Navigating these waters, you'll run into a variety of bridge types, locks, channels, fixed bridges, weirs, and more.
Below is an introduction to some of these features of Southwest Florida boating.
Bridges
Fixed Bridges: Fixed bridges are just exactly what they sound like. They are roads that go over the waterways and can not be raised up. Fixed bridges over channels are often very high so large boats can pass under them. Inland bridges, however, may be of limited height. If you purchase property behind one of these bridges, it will limit the height of the boat you can navigate below them.
Locks
The inland Caloosahatchee River and a great deal of the SW Cape Coral canal system are serviced by locks. The lock in SW Cape Coral is free and does not take very long to pass through.
The Franklin Lock in east Lee County is also a park, and makes up part of the Intracoastal Waterway, leading to the Lake Okeechobee and ultimately, the east coast. There are a series of locks between us and the Atlantic Ocean. The Caloosahatchee River has its source at Lake Okeechobee. After passing through the lake you exit on the St Lucie River to the Atlantic.
