This place is a hidden gem. Five stars There's a small beach next to the trail (extremely…read moresmall) with two or three picnic benches where you can have lunch so I suppose it's first come first serve. The quick point trail itself is not long but it is sure beautiful. There is a list/ sign of things you cannot due there such as nudity, animals, littering, smoking, open fires, camping or vehicles on beach.

This is a wonderful hidden gem! Follow the trail to discover beautiful birds and natural scenery…read more Several stops along the way to take in the fresh air and admire the mango groves. At the end, there is a great wooden octagon pier with a few benches. Great for fishing, a picnic, or just birdwatching!

I am so impressed by the Legacy Trail. It crosses major roads with appropriate crosswalks and…read morebridges, there are bathrooms and water and areas to rest, with signs noting all of this and the distance. The trail is wide and beautiful and long enough to spend a day on. Other states should learn from Florida !

The trail starts in old Venice City - at the Historic Venice Train Depot. Plenty of parking…read more There is a short 2-mile trail that goes south and does a loop through town, but you want to go north. The trail is an old train line but it has been paved over. It is Florida flat except for 2 bridges that go over the highways. Both within the first 2 miles. The scenery is actually pretty good for the whole ride. At the halfway mark (almost exactly half way), you can see the original train tracks, with signage to explain. The trail is pretty well marked, with little disks telling you how far you've traveled (or till your back). Pretty nice. The end of the trail is a small park (with parking), but not much there. The whole ride is 10.63 miles (one way) - according to my watch. It looks as though they are working on an additional segment, but when it will be ready - unknown.

Beautiful and scenic bike path with plenty of wildlife and well maintained trails. Stopped to watch…read morethe small planes take off and land at Venice airport.

Nice easy trail. Wide, flat with little shade. Plenty of access points and convenient parking. We…read moreentered from Shamrock Park. Bathrooms were clean. Nature Center was closed. No maps of trails available. Maps were posted. Not sure where Circus Bridge is to cross to other-side. We pedaled north to the Legacy Trail. Lots of wildlife along the trail from waterfowl to iguana, gopher tortoise and squirrels.

Seems to be a new park / preserve still under construction in 2025. Saw some…read morenice fish. Saw and heard some cool birds. The paths are wide country roads and pretty torn up. Sarasota County doesn't seem to be into trails

The Myakkahatchee Environmental Park is my favorite dog friendly park at North Port…read more Beautiful hiking trails,few esy to follow looping trail,through beautiful jungles and grassy pampas. Some of the paths floods after rain. The Live Long and Prosper Trail runs along the Myakkahatchee creek for 3 miles.Lot to see,from alligators to beautiful birds and unique flora and fuana.For that 3 miles it was always walkable because it is on the creek bank much hire than the water level. The trail supposedly loops around,but I was never able to come back on the return loop because it was flooded-even at December-deep swampie water was blocking port of the trail and we had to turn around. However I seen some markings on the return trail,it looks like the park management is working on it. I wish that trail would go farther up by the Myakkahatchee creek,I would love to explore that area more.The trail ends at a barb wire fance..... There is so much to do at that park,you can walk with your dog,ride a horse,fossil hunt at the creek-when the water is low and clear at winter time.There is picnic area, a huge fild. Restrooms at the parking lot.Few boardwalks. Trails are well marked and maintained pretty well. This park keeps growing,I'm so grateful that is near by.

Fantastic Kayak Launch...prepare for short carry to the slide in ramps…read more Lot's & Lot's of wildlife.... If it EVER reopens after Milton!! Let go Sarasota County, please reopen this very special park!!

Not to be confused with the state park with a similar name, this is a lil park at the end of Laurel…read moreRd past some new developments. It has a kayak, canoe boat launch. Nice paved trail and picnic tables and lots of side trail views of Myakka River. Quite lovely. No animals or dogs allowed. Beware of gators. We saw a lil one. I let it nibble on my toes. The only garbage is by entrance gate. Please take out what you bring in. Take only.photographs. Bathrooms by entrance. Closes at sunset.

We arrived early, and it wasn't too busy at all, but by the time we finished around noon, the area…read morehad become quite crowded. I can only imagine how difficult parking must be during peak season. Thankfully, parking is free, and so are all of the park's facilities. We visited on a Sunday and were greeted by a friendly park employee who was incredibly knowledgeable about the area. She provided us with a laminated trail map, which was a huge help and allowed us to enjoy the experience without constantly checking our phones. The kayak trails were absolutely amazing! The water was crystal clear, making it easy to see fish and other wildlife below. We visited in mid-June and were pleasantly surprised that we didn't encounter any mosquitoes or no-see-ums. It took us about two hours to paddle all of the kayak trails, including a relaxing beach break along the way. There are four main trails to explore, with Trail 3 offering two different exit routes, making it worth paddling twice for two unique experiences. Trail 4 was the most challenging, with several low-hanging branches that required a little extra maneuvering. Overall, this was easily one of the best kayak trail systems we've explored, and we'll definitely be back!

Excellent park to explore by canoe. Ted Sperling Park is famous on mangrove tunnels. The best way…read moreto explore the part is kayak or paddle board. Prefer to visit the park during high tide. Even with low tide, I was able to maneuver the kayak. I would not recommend use the canoe to explore due to shallow depths on certain locations. The park has 4 major tunnel and over 10 brunch tunnels. Tunnel is label 1 to 4. The tunnel 1 and 2 is one way in and out. I was renting the kayak at the locate vendor Surfit. They provide me a map of the mangrove tunnel to explore. They also provide a dry bag for my personal staff. I would said paddle board has a height condition due to mangrove brunch. Many paddle boarder has to kneel or sit through the tunnel. On the non major tunnels, the space is narrow. Some time you do not have room to paddle. Just use the mangrove to push through. I enjoy the most is when I follow the flow direction. Easy paddling. I also like to see a lot of bird in the tunnel. The nature is beautiful. Love the tunnel due to shading from wind. In the tunnel is also blocking the sun and pleasant. I would suggest visit the park in the morning.

We had a great time walking the preserve. There is a parking lot with a handicapped porta potty on…read moresite that was clean. My sister and I planned to walk a few miles so we brought a backpack cooler with drinks and lunch. We walked a total of 6.5 miles. Most the of the trails did have some shade. There were numerous benches to sit throughout the preserve. We did end up coming to a dead end and had to crawl under the Bob wire fence but was totally worth it as the trail was trees lined and absolutely beautiful. We did see some cattle that moved out of our way. Lots of birds and some baby gators. It was a very nice hike and was worth it. We seen two other people on horses on the trails but besides that very peaceful.

I'm so glad that Walton Ranch Preserve is opened to the public…read more Great walking place and what is even more exciting it is a wonderful biking area. You can bike for miles on well kept dirt roads,best time to go is the dry season,after rain the Preserve could flood. I loved biking through the Cattle fields.Beautiful and timeless experience. Lots of cows few babys too.So beautiful and peaceful. Walton Ranch Preserve is not well known even by the locals,it only went public a few years ago. So this place is never too busy.Planty of free parking. Only has a porter potty,no real restrooms. Bring planty of water and plan your trip ahead. Not all the trails are well marked,so best if you make a map before heading out for your first hiking trip. As far as biking the best way to go is north from the parking lot kinda towards the Myakka State Forest although it is a long way from there. I think the farthest we went was about 8 miles. Beautiful,beautiful unspoiled Florida. For that 8 miles it was flat,hard packed dirt road,easy to ride even with a bicycle without any gears. No motorized vehicles. Safe with the kids. Minimal traffic. My only wish would be that I could take my dog on a leash here. Other than that it is fairytale like!

With so many great beaches in Sarasota, why, would you ask, you want to stop at this narrow park…read moreright over the bridge? Well, for starters, it is on a way to St. Armands - so if you want to catch a break after work before going out shopping, it's a perfect spot. It is beautifully landscaped, clean, and offers beautiful views of the bay, especially at sunset... It is also great for runners - since Causeway bridge itself is a runners paradise, it makes a great finale for your evening jog. Most of the time, you will find parking here. And benches situated right next to the water are so inviting to relax on... You get my drift... Great spot to breathe and finish a day.

I love this park so much. I have so many good memories here. It may not be the best looking park…read moreever but it's clean and right next to the water. It's a great place for fishing and there is a little bait shop too that is amazing. Plus there is always a breeze.