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Sanford Riverwalk

Sanford

Starting with a riverwalk along Lake Monroe, historic Sanford provides an excellent gateway to outdoor recreation along the St. Johns River north of Orlando

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Black Bear Wilderness boardwalk

Established in 1870 as a planned community complete with a grid of streets that included many full blocks as community green space, Sanford is one of the region’s older cities, with a historic downtown right along the St. Johns River. Sanford once served as a final destination for steamships coming up the north-flowing St. Johns from Jacksonville, since the extensive marshes just upriver proved too shallow for most boat traffic.

The city itself extends far beyond its original boundaries to encompass a large piece of Seminole County along the river, towards its confluence with the Wekiva River to the north and to Lake Jesup to the east. Paddlers do ply Lake Monroe, but the Wekiva River is far more popular and reachable from two put-ins at parks off SR 46.

As a great deal of river floodplain has been set aside as natural lands, residents have a surprising variety of destinations to explore on foot and by bike. A portion of the peninsula-spanning Florida Coast to Coast Trail, a paved bike path, crosses one corner of the city, and the Florida Trail, our 1,400 mile National Scenic Trail, passes through Sanford atop existing paths.

Florida Coast to Coast Trail Florida Trail

Resources

Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover 50 Hikes in Central Florida Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover 5 Star Trails Orlando Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us continue to provide public information on this website.

Trails and Parks Around Sanford

Best Hikes Near Sanford

Along a narrow levee on the Black Bear Wilderness Loop Trail

Black Bear Wilderness Loop Trail

Trot out your sense of adventure for an immersion into one of the wildest trails you’ll find near Orlando, the 7.1-mile loop in the Black Bear Wilderness Area in Sanford.

Seminole State Forest

Florida Trail, Seminole State Forest

7.5 miles. Walk through vast, open spaces that you’d never imagine existed so close to Orlando.

Lower Wekiva Loop

Lower Wekiva Loop

Explore the Wekiva River and Black Water Creek floodplains on this lengthy loop hike in Seminole State Forest

Spring Hammock Preserve Question Pond

Spring Hammock Preserve

Protecting more than 1,500 acres along Lake Jesup, Spring Hammock Preserve is home to some of Florida’s oldest and largest cypress trees


Recent Additions and Updates

walkway between magnolia trees

Wilsons Landing Park

Wilsons Landing Park
Lily dotted surface of a Florida river

Wekiva River Paddling Trail

Wekiva River Paddling Trail
Prairie pond in pine flatwoods

Lower Wekiva River Preserve Red Loop

Lower Wekiva River Preserve Red Loop
Junction of blue and yellow trails

Sulphur Island Loop

Sulphur Island Loop
Footpath through open scrub

Seminole State Forest

Seminole State Forest
Long narrow boardwalk over marsh to pines

Audubon Park

Audubon Park
Curve in paved trail under oaks

Spring to Spring Trail South

Spring to Spring Trail South
Cross Seminole Trail in Soldiers Creek Park

Cross Seminole Trail North

Cross Seminole Trail North

More Trails More Parks

Lake Jesup Wilderness sunflower hike

Sanford's Botanical Beauty

The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens offers a place to enjoy both native floodplain habitats and tropical plantings year-round, but Sanford has a surprise to offer in late summer and early fall: massive fields of wildflower blooms.

From the summer months through early October, the floodplains around the St. Johns River and Lake Jesup bloom, starting with pink swamp hibiscus (Hibiscus grandiflorus), which can grow 15 feet tall, and red swamp mallow (Hibiscus coccineus), which can grow up to eight feet tall.

By October, swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) takes over and, in perfect conditions, swarms around the edges of Lake Jesup in a delightful show. They are best seen at Lake Jesup Wilderness, where you can walk among wild sunflowers over your head.

pink swamp hibiscus
Hibiscus grandiflorus
red swamp mallow
Hibiscus coccineus
wamp sunflowers Lake Jesup
Helianthus angustifolius

Related Articles

Swamp sunflowers

Sunflowers on the St. Johns

October 5, 2021//  by Sandra Friend

For more than a decade, I’ve been chasing sunflower blooms in Florida wetlands in October. In 2021, it’s a banner year for these showy beauties in Central Florida.

Lake Jesup Wilderness

Sunflower Season on the St. Johns River near Orlando

May 31, 2020//  by Sandra Friend & John Keatley

In September, swamp sunflowers put on a colorful show along the St. Johns River between Sanford and Geneva, north of Orlando. Here’s where to take a hike to find them.

East Central Regional Rail Trail near Osteen

Biking around Osteen

November 6, 2018//  by Sandra Friend

Using Beck Ranch Park as our launch point for a cycling adventure in Osteen, we discovered how easy it was to stitch together the local network of bike paths into a pleasant ride, with the Osteen Diner right at hand for lunch.

ALL Articles

NEARBY: Altamonte Springs, Apopka, Deland, Deltona, Geneva, Lake Mary, Longwood, Orlando, Osteen, Oviedo, Winter Springs | ALONG: Florida Coast to Coast Trail, St. Johns River | PART OF: Central Florida

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