I consider this one of my secret spots. I have been going here for years and every time I do the trail, I find something different, and feel something new. Sometimes I come here to write or draw or read or think. I like that the trail is soft which makes it easy to jog on. I love that there are many options within the trail that helps you customize your experience depending on the time, energy, and desires that you have. This is definitely one of the spots that I repeatedly go to in order to feel grounded and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It's pet friendly, feels super safe, and has beautiful trees. read more

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One of my fave hiking areas! The only con is that there are no restrooms so prepare accordingly. You'll see lots of lovely trees, rabbits, tortoises, birds, and the occasional snake, and there is a nice river at the end of the loop with shaded banks to rest. read more

Seminole County-Econ River Wilderness Area - Parks Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

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This is such a lovely conservation area to walk/hike through. The wildnerness area covers 240 acres and sits right in the edge of Seminole/Orange County by UCF. The trails total about 3 miles and you can experience the Sandhills, pine flat woods and some river swamp. Several paths take you through various parts of the terrain, and it's a very easy walk with families frequenting it. The parking area is ample, I've never had issues with parking, I do find the trail a bit confusing in some areas although I never felt "lost", hence the -1 star. I don't think I have yet to make it to the river bend (website states there's a bench) but I did locate other areas where the river passes and it was peaceful. A perfect way to spend a hour and a half on a Saturday. In the fall you can find beautiful wildflowers throughout including these stunning Florida paintbrush and yellow buttons amongst others such as the blazing star. There are dog bag stations at the trail head and 1 trash can about a half mile in the trail. The trails are well maintained. read more

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Perfect place to explore so close to home! Paths are well maintained. Just be careful you can get lost

A nice walk through nature on a well defined, well maintained path. Econ Lake is the centerpiece of these paths. The path was a bit flooded due to heavy rains caused by a storm somewhere out in the Gulf of Mexico, so it took a bit of stepping off the oath and quite a bit of just sludging through the water, but that is what hiking these trails is about, right? I got there pretty early, but as I was leaving quite a few people were showing up. Overall, I enjoyed my time here and I will return. read more

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4 Stars for a super-accessible nature walk that loops (yay!) and ends at the Econ River. I've been to this trail a few times and would recommend it to those looking for a light hike of about 2.2 miles total. It's beautiful scenery from a Florida hikes standpoint, but there are sections that will feel odd because you can see residential subdivisions right by the outskirts of the trail. It kind of defeats the purpose of "forest bathing" when you're reminded about modern civilization just beyond a gate. Besides that, the trail is well maintained and you'll see a few other people with dogs enjoying the walk. It culminates at the Econ River, which is meandering and a breath of fresh air and spot to take a break in the middle of the loop. You won't see animals other than some birds, given that this is in Oviedo and not too secluded. With that being said, for me that was a bit of a relief because I didn't feel any fear of running into a bear or boar. Overall, an easy hike that is 25 mins from Downtown Orlando and makes you feel like you're much farther out of town! read more

Large and beautiful nature trail that is great for some exercise and wildlife sightings! There are no restrooms so keep that in mind when preparing for your hike. Make sure you bring water and bug spray also to ward off the mosquitoes. There was a police car at the entrance when I arrived. I'm not sure if they have one there regularly to ensure safety. I walked to the river before circling back, and it was an enjoyable journey. Because of all the recent rain, there were some puddles on the trails that made me wish I wore sneakers that were a bit more waterproof. I also think they could have done a better job with the signs and arrows but that could have just been my personal preference, since I didn't pay attention to the map at the front of the entrance and felt like I could have used a little extra reassurance on some of the paths. They have a few signs throughout the trail with a number you can call in case of emergency. It felt quiet and secluded when I was there on a Friday afternoon. I only ran into one other hiker walking their dog, and I encountered some wildlife along the way! In an unexpected magical moment, my breath caught in my throat when I heard rustling and looked up to see a doe watching me *gasp*. I tried to get a photo but it took off too quickly for me to snap a decent one with my camera phone. I saw some tortoises waddling along too! The river area looked like a cool area for a picnic/bbq with friends (bring your own mini cooker and kebabs!). It's not common but there are a few places to sit on the trail. A great place for a fun, outdoorsy adventure! read more

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Loved walking this trail on a cool, foggy morning. Walked all the way to the river and back. There are areas with audibly sizzling/staticky powerlines and areas where you can see trafficked roads and subdivisions, but down at the river you really do feel like you're isolated all by yourself. Path is gravel and packed sand. There's a small boardwalk section. There are arrows to follow to keep you from feeling lost - I doubt you could get very lost out here but there are a few side trails without arrows. There is a private parking lot and 2 trail entrances - it's a loop so it doesn't matter which entrance you start at. I will definitely be back! read more

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This trail was definitely a fun find for me. A friend visiting for the Holidays researched the trail and suggested that we go for a hike. While I don't mind walking or hiking, I generally stick to paved trails (is that really hiking?). The place was easy enough to find and we arrived early enough that parking was plentiful and there were few, if any, other people on the trail. There is an information booth near the entrance, however, the map wasn't that helpful. Not far from the entrance of the trail is a beautiful view of a small pond. The trail is natural and unpaved but you can tell where you are supposed to walk. Along the way, we did find the river and took some nice selfies. There wasn't much wild life to speak of but we did see squirrels and butterflies. There was one small section of the trail that we didn't complete and still ended up covering about 2.6 miles according to my activity tracker. My only criticism is that sometimes the red pathway arrows were diffult to spot until you were almost on top of them. We pretty much had the trail to ourselves and didn't start to see people until about our last .5 mile. Overall this is a nice, serence trail and I really enjoyed it. I think I'd rate it as "easy" to do. If you like wilderness and hiking trails, I definitely recommend it. read more

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This is one of my favorite trail to explore. It's friendly and fun for a short hike. Good for biking, jogging and pets as well. The trails are about 3 miles and easy to follow. There's a boardwalk and lots of wildflowers here. If you go further the path will lead you to a nice river swamp. Lots of good views and there's a huge fallen tree you can sit and relax(also take pictures!) Very peaceful here and sometime you will run into a tortoise! read more

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This is a perfect trail for the casual hiker who is looking for a fun morning or afternoon in the great outdoors. It's conveniently located behind UCF with a small parking lot at the trail entrance. There is a red trail which is pretty well marked and then it branches off into an optional yellow trail. We only did the red trail and it took us about an hour or so and we covered approximately 2.5 miles. We took a little break along the river which is a perfect spot for some pictures. We didn't run into very many people and no animals thank goodness! But we did get chased by lots of scary looking bugs. We tried out our new trail running shoes and ran for a little bit along the trail. The only weird thing was we came out on a completely different side than where we entered! We didn't really understand the map (guess I'm a city girl at heart!) but you can't really get lost here. The trails are well marked and easy to follow. Next time I have to bring my dog! read more

Seminole County-Econ River Wilderness Area - Parks Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

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I've been wanting to trek through this land for years and I finally convinced my husband to come with me...after Hurricane Irma hit. Other than the fact that some of the areas were flooded, it was a fun trail to explore! We didn't grab a map the first time and ended up in someone's ranch, but we used our internal compasses to find our way back through to the entrance/exit. We brought our daughter another time and she lucked out because she was not excited for the trail at all and it was even more flooded. I guess we will just have to try again when it dries up a little bit. read more

I've been wanting to explore central Florida's hiking trails, and as this trail is just 15 minutes from my house I thought it would be a good place to start. I am a novice hiker and brought my older dog with me and this trail was perfect. It has been dry lately so there was no mud which was nice. The trail is fairly well marked and I doubt one could really get lost as the area is surrounded by subdivisions. The trail can get narrow at times but I only ran into two other solo joggers. Unfortunately, the boardwalk was closed for repair so we could only access the first half of the trail. We still did manage to see a pretty large gopher tortoise! We will be back soon and hope to explore the other half of the trail. read more

Seminole County-Econ River Wilderness Area - Parks Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

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Beautiful, easy hike. Great for a family picnic!

I love coming here to get away from the noise, as well as get in a little exercise. The trail is pretty well maintained, and has quite a few places for you to stop and enjoy the environment. If you have a pet, feel free to bring your leashed pet. The whole trail takes roughly 60-90 minutes to complete if you are walking. I'd suggest wear high socks. There is a lot of sand and it gets all in your shoes and on your legs; a potential threat to your enjoyment. I also like to bring water and sometimes a blanket to sit on and chill with my friends. Not a good place for small children but can be lots of fun for those maybe 8 and older (give or take.) I look forward to more visits with my friends and family that come in from out of town. In my opinion I am most happy when I am able to have fun, without putting a hole in my pocket! Free fun, while keeping active!! read more

This is a fun, short, unpaved hike in the middle of a residential area. The trail is well maintained, mostly shaded, leveled and pretty easy. It's great to have the option of a nature trail which max if you do the 2 loops is about 3 miles. From most of the trail you don't actually see civilization which is great considering you're in a residential neighborhood. You can also rest assured that even if you miss an arrow, you're still on track as you can't really get lost. If you use Google maps for directions, be aware the entrance is on Old Lockwood Rd. Parking is on sandy unpaved space so if you have a low car you may need to be extra careful. There is an information booth near the entrance, a very useful trash can and a kind of unhelpful map (but as I said before there are signs and you really can't get lost because the area is not big enough). The trail takes you to a beautiful pond with water lilies and a few points by the river. There were warning signs for bobcats but all we saw were squirrels and butterflies. I definitely recommend it. read more

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Amazing trail! Walk through palm brush, oak hammocks, and then the Econ River at the back. I've been multiple times and will continue to go!

My first time through the trail on my bicycle was during the nice cool month of February. I enjoyed the ride through very much riding all the way through, to the river and back up the loop, and planned to get back soon. About a month later I was ready to ride the trail and found a closed sign at the gate as notice that the entire park was to be closed for a month due to maintenance. Ok. 6 weeks later I returned ready to enjoy the trail. Immediately as I entered I was struck by the total devastion of the maintenance. It resembled a war zone, as if a bomb had leveled everything, or at least a knucklehead in a bulldozer had been let loose without any supervision. I left after 10 minutes, disgusted. I imagine that by next January or February the growth may have returned. I will return again. read more

I love coming here! You can jog, hike or bike but no motors. Its quiet doesnt get too crowded u may run in to someone everyonce in while but mostly its a good place to enjoy quiet fresh forrest air without having to go far. The length of the trail i think is perfect about 3 miles good for a light jog or just a fast hike. Watch your footing though i have seen some pretty good size signs of snakes but haven't actually ran into one yet. Theres a pond and some river scenery thats nice. During the rainy season a lot of the trail gets pretty wet so if your not down for that then jus wait for a few days of dry weather before checking it out. read more

I give this spot 5 stars BUT there are current plans approved by seminole county commissioners to pave over everything to make way for cheap housing. Construction has already begun across the street from the park entrance. It isnt too late to help - sign the petition and share with your friends to keep this park open (it truly is a 5 star park) :) http://saveecon.com/ read more