Randell Research Center
Managed by Florida Musuem of Natural History
571 acres0.4 mi of trail
Saint Jude Trail
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Fish Cabin at White Rock Shoals · Photo: Florida Department of State - Division of Historical Resources - Bureau of Historic Preservation · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in St. James City
St. James City has 1,867 acres of parks, 547 for every 1,000 residents
26% of St. James City’s land is conserved, about 2,408 acres. 1.7 miles of mapped trail cross St. James City, 0.1 per square mile of land. 72% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #104 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
2,408 acres · of 14.6 sq mi of land
Trails
1.7 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,867 ac
547 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
72%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.5 mi
7.5 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is St. James City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does St. James City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, St. James City is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #104 of 638 in Florida. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of St. James City’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land547 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,867 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home72% of residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 81%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 84%
Water is 12% of St. James City’s area (2 of 17 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 23%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Randell Research Center, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pine Island Commercial Marina
Park
15 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Randell Research Center571 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Florida Musuem of Natural History
Pine Island Commercial Marina15 acres
DirectionsMatlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge12 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Galt Preserve2 acres
DirectionsTropical Point Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,408 conserved acres
26% of St. James City’s land. Water is left out: St. James City has 14.6 square miles of land and 2.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages St. James City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,445 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits969 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service37 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,442 acPrivate Conservation · 947 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 37 acConservation Easement · 22 acLocal Recreation Area · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Island Flatwoods Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 918 | Open |
| Calusa Land Trust and Nature Preserve Of Pine Island Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 572 | Closed |
| Galt Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 261 | Open |
| Pine Island Preserve at Matlacha Pass Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 228 | Closed |
| Buttonwood Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 166 | Restricted |
| Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Conservation Lands Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 147 | Closed |
| St. James Creek Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 90 | Open |
| Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 37 | Restricted |
| Charlotte Harbor Buffer Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 6 | Open |
| Great Calusa Blueway Local Recreation Area | County | 3 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in St. James City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in St. James City
Kayak/Canoe LaunchIn Tropical Point Park
DirectionsMarine Laboratory
DirectionsMonroe Canal Marina
DirectionsPine Island Commercial MarinaIn Pine Island Commercial Marina
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.8 mi
Saint Jude Trail0.3 mi
Island Villages Circle0.3 mi
Biking & sports
7.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.5 mi
off-road bike paths
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Fish Cabin at White Rock ShoalsBuilding · listed 1991
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in St. James City
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.6 | 11.2 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.4 | 13.8 | 13.6 | 13.1 | 12.3 | 11.5 | 10.8 | 10.5 |
| High (°F) | 75 | 77 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 91 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 87 | 81 | 77 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.6 | 8.1 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and August the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 8.6 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in St. James City →
Next door
St. James City and its neighbors
St. James City has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. James City | 26% | 0.1 | 547 | 72% | A− |
| Pine Island Center | 1% | 0.3 | 36 | 90% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in St. James City
Where can I hike in St. James City?
The longest trail networks: Randell Research Center, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of St. James City is conserved land?
26% of its land, against a typical 3% for a Florida town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on St. James City’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Randell Research Center (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in St. James City?
7.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near St. James City?
13,021 acres of parks and open public land lie inside St. James City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,867 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does St. James City have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #104 of 638 in Florida. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from St. James City neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →