native plants, including tropical sage, muhly grass and fiddlewood, while supplies last.
- A 10:30 a.m. walk and talk with Sara Burke on 20 easy-to-grow wildflowers.
- A native plant sale by the Coccoloba Chapter FNPS.
Nov. 7 is a Saturday, during the park's regular weekend hours. It is a good morning for a first visit: walk the loop, cross the bridge, and take home a plant suited to the same kind of ground the Village bought to protect. Bring bug spray.
At The Westerfield Group, we follow projects like RiverPark because they shape what a weekend in Estero looks like. If you'd like to talk about how the trails south of the river and the Happehatchee grounds fit into life in the village, Let's Connect.
