The western end of the Wildlife Drive at Pine Island Sound — open bay water, the old Calusa country, and the exit back onto Sanibel-Captiva Road. The grand finale.
You're out at the western reach of the refuge now, where the mangroves open onto the wide, shallow, island-dotted water of Pine Island Sound. Take a good look out over it — this bay, and the mangrove islands scattered across it, are the old heartland of the Calusa, the shell kings Boone told you about, whose mounded islands still rise out of these waters. But don't turn back yet — the Wildlife Drive isn't done. It swings on along the water's edge to the wildest, quietest corner of the whole refuge, with one last observation deck and some of the best bird-watching of the entire drive still ahead. Keep rolling west; the best is often saved for last.
Photo: James St. John · CC BY 2.0
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