Southern Tier Trip – 3 Day Trip – Day 1 – Babcock Ranch

Overall Details
From Tuesday April 21st to Thursday April 23rd SWFL Bikes and Hikes will be hosting a 3-day ride in the Southern Tier, around Fort Myers / Sanibel. This is the third year of riding in this area. In prior year’s we had less participation in the optional ride on Captiva Island as it was combined with the Sanibel Island ride for a total distance of 42 miles. This year we are splitting off the Captiva ride separately (and including a boat trip) as to provide all the opportunity to participate.

• Day 1 – Babcock Ranch Ride – Approximately 20 miles
• Day 2- Sanibel Island Ride – Riders can choose between 21-mile and 30-mile ride options
• Day 3 – Captiva Island Ride – Approximately 20 miles, including a boat trip from Captiva Island

Given the driving distance to Babcock Ranch and Sanibel Island we encourage members joining us for all 3 rides to stay locally overnight (see details below). Alternatively, you can opt to drive to each ride daily. Each ride is posted in Meetup as separate events, so if you plan to attend all 3 days, please sign up for each event separately. Alternatively, you can opt to join us just for one or any individual rides.

Accommodation Recommendation
We will leave it up to each member to choose their accommodation arrangements and length of stay (whether hotel or Airbnb). But we recommend all to consider staying at the Hampton Inn, Fort Myers Downtown (2151 Johnson St, Fort Myers, FL 33901) for the nights of Tuesday April 21st and Wednesday April 22nd. The hotel is centrally located for each days’ events and within walking distance of the historic downtown Fort Myers area, where we will walk and have dinner on the night of April 21st. Please remember that April is still part of the Winter Season in Florida and we are in Fort Myers, so accommodation prices can be on higher side. Please book accommodation now as prices will likely increase (and book a cancellable rate if you need to). For the recommended Hampton Inn, we have arranged a discounted SWFL Bikes and Hikes rate at only $119/night plus taxes (currently 11.5%). This rate is in effect for each week night (Monday to Thursday) of the applicable week; in case you want to extend your stay. The rate is based upon hotel availability (so you should book now) and is subject to a booking cut-off date of Saturday March 21, 2026. You can cancel your reservation without charge up to 3 business days in advance, and after this there is a one-night cancellation fee. I will contact attendees that signup for the Fort Myers rides with the booking instructions and discount code. Feel free to book alternative accommodations if you like.

Morning Ride at Babcock Ranch Development
To allow for driving time to Babcock Ranch we will meet at 10:00 am at the Babcock Ranch Town Center and start the ride promptly at 10:15 am. We will ride approximately 20 miles through the Babcock Development. We will travel primarily on dedicated multi-purpose trails and the wide bike lanes on the roadways (limited traffic), plus occasional small streets. During parts of the ride, we may break out into separate groups and travel the park system in 3 parallel routes, where you will get to choose your travel surface of either: backcountry grass and hardpack sand through the wilderness areas; the gravel park paths; or along the adjacent road bike lanes. After about 20 miles we will return to the starting location and have a group lunch at the Lakehouse Restaurant in the Babcock Ranch Town Center. Following lunch, you can travel to the Hampton Inn Downtown Fort Myers or your alternative accommodation. We will have a group dinner in downtown Fort Myers – location to be decided.