The area around Sarasota is known for its beaches, and has coastal hiking trails that show off Sarasota Bay and the estuaries. Inland, however, is a large swath of natural lands protecting the Myakka River floodplain, including Myakka River State Park, which has a four-day backpacking loop amid wide open prairies and oak hammocks.
Caspersen Beach Park
Ancient sharks once cruised the waters off modern-day Venice, carcharodon megalodon, a shark more than 52 feet long that outweighed a t.rex. Folks flock to Caspersen Beach today not just because it’s at the end of the road, but it’s the prime spot along the coast to unearth the fossilized teeth of these ancient sharks,… [Continue Reading]
Coquina Baywalk
Explore Leffis Key on a series of trails and boardwalks through mangrove tunnels on the Coquina Baywalk. A unspoiled sliver between the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay, Leffis Key sits between Bradenton Beach and Longboat Key. Although the entire trail system is less than a mile, it’s fun to explore. The trails offer great… [Continue Reading]
Jelks Preserve
With so many opportunities for different lengths of hikes, the trail system at Jelks Preserve provides everyone with somewhere to get outdoors. A marker system and maps at the trailhead make it easy to find your way. Most of the trails are a tad wide, built to accommodate vehicles—the narrow side trails to the river… [Continue Reading]
Myakka River State Park – Myakka Hiking Trail
For immersion in Florida’s central prairies, the Myakka Hiking Trail is a serious backpacking destination. A 39-mile loop in the heart of Myakka River State Park, it provides a mosaic of habitats to explore, including grasslands more than two miles wide in places. Although the trails mostly stay in shady oak hammocks, they do traverse… [Continue Reading]
Oscar Scherer State Park – Lake Osprey Trail
Circling one of Oscar Scherer State Park’s notable water features, Lake Osprey, the wheelchair-accessible Lake Osprey Trail – the park’s newest trail, opened in 2010 – offers a natural surface exploration of the uplands surrounding the artesian-spring-fed waters. Birding is excellent, especially in the early morning hours. The many benches along this path make it… [Continue Reading]
Oscar Scherer State Park – South Creek and Lester Finley Trails
Protecting more than 1,300 acres of uplands in a region where development has swarmed across the natural landscapes, Oscar Scherer State Park is a stronghold for the Florida scrub-jay, a colorful species found only in Florida. Opened in 1956 near Venice, the park began as a bequest from Elsa Scherer Burrows in memory of her… [Continue Reading]
Robinson Preserve
A 487-acre mosaic of mud flats, mangrove swamps, and beaches, Robinson Preserve is a testament to the spirit of Aldo Leopold. Formerly farmland in a district of Bradenton known for its tropical plant nurseries, this expanse of waterfront habitats has undergone extensive restoration, from removal of invasive species to re-creating tidal creeks and basins nourished… [Continue Reading]
T. Mabry Carlton Reserve
Set aside as part of a ribbon of wild lands on the southeastern side of Sarasota County, T. Mabry Carlton Reserve is less than a dozen miles from downtown Venice but wild enough that the Florida panther roams these woodlands along the Myakka River floodplain. With over 24,000 acres of protected land, it contains more… [Continue Reading]
