Less than a dozen miles from downtown Venice, T. Mabry Carlton Memorial Reserve is wild enough that the Florida panther roams its nearly 25,000 acre expanse.
Encompassing prairies, pine flatwoods, and large sloughs east of the Myakka River and north of Interstate 75, it’s the source of most of Sarasota County’s drinking water.
Massive slough along the Powerline TrailHeld in the public trust by the county, it is also contiguous with state and water management district lands blanketing most of the eastern side of the county.
As former ranchland, it is not entirely pristine. There are more than a hundred miles of ranch roads crisscrossing the landscape.
Some of the roads are marked as trailsAs you might expect from its heyday as a cattle ranch, this is an equestrian-sized landscape.
Artifacts range from hand-dug ponds to buildings now used as remote equestrian campsites.
It’s a lot to wrangle, but the Friends of Carlton Reserve, a dedicated group of volunteers, have been looking after this landscape since it was acquired in 1984.
This historic cabin by the picnic area serves as the Friends officeResources
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Overview
Location: Venice
Trailhead: 27.128010, -82.333341
Address: 1800 Mabry Carlton Pkwy, Venice
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the picnic area
Land manager: Sarasota County
Phone: 941-861-5000
Open 6 AM to sunset. The gates close at 6 PM Nov-Mar, 8 PM Apr-Oct. No dogs permitted.
Equestrians and cyclists are welcome on all trails except where posted.
A picnic area with pavilions is near the visitor center. Reserve primitive and group campsites in advance by calling 941-861-7275.
Directions
From Interstate 75 exit 193, Jacaranda Blvd, drive north 0.6 miles to Border Rd. Turn right. After turnoffs for Sleeping Turtles Preserve North and Deer Prairie Preserve, watch for the sign pointing left 2.5 miles east of Jacaranda Blvd. Make a left on Mabry Carlton Pkwy and continue to the park entrance on the right. Follow the long graded road around to the parking area.
Trails at Carlton Reserve
Hiking
Four color-coded loops radiates from the main picnic area. Three of them make ever-widening concentric circles.
The 3 mile Red Trail is the outermost loop, sharing the southernmost part of the Myakka Island Wilderness Trail.
Inside it, the 2.1 mile Green Trail circles a landscape of wet prairies.
Color-coded trail markers help in loop navigationNested within both, the 0.8 mile Orange Trail loops the nearest prairie to the entrance. None of these three hiking loops offer much shade.
Branching off these trails east of the pavered entry walkway is the only truly shaded hike.
The 0.8 mile Yellow Trail has its own internal loop around a wetland within the heart of a hammock.
Yellow TrailOn the longer loops, a devastating wildfire peeled away the pine flatwoods canopy that existed on our previous visits.
For hiking, focus on the two inner loops, the Orange and Yellow Trails, for a 2 mile sampler of this vast preserve.
Extend that hike by hopping on either the Green or Red Trails at junctions.
Carlton Reserve Hiking Trails Explore open prairies, wetlands, and pine flatwoods on a series of nested loop trails within the vast expanse of Carlton Reserve north of Venice.Cycling
Boldly Go Trail
For off-road cyclists, this 9.1 mile twisty singletrack begins at a prominent kiosk at the trailhead.
A portion of it remains within shady hammocks not far from the Yellow Trail, the shortest walking trail in the reserve.
Start of the Boldly Go TrailMyakka Island Wilderness Trail
The 11 mile linear Myakka Island Wilderness Trail extends north into Myakka River State Park to a trailhead along SR 72.
Although open to cyclists, it’s an equestrian trail. The treadway varies from limerock to soft sand to grass.
It makes for tricky riding unless you’re accustomed to off-roading.
Riding on grass beside a soft sand roadPowerline Trail
Extending east from the Myakka Island Wilderness Trail north of the Red Trail, this linear route ends within adjacent Big Slough Preserve in North Port.
Entirely in the sun on the powerline easement, it spans pine flatwoods and crosses long bridges over swampy sloughs with some of the largest alligators we’ve seen.
View from one of the bridgesIt’s 8.4 miles linear from the junction in Carlton Reserve to the end of the Powerline Trail at a bridge over Myakkahatchee Creek.
Near that east end, the Myakkahatchee Trailhead of Big Slough Preserve provides an access point from parking at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.
Boundary of the two preservesWhile riding it round-trip, we learned that some local cyclists use this remote path as part of a roughly 21-mile loop between North Port and Venice.
As shown below, they use Myakka Island/Powerline Trail as the north segment, Legacy Trail North Port Connector as the south segment, and road rides to connect the trailheads.
Trail Map
Explore More!
Slideshow
See our photos from Carlton Reserve
Video
Hiking Carlton Reserve
Nearby Adventures
Myakka State Forest North Loop Winding across open prairies of palmettos, the North Loop Trail at Myakka State Forest offers views of pine flatwoods and glimpses of the Myakka River.
Sleeping Turtles Preserve North Named for a feature on old navigational maps, Sleeping Turtles Preserve North provides great views of the Myakka River from its bluffs. 
Jelks Preserve Offering scenic views of wild shores along the Myakka River, this hike at Jelks Preserve makes a big loop along the trail system to immerse you in a variety of habitats.
Gordon Smith Memorial Trail A short and scenic loop trail on easy terrain, the Gordon Smith Memorial Trail showcases mesic flatwoods, a predominant ecosystem in Myakka State Forest.
- Hal Scott Red Trail - November 13, 2026
- Baseline Trails - November 7, 2026
- Hal Scott Yellow Trail - November 3, 2026