Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
Crystal River milesIntegral to the town of Crystal River, this water-based refuge protects wintering grounds for Florida manatees.

Outdoor Recreation Destinations on public lands in Florida

Integral to the town of Crystal River, this water-based refuge protects wintering grounds for Florida manatees.

Crystal River Preserve State Park spans 20 miles of the Gulf Coast between Yankeetown and Homosassa, protecting key manatee habitats along estuaries of the Gulf.

One of the lesser-known trails of Little Big Econ State Forest, Culpepper Bend leads you to an outstanding panorama where the Econlockhatchee River meets the St. Johns River.

Amid expanding suburbia in Venice, this 71-acre island of botanical delights circled by a 1.6 mile loop buffers wildflower-rich longleaf pine flatwoods along a mangrove-lined stream.

Bring your binoculars for fall birding at Curry Hammock State Park, where migrating raptors cruise overhead by the hundreds following a major flyover route.

A former YMCA camp turned county park offers a swimming pool, disk golf, and scenic loop trail showcasing shady oak hammocks and a blackwater swamp.

Showcasing one small corner of Chassahowitzka WMA, Cypress Circle introduces you to both upland and lowland habitats as it circles around a cypress dome.

Protecting an expanse of wet habitats along the Loxahatchee River floodplain, Cypress Creek Natural Area is central to the Jeaga Wildways trail network in Palm Beach County.

A short drive from downtown Tampa, Cypress Creek Nature Preserve is an interesting window into a gradient of ecosystems along a tributary of the Hillsborough River.

Spanning the northeast corner of Cypress Creek Natural Area, marked trails lead to an observation tower and beautifully restored wetland habitats on this 1.9 mile hike.

Restored upland pine forests, cypress swamps, and prairie ponds are on display along a network of trails featuring an observation tower and fishing pier.

Miles of interconnected trails provide spectacular scenery among wild South Florida pine flatwoods and cypress swamps sluggishly draining towards the Loxahatchee River.
