Construction fencing now runs along Hickory Boulevard at both ends of Bonita Beach. At the north end, Bonita Beach Park at 27954 Hickory Blvd. sits behind a fence. Just up the road, the paid lot at Access #1 has closed for construction too, though the walkway to the sand stays open. About two miles south, Little Hickory Island Beach Park at 26082 Hickory Blvd. has been fenced since early September. All three are the lots most people head for first, and none of them has parking this season.
The sand is still open, and so are the eight numbered beach accesses between those two ends. With the paid lots closed, the free parking in the middle of the beach has become the main way in. The annual pass many Bonita residents bought for those paid lots now has no Bonita beach lot where it works.
Three Closures, Two Dates, About Eleven Months
Lee County announced the closures on Sept. 2 as part of its Hurricane Ian restoration work on Fort Myers Beach and Bonita Beach. The county said it could start because federal reimbursement for the projects had come through, so local taxpayer money would not have to pay for them.
Here is the schedule it gave for Bonita:
- Bonita Beach Park, 27954 Hickory Blvd. closed Tuesday, Sept. 8, with fencing around the whole property. Crews are repairing a county office building, the restroom, wooden boardwalks and pavilions.
- Little Hickory Island Beach Park, also known as Access #10, closed its lot the same day. Crews are restoring boardwalks and pavilions and replacing the restroom building the hurricane destroyed. The portable restrooms that were inside the park have moved outside the fence, closer to the road.
- Bonita Beach Access #1, 27890 Hickory Blvd. stayed open as the north end's main walk-in point until November, when its own restoration started and its lot closed.
The county expects most of the projects to take about 11 months. Counting from the Sept. 8 start, that puts the reopenings around late summer 2027. The county has promised progress updates, and its Parks Project Information Tool is where it says they will appear.
According to the county's Access #1 page, that access has no restrooms of its own, and the ones it normally relies on are at Bonita Beach Park, which is now fenced. You can still walk onto the beach at Access #1 for the whole project. Access #1 also has the same rules as the rest of the beach: no pets, and no fires or grilling on the sand.
The $60 Pass Currently Works at No Bonita Beach Lot
The Lee County Parks & Recreation annual parking pass costs $60 for 12 months. It no longer comes as a sticker. Your license plate is registered digitally through Premium Parking, the county's parking vendor.
On Premium Parking's list of where the pass is valid, the first three beach entries are Bonita Beach, Bonita Beach Access #1 and Bonita Beach Access #10, and all three are marked "Temporarily closed for construction." Bowditch Point Beach Park on Fort Myers Beach is marked closed too. Bowman's Beach and Turner Beach are still listed as valid. Vehicles with a disabled veteran plate, mechanical disability modifications or a Florida Toll Exemption Pass still park free at the pass locations.
The timing matters for the City of Bonita Springs' pilot reimbursement. In July, the city posted a pilot program for full-time residents, which District 1 Council Member Jamie Bogacz brought forward. The city's information sheet offered $50 back on a $60 county pass bought between June 1 and Sept. 30, 2026. Reimbursements went first come, first served to the first 300 applicants, at the Bonita Springs Recreation Center, 26740 Pine Ave.
That application window closed on Sept. 30, three weeks after the Bonita Beach Park and Little Hickory lots closed. Anyone who claimed the reimbursement bought a 12-month pass for $10 out of pocket. Most of those 12 months will run while the Bonita beach lots it covers are closed. The pass still works at the county's Imperial River Boat Ramp, which helps if you reach the Gulf by boat rather than on foot.
The Free Middle of the Beach Is Now the Main Way In
Accesses #2 through #9 have always been free. Lee County's own wording is "Accesses #02 through #09 are free to park," with the same rules as elsewhere: no pets, and no fires or grilling on the beach. They run from north to south along Hickory Blvd.:
- Access #2: 27720 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #3: 27494 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #4: 27260 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #5: 27010 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #6: 26786 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #7: 26590 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #8: 26410 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #9: 26220 Hickory Blvd.
On a map, the closures cut off the two ends of the beach. Access #2 is the closest free option to the fenced Bonita Beach Park and the closed Access #1. Access #9 is the last one before Little Hickory Island Beach Park, where portable restrooms now stand by the road. All eight of these lots are small. In a typical season they took the overflow from the big paid lots. This season they are the only beachfront parking on Hickory Blvd.
The county also adds a warning about what is underfoot: "Beaches and beach parks have not been restored to pre-Hurricane Ian conditions. Debris continues to wash onshore and may quickly be obscured by sand." It recommends wearing beach shoes.
Leaving the Car at US-41
The county's main suggestion for the Bonita end of the beach is LeeTran's ULTRA On Demand service. It links the center of Bonita Springs with Bonita Beach Park and will still pick up and drop off anywhere in the ULTRA service zone.
The pickup point is in the parking lot at the northwest corner of US-41 and Bonita Beach Road. Free parking for riders is in the shopping center lot at 3300 Bonita Beach Road SW. Rides are booked in the ULTRA app, and LeeTran has details at leegov.com/leetran/ultra. The Access #1 page also points beachgoers to ULTRA for the length of the construction.
ULTRA drops riders at the fenced Bonita Beach Park, and from there it is a short walk on foot to Access #1, which stays open to pedestrians. So the shuttle is the only way to reach the north end of the beach without looking for a parking space on Hickory Blvd.
Barefoot Beach and Lovers Key Charge a Fee
Past the Lee County accesses, the two nearest full beach parks are run by other agencies, and both charge Bonita residents to park.
| Option | Who runs it | Cost to park or enter | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonita Beach Accesses #2 to #9 | Lee County | Free | County beach rules apply |
| ULTRA On Demand lot, 3300 Bonita Beach Rd. SW | LeeTran | Free parking, rides booked in the app | Check the ULTRA app |
| Barefoot Beach Preserve | Collier County | $10 per day without a Collier County resident beach parking permit | 8 a.m. to sunset, year-round |
| Lovers Key State Park | Florida State Parks | $8 per vehicle with 2 to 8 people; $4 single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle; $2 pedestrians and cyclists | 8 a.m. to sundown, year-round |
Barefoot Beach is just across the Collier County line, and the county line decides what you pay. Collier County gives its own residents a free beach parking permit with proof of residency. A Bonita Springs address is in Lee County, so a typical Bonita household pays the flat $10 daily rate at Barefoot Beach Preserve. Collier's preserve page also lists kayak and paddleboard rentals as coming soon to Parking Lot 3, and food and beverage service as coming soon to Parking Lot 1.
Lovers Key State Park charges per vehicle. A carload of four pays $8, which is the same as four hours at Access #1's old $2-an-hour rate.
The Food Stops on the Way Have Changed Too
Bonita Beach Road has changed as well. Doug's Seafood at 3411 Bonita Beach Road, a New England-style seafood spot known for chowders and steamers, announced its closing on Aug. 31, The News-Press reported. Out on Hickory Blvd., Big Hickory Waterfront Grille and Marina's website still says its original location closed because of Hurricane Ian damage, and its new location page says the new spot is coming soon.
Lee County notes that a restaurant sits between Access #1 and Bonita Beach Park. Since the Access #1 walkway stays open to pedestrians, that stretch can still be reached on foot from the beach or from the ULTRA drop-off.
Construction along Bonita's beachfront also changes how a waterfront home on this coast works for owners, guests and seasonal renters. If you own here, rent out a property or are weighing a purchase near Hickory Blvd., Sebastian Bokemeier can explain what the restoration schedule means for guest access, parking and timing on a specific property. Request a Private Consultation.
