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Trail users will find the John Yarbrough Linear Park Trail to be an unexpected surprise in Fort Myers. Although bound by busy streets in all directions, the corridor itself is green and serene. The paved trail rolls alongside the Ten Mile Canal for 6 miles and crosses over it on a few pedestrian bridges where you can stop and take in the views. Look for egrets, herons, and other birds wading through its lush vegetation, and eagles in the tall treetops. Trail users might even get lucky and spot an alligator.
About the Route
As the northern end of the trail opens up, over a median of brush, trail users should be able to see the train cars of the Seminole Gulf Railway, which the trail parallels. The rail line serves freight, but also murder mystery dinner trains several nights a week. The trail ends at Colonial Boulevard and just on the other side of the roadway is Colonial Station, where the trains depart from. Trail users in need of refreshment at the end of the journey will have access to a few chain restaurants nearby that are accessible via the narrow paved pathways heading both east and west along the boulevard.
At multiple points, trail users will encounter covered picnic tables, so they'll be able to take shelter from the hot sun or the cool rain—both likely on any given day in Florida! Towards the southern end of the route, trail users will find the only dedicated trail parking on the southern end of the trail, on the south side of Daniels Parkway.
Trail History
The canal was built in the 1920s to control flooding in the southern part of the city and, when the trail’s first section opened in 2005, it was named Ten Mile Linear Park after the waterway. Later, it was renamed to honor a longtime director of Lee County Parks and Recreation, the entity that owns and operates the trail. Potions of the trail can be found along both banks of the canal and those on the west side are built on the former Seaboard Air Line Railroad.
The John Yarborough Linear Park Trail runs between Colonial Blvd. (Fort Myers) and Six Mile Cypress Parkway (Fort Myers).
Parking is available along Daniels Pkwy, just west of Metro Parkway.
See TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
Beautiful southern end along the marsh. Well kept throughout with nice covered seating areas. The trail end wasn't clearly marked.
Have to stop for cross traffic every block or so. Slightly wider than a sidewalk.
Two weeks after the hurricane the trail is open. All sections wide open.
If you like watching airplanes, this takes you behind Page Field in one direction and peaceful ride along the canal the rest of the way.
Parking is indeed a serious problem for this trail access. The lot in the description along Daniels is on the NORTH side of Daniels near Metro and not the south. Very nice short ride on the JY, just wish parking were better and also better restroom access.
Nice ride that has plenty of room for other bikers and walkers. There is some shade along the way which is a welcome break. The trail and the canal are well cared for and there was a maintenance person cleaning debris from the trail the day we rode. Felt very safe. We didn't see any restrooms but there were a few covered areas to rest and enjoy the surroundings. There is a fair amount of road noise but not enough to detract from the ride. We took a small detour along the way and rode in the Pine Villas neighborhood. It was filled with lush landscaping and beautiful homes. Enjoy!
Started trail from Colonial Boulevard and completed entire trail. Nice wide, flat paths that cross the canal with bridges along the way. Water is crystal clear, no odors; did see lots of turtles, herons and ducks. A great trail between two very busy streets for a tranquil ride. Not very many people on the day we went. If you're in the area, just do it!
Took off early afternoon on a cool sunny Saturday. Trail was very nice, crossed over the canal on a few bridges, saw lots of waterfowl. Minimal traffic on trail with a few busy road crossings with crosswalks. A very enjoyable ride total 12.6 miles or so.
I tried this on a Sunday afternoon expecting to encounter a bit of traffic but really no traffic at all ! Pleasant, flat quiet ride next to the canal and RR with benches and picnic tables all along the route. Saw an alligator and misc birds and wildlife along the way. Parked at the Home Depot on 6 mile Cypress and 41 .....short ride from there to trail.. Will def do again!
Awesome trail but it needs parking at both ends!!
I've been biking JY Linear Trail about 5 mornings per week since it re-opened from COVID. Great nature setting within metro Ft Myers with lots of wild life in the adjacent waters paralleling the trail. The down side of riding end to end is the need to cross 4 roads, one quite busy, and one with pedestrian cross walk & flashing lights that unfortunately not all morning commuters obey. Small aircraft fans will enjoy Page Field as the trail abuts one end of the runway.
Nice trail that feels fairly secluded while still near congested areas. Numerous covered picnic tables on path. A good bit of wildlife along the way, plus trail goes right by an airport if you're into airplanes.
There are small parking lots on both sides of Daniels Pkwy at the trail.
Negative- No restrooms. It would be nice if the controlling authority could at least add a portable or two along the trail.
Excellent trail located in a city environment. Wide bike and pedestrian asphalt roadway. Good chance to see a variety of waterfowl along the canal.
Starting at the NW Trailhead Colonial Blvd and Ortiz, there is a three mile section heading west that is completely off road and a very nice canal ride. Two road crossings. At that point I encountered a sign claiming the trail ended. I made my way south on Metro Pkwy in a well marked bike lane turning left (west) on Colonial Blvd for a block before getting on the Yarbrough trail again (TenMile Canal). At Daniels Pkwy there is a section that advises going down the the crossing lane, and since it is a very busy and wide Pkwy, I followed that advise. Back on the canal the trail continues to the technical end at the 6 Mile Cypress Pkwy. I continued to ride it back up to my original start for a 19+ mile ride.
Loved the trail and the wildlife and flora along the trail. I chased a two foot long iguana for a short time, until it finally heard me coming up behind.
It's a well maintained trail, and well used. A great ride.
First time on this trail and enjoyed everything around me.
You can get to this trail from downtown Ft. Myers city via Veronica Shoemaker Blvd. and Metro Parkway. Just about every type of wetland and aquatic bird in FL can be see along the way; Herons, Ibises, Aningas, Red-Tail Hawks, Ospreys, Spoonbills, Swallow-tail Kites, Turkey and Black Vultures, and an occasional Bald Eagle pair. Lots of snakes, beware of Moccasains (!). I even saw a young Lynx there! Pretty decent fishing when the water level is up, too! Gar, Tilapia, even some Trout below the dam. Oh, yeah, Alligators, a few big ones.
This is a great trail for all levels. I moved here recently from Boston and it’s 2min from my house. I recommend it to anyone out for a leisurely ride or walk.
this is an amazing Trail right through the middle of Fort Myers. we saw a painted turtles anhangia's, white cranes, snowy egrets , great blue herons , tri-colored herons, mallards, ibis, and there were fish on the beds in the creek. only saw five or six people during a two-hour walk from Six Mile Cypress to Daniels and then back. can't believe this nice Trail is almost in my backyard
I was visiting the area and stayed in a hotel nearby. I walk regularly and saw the trail entrance my first day out. I made a point to check the trail out the next day. I was impressed! The trail is quiet in a very busy area. I enjoyed watching the wildlife in and around the canal. The few people I encountered walking, running, biking, and fishing were very friendly. I only wish there were bathrooms on the trail!
I would recommend this trail to all levels of riders. It is straight, wide and for the most part well signed. I did not encounter much in the way of fellow riders, wakers, etc. Peaceful. It is generally away from the street traffic noise and shaded.
You can go slow, fast and ride side by side with companion.
Parking can be a challenge, however you will find it. I parked at Home Depot. Get on 6-mile cypress parkway via sidewalk and go east for about 0.75 miles. Trail starts there.
Nice trail along a small river way in its entirety! Three wooden bridges along the way switching from one side of the river to the other. A couple of picnic benches along the way! Not much for scenery but there were many bird species, turtles and even a coyote!
So the parking is odd to terrible and (this is FL) requires at least one U-turn to get there. Three if you miss it the first time. The "grass" lot which will hold 50 cars is a dirt road right *after* the rail road tracks.
This lot is around mile 3, so you're sort of splitting the trail to park.
The trail itself is very nice - smoothly paved and quite wide. There is no water.
The road crossings are all very safe - either low traffic 2-laners or signals at wider/busier roads.
There is clearly a 5+ mile extension going in behind mile 0. That should cause some interesting signage.
Good info re: parking on Daniels, west of Metro PKWY. The off street parking is about in the middle of the trail. South of Daniels, the Trail is almost all shaded with really nice woods and canals. North of Daniels is newer, and just as great...shade in the am or late afternoon. Very scenic, enjoyable ride. Getting to the trail, I found it was easy to cycle from Tamiami Trail on Gladiolus (865) by parking at Home Depot and heading east (all new sidewalk) to the trail. Also on Gladiolus, which turns into Summerlin heading west is Lakes Park, which has some great cycling paths.
Well done trail...glad I found it.
I rode this trail nobo. I parked to the right of the pond per google maps and fifteen yards to the left of the trail and waterway. Several other riders had parked off the pavement of independence circle as I in hard sand. Per maps I suspect you could park as far away as Home Depot as there appears to be paved trail running along Six Mile Cypress Parkway. Saw lots of fish spawning nexts plus birds searching out food plus turtles. Overhead were airplane landings into page field. So enjoyable! One zigzag from phase 1 to phase 2 with no confusion. This is the way to build trails!!
We felt that the parking information was very poor. We parked at the Sports Complex and could not find the trail. After going the wrong way at first, we had to cross several busy streets and ask another rider before we got on the trail. After we found it, we enjoyed our ride. Please update the website.
Enjoyable bike riding for all ages. Smooth, level asphalt runs alongside the canal. We saw plenty of birds, hundreds of turtles, plenty fish and even a large alligator. The trail is open, not much shade mid-day. Benches and a few picnic pavilions offer a place to stop and rest. We recommend it for almost any age.
We wanted to find a moderate length ride to "run out the cobwebs" after traveling south. This was just the right length - 12 miles up and down. The day we rode the wind was out of the south so, going up was easier. Now we know to check the breezes before choosing our ride.
The birding is good, but limited to waterbirds - Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, White Ibis, and we also encountered a kestrel stalking his prey and he was very irritated that we interrupted him (or her).
The trail crossing at Daniels Parkway involves a 1/2 mile westerly detour to the intersection crossing and the same 1/2 mile back on the other side. The Parkway is busy enough that you don't want to cross in the middle. Also that mile is part of the overall distance of the trail. Parking at the trailhead is sufficient and easy to find just west of Metro Parkway on Daniels. We recommend this as an easy ride for an hour and 15 minutes or so.
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