EDITOR'S NOTE:The photos on this page and others in Lee County were taken before Hurricane Ian hit the Gulf Coast is 2022. As always in nature, landscapes can and do change over time.
Overview: The major feature of the Bailey Tract is a series of impoundments and levees built years ago to attract waterfowl, including ducks, grebes, coots and moorhens. It still does, but as part of the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildife Refuge it also creates a perfect place for people to see them.
Bailey is about 100 acres, and offers a mix of four trails, ranging from short (0.35 mile) to intermediate (1.1 miles). The paths are wide and well marked, making for easy walking (or biking), and accomodate both modes of transportation without conflict. With a bit of ambition, a hiker could explore the entire network of trails in a couple of hours. The 0.35-mile trail has been designated a meditation trail, the first of its kind in the NWR system.
It's important to note that the impoundments are freshwater rather than salt, which means a somewhat different mix of birds, animals and vegetation than is offered at the main portion of "Ding" Darling NWR. In fact the landscape has been altered over the decades to make it hospitable to wildlife, with some unintended consequences occuring along the way.
Bailey is easy to find from Periwinkle Drive, Sanibel's major thoroughfare. It sits off Tarpon Road, a minute or two from its T intersection with Periwinkle.
History: The namesake Bailey family, led by Frank Bailey, moved to Sanibel in the 1880s and opened what is now the Bailey General Store in 1899. None other than Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling himself bought the first acre from the Bailey family in the 1950s for what was then called the Sanibel Wildlife Refuge. The federal government bought the other 99 acres using funds raised by the duck stamp program — required to hunt waterfowl on federal lands. Before Europeans arrived on Sanibel, the island was home to the Calusa tribe who lived there into the 18th century, then fled to Cuba.
What You'll See: Where Wildlife Drive and the main J.N. "Ding Darling" National Wildlife Refuge complex revolves largely around saltwater Tarpon Bay, the Bailey Tract is all about the plants and animals that inhabit freshwater ecosystems. Much of what is Bailey Tract is manmade rather than natural; the ponds dug to provide surface water for wildlife, or in the case of Ani Pond, a borrow pit from which fill was taken for road construction. Much of the trail system are levees built to provide human access.
These ponds succeeded in attracting a bunch of waterfowl: blue teals, mottled ducks, northern shovelers, pied-bill grebes, American coots and moorhens are among the birds we spotted during our visit. Plants included whitemouthed day flowers, coastal groundcherry, Everglades morning glories, American bluehearts, native lantana aka wild sage and more. The construction of these ponds also has had some unintended consequences, which we discuss below.
Amenities: There is ample parking and interpretive kiosks for the Bailey Tract. Trails are well-marked. Public restrooms can be found at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge's main campus.
Nearby: Sanibel Island is mostly parks and preserves, with J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge comprising the largest portion of that. The main campus of the NWR is about four miles away on the north side of the island. There are also numerous beach parks on Sanibel, including Bowman's Beach and Lighthouse Beach, both of which are worth exploring.
Links: The J.N. "Ding" Darling Society, dedicated to the protection and support of the refuge is here. The Institute for Regional Conservation's inventory of plants at "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is here. The Great Florida Birding Trail's take on the NWR is here. Both the IRC and GFBT pages are for the refuge as a whole rather than specifically for the Bailey Tract.
Of Note: Admission to the Bailey Tract is free. It is open to hikers and bikers only, from dawn to dusk. Like all national wildlife refuges, Bailey Tract and the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refugue are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Cover Photo: A pair of pied-bill grebes glide through the water at one of Bailey Tract's manmade ponds.
Overview: The major feature of the Bailey Tract is a series of impoundments and levees built years ago to attract waterfowl, including ducks, grebes, coots and moorhens. It still does, but as part of the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildife Refuge it also creates a perfect place for people to see them.
Bailey is about 100 acres, and offers a mix of four trails, ranging from short (0.35 mile) to intermediate (1.1 miles). The paths are wide and well marked, making for easy walking (or biking), and accomodate both modes of transportation without conflict. With a bit of ambition, a hiker could explore the entire network of trails in a couple of hours. The 0.35-mile trail has been designated a meditation trail, the first of its kind in the NWR system.
It's important to note that the impoundments are freshwater rather than salt, which means a somewhat different mix of birds, animals and vegetation than is offered at the main portion of "Ding" Darling NWR. In fact the landscape has been altered over the decades to make it hospitable to wildlife, with some unintended consequences occuring along the way.
Bailey is easy to find from Periwinkle Drive, Sanibel's major thoroughfare. It sits off Tarpon Road, a minute or two from its T intersection with Periwinkle.
History: The namesake Bailey family, led by Frank Bailey, moved to Sanibel in the 1880s and opened what is now the Bailey General Store in 1899. None other than Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling himself bought the first acre from the Bailey family in the 1950s for what was then called the Sanibel Wildlife Refuge. The federal government bought the other 99 acres using funds raised by the duck stamp program — required to hunt waterfowl on federal lands. Before Europeans arrived on Sanibel, the island was home to the Calusa tribe who lived there into the 18th century, then fled to Cuba.
What You'll See: Where Wildlife Drive and the main J.N. "Ding Darling" National Wildlife Refuge complex revolves largely around saltwater Tarpon Bay, the Bailey Tract is all about the plants and animals that inhabit freshwater ecosystems. Much of what is Bailey Tract is manmade rather than natural; the ponds dug to provide surface water for wildlife, or in the case of Ani Pond, a borrow pit from which fill was taken for road construction. Much of the trail system are levees built to provide human access.
These ponds succeeded in attracting a bunch of waterfowl: blue teals, mottled ducks, northern shovelers, pied-bill grebes, American coots and moorhens are among the birds we spotted during our visit. Plants included whitemouthed day flowers, coastal groundcherry, Everglades morning glories, American bluehearts, native lantana aka wild sage and more. The construction of these ponds also has had some unintended consequences, which we discuss below.
Amenities: There is ample parking and interpretive kiosks for the Bailey Tract. Trails are well-marked. Public restrooms can be found at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge's main campus.
Nearby: Sanibel Island is mostly parks and preserves, with J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge comprising the largest portion of that. The main campus of the NWR is about four miles away on the north side of the island. There are also numerous beach parks on Sanibel, including Bowman's Beach and Lighthouse Beach, both of which are worth exploring.
Links: The J.N. "Ding" Darling Society, dedicated to the protection and support of the refuge is here. The Institute for Regional Conservation's inventory of plants at "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is here. The Great Florida Birding Trail's take on the NWR is here. Both the IRC and GFBT pages are for the refuge as a whole rather than specifically for the Bailey Tract.
Of Note: Admission to the Bailey Tract is free. It is open to hikers and bikers only, from dawn to dusk. Like all national wildlife refuges, Bailey Tract and the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refugue are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Cover Photo: A pair of pied-bill grebes glide through the water at one of Bailey Tract's manmade ponds.
