The sand on Hickory Boulevard is still open. The parking that used to make it easy to reach is going away. Lee County has fenced off the lots at Little Hickory Island Beach Park and Bonita Beach Park for Hurricane Ian restoration work, and the Bonita Beach Access #1 lot was scheduled to close starting Nov. 1. Meanwhile, the Bonita Bay Private Beach shuttle is still making its regular ten-minute trip from the community gate to the private beach gate.
For most of the year that shuttle was simply a convenience. This season it does more. Until the county work wraps up, the private beach is the only stop on this stretch of coast where a Bonita Bay resident finds parking, restrooms, showers and an umbrella waiting. Every other option takes a walk, a reservation, a daily fee or a drive into Collier County.
Three fences on Hickory Boulevard
Lee County began the work on Tuesday, Sept. 8. According to the county's announcement, federal reimbursement for the projects came through, so they can go ahead without local taxpayer dollars. Most of them are expected to take 11 months, and the beaches stay open throughout. Gulf Coast News covered the same schedule when it was announced.
| County site | Address | What changed | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Hickory Island Beach Park, Beach Access #10 | 26082 Hickory Blvd. | Parking lot closed and fenced while crews restore structures, boardwalks and pavilions and replace the restroom building lost in the hurricane | Sept. 8, 2026 |
| Bonita Beach Park | 27954 Hickory Blvd. | Whole site closed and fenced while the county office building, restroom, boardwalks and pavilions are repaired | Sept. 8, 2026 |
| Bonita Beach Access #1 | 27890 Hickory Blvd. | Parking lot scheduled to close for construction, with pedestrian beach access kept open | Starting Nov. 1, 2026 |
Access #1 is the closure that matters most this month. With Bonita Beach Park fenced, the county named Access #1 the main pedestrian way onto that part of the beach, and its own lot was scheduled to close starting Nov. 1. The Access #1 facility page lists parking there at $2 an hour and accepts the Lee County Parks and Recreation annual parking pass. That means pass holders lose one of the closest places to use it.
Restrooms are the less obvious change. Access #1 has no restrooms. The county's page sends visitors to the restrooms at Bonita Beach Park next door, and that park is now behind construction fencing. Farther south at Little Hickory Island, the county moved the portable restrooms outside the fence and closer to the road so beachgoers can still use them.
The county also notes that a restaurant sits between Access #1 and Bonita Beach Park.
If the 11-month estimate holds, the projects that started Sept. 8 would finish around next summer.
What the private beach was rebuilt to handle
The Bonita Bay Community Association calls the Private Beach its "most popular" amenity. The facility was destroyed in Hurricane Ian and reopened on a November 13. The new building is concrete, with breakaway walls, removable grills and weather-resistant materials, all chosen so it can take the next storm instead of being rebuilt again.
The site was also rebuilt with the beach in mind. Native dune plants now help hold the shoreline. Reduced lighting and a dedicated turtle fence protect nesting sea turtles and keep the beach dark at night.
Here is what residents and their guests find on arrival, according to the association's Private Beach page:
- Interior spaces and grills for cookouts and larger Resident Club events
- Beach chairs, lounges and umbrellas
- Showers, and restrooms with infant changing stations
- Private parking
- A year-round shuttle, so nobody has to drive
The county closures make each item on that list more valuable. The public parks are short on parking and restrooms right now, and the private beach has both. On the association's site, Garrett Stone, Director of the Bonita Bay Private Beach, describes the goal as "a place where everyone feels cared for and connected."
Guests are included. The association's page names residents and their guests as the people who use the facility. That makes the private beach the easiest plan this winter when family arrives for the holidays and wants a day on the Gulf.
When guests want a different stretch of sand
Some visitors will want to see more of the coast than one private beach. These are the nearby choices, along with what each one takes this season.
Walking on at Access #1. The pedestrian access at 27890 Hickory Blvd. stays open through construction. Its parking lot was scheduled to close starting Nov. 1, and the nearest permanent restrooms are inside the fenced park next door.
Riding instead of parking. Lee County recommends LeeTran's ULTRA On Demand for the Bonita beaches. Riders book through the ULTRA app, and pickups start from a designated spot in the lot at the northwest corner of U.S. 41 and Bonita Beach Road. Free parking for riders is in the shopping center lot at 3300 Bonita Beach Road SW, and the service links central Bonita Springs with Bonita Beach Park. Booking details are on the LeeTran ULTRA page.
Crossing into Collier County. Barefoot Beach Preserve is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset. Collier gives its free beach parking permit only to Collier County residents who show proof of residency. Bonita Springs is in Lee County, so a Bonita Bay household parks there as visitors and pays the flat $10 daily rate through Collier's mobile pay system.
Going north to Lovers Key. Lovers Key State Park, at 8700 Estero Blvd., charges $8 per vehicle and is open from 8 a.m. to sunset. The beach tram has been discontinued, so visitors reach the sand on foot or by bicycle. Since May 1, 2026, the park has had no food or beverage service, so bring lunch. Paddling, fishing equipment and beach rentals are still offered daily.
Each of these choices adds something the shuttle avoids, whether that is a booking, a fee, a long walk or a packed cooler. They work well for a planned outing with guests. For a quick swim before dinner, the private beach is the simpler choice.
The Saturdays around November 13
November 13 is the date the association gives for the Private Beach's reopening, and this year it falls on a Friday. The next morning is a Saturday, and the Local Roots Flea Market is back for the season every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Promenade at Bonita Bay. Its season started Oct. 3 and runs through May 29, 2027.
On a Saturday, that makes for an easy plan. Browse the Promenade in the morning, take the shuttle to the Gulf by early afternoon, and stay for the sunset the association's page shows from its own beach. Lee County says it will keep posting construction updates on its Parks Project Information Tool. That page will be the first to show when the lots at Bonita Beach Park, Little Hickory Island and Access #1 reopen.
Easy beach access works differently from one Naples-area community to the next, and seasons like this one show where those differences lie. If you are comparing how daily life on the Gulf plays out across Bonita Bay, Pelican Bay, Park Shore and Olde Naples, J2 Luxury Group can walk you through it community by community. Discover Elevated Living and Schedule a Private Consultation.
