Estero RiverPark is now open at the northeast corner of Corkscrew Road and US-41. For the first time, the upper Estero River has a public walking entrance with a parking lot, restrooms, and a bridge across the water. It is open on a soft-opening schedule of Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
That schedule shapes everything else this fall. West Bay Club sits on the same river farther downstream. A full day upstream now means walking the park, paddling the river, and taking a Koreshan tour, and this month the only days all three line up are three Saturdays.
What Opened at Corkscrew and US-41
The Village of Estero says Phase 1 of the RiverPark was completed earlier this year. It includes an entrance off County Road and Highlands Avenue, parking, a restroom building, a pedestrian bridge over the Estero River, boardwalks, and trails. Engage Estero's RiverPark page, last updated September 26, 2026, lists the details:
- A new 10-foot-wide bridge over the river, replacing the old swing bridge, connecting to an 8-foot, ADA-accessible, porous multi-use path on the south side
- Old-Florida-style restrooms on the north side near the main parking lot
- 85 parking spaces, plus bike racks
- Decorative fencing along US-41 and Corkscrew Road
Getting in takes some instructions. Visitors turn east onto County Road, just north of Estero River Outfitters, where the fire station sits. They follow the road to its end, turn right into the lot, and walk across the pedestrian bridge into the park. A few shaded spaces are available.
On the far side of that bridge is the Happehatchee Center, a 4.5-acre nature preserve along the river. Environmentalist Ellen Peterson donated it to the Village for permanent preservation and public use, and she ran it as an eco-spiritual retreat and nature education center. The preserve includes some very rare plants. The 30 acres south of the river were rezoned from mixed-use to public park, so that land stays a protected natural area and cannot be sold for commercial use. It holds mature trees, a wetland, and a section that gopher tortoises call home.
Phase 1 covers a small part of the whole site, less than 6 acres of the 64-acre Village-owned "Estero on the River" property. The bridge and the trails south of the river are where the park's ground is right now.
The Weekend Window
The Estero Forever Foundation leads activities and operations at the park during the soft opening. No weekday hours have been posted, so a Tuesday visit is not an option yet.
The river businesses around the park keep different hours. Estero River Outfitters, at 20991 Tamiami Trail, rents kayaks, canoes and paddleboards from its Estero River dock seven days a week. Rental launches run from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and boats are due back by 5 p.m. Upriver history runs on its own calendar. Friends of Koreshan has three guided historic tours left this month, each at 10 a.m. on a Saturday:
- Saturday, October 17
- Saturday, October 24
- Saturday, October 31
All three tours fall inside the RiverPark's weekend window. On those Saturdays, a 10 a.m. Koreshan tour, the 3 p.m. last rental launch at the outfitter, and the park's 6 p.m. close all fit in one day. After October, the Friends of Koreshan calendar lists "History of Koreshan Music" on Friday, November 13, at 10 a.m. and a members-only solstice concert on Saturday, December 12, at 4 p.m.
On the Water, Each Launch Has Its Own Rules
The RiverPark's bridge is for walkers. The Village's Phase 1 facility list does not include a kayak or canoe launch. To get on the river near the park, you use one of two nearby launches, and they work differently.
| Launch | Your own boat | Rentals | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estero River Outfitters, 20991 Tamiami Trail | Free launch during business hours | Kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, seven days a week | Business hours 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; rental launches 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Koreshan State Park boat ramp | Canoes and kayaks | Not available | Per park |
Older guides still say you can rent canoes at Koreshan. Florida State Parks' current amenities page says rentals are not available, and the ramp is listed for paddlers bringing their own canoes and kayaks. The Koreshan State Park page also shows a campground closure that took effect October 31, 2025, with no reopening date listed. That notice covers the campground, not the boat ramp.
Downstream of the launches, the river becomes a marked route. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Estero River paddling guide follows it from Koreshan toward Estero Bay and identifies the river as part of the Great Calusa Blueway. The guide rates the full nine-mile trail as suitable for intermediate paddlers and suggests beginners stick to the first mile or two.
Mound Key Sits at the Far End
The farthest trip on this river system is Mound Key Archaeological State Park, about 4½ miles west of Koreshan. A 0.75-mile interpretive trail crosses the Calusa mounds. Florida State Parks says the island can only be reached by boat, usually from Koreshan or Lovers Key. It has no facilities and no boat docks, just small landings on the northwest and southeast sides.
What Phase 2 Adds, and Why an Eagle Nest Matters
On September 9, 2026, the Estero Village Council approved a $244,075 contract with Honc Industries, plus a $24,000 contingency, to build the Phase 2 paths. A $163,100 Lee County Tourist Development Council grant pays for additional trails on the property south of the river. Under the contract summary, work starts within three weeks of the notice to proceed and finishes within 11 weeks of it. No calendar dates have been published.
The eagle nest is the reason for the new paths. A bald eagle nest sits in the southwestern part of the property, and a management plan is in place. Phase 2 adds paths on the south side of the river, a fence around that southern property, and a path along the north side of Corkscrew Road. Engage Estero says these paths will let people walk through the area during the eagle's nesting season. Until they are built, the south-side walking routes have to work around the nest.
The Council also approved an Invitation to Bid with Earth Balance for five years of work, at $90,895, to treat non-native plants along the RiverPark trails. The first treatment comes within 45 days of the purchase order, then about every six months for the first two years, then once a year in years three through five.
The Village is also planning north of the river. On August 10, 2026, it issued a public-private partnership solicitation for a partner to master plan, finance, build and operate a nearby 32-acre Village-owned site there. The goal is a walkable, mixed-use riverfront district connected to the upcoming Bonita Estero Rail Trail. That project is still at the solicitation stage. The trails, the bridge and the weekend hours are what visitors can use today.
Driving There This Fall
Part of the drive to the river runs through a work zone this season. Woodfield Development started roadway and intersection improvements on Coconut Road, just west of US 41, on Tuesday, September 8. The work includes a roundabout at Walden Center Drive, street lighting, irrigation and landscaping, and the Village of Estero says it could last up to six months. Gulf Coast News confirmed the start that evening. Counting six months from September 8, the work could run into early March 2027, through the RiverPark's first season of weekend hours.
The Estero River ties together life around West Bay Club, from the new bridge at Corkscrew Road to the landings on Mound Key. As the RiverPark grows and the riverfront plans take shape, Jay Westerlund and the Westerlund Team are glad to share what we're seeing along the corridor and how it relates to your property. Schedule a Personalized Consultation.
