County parks in Florida range from vast natural landscapes to the hometown fishing hole or beachfront park to quiet campgrounds and springs that stay busy with swimmers all season and bike paths built and signposted by county agencies.
Many Florida counties have natural lands programs to protect fragile habitats and wildlife corridors, and some of these contain trail systems, including portions of the statewide Florida National Scenic Trail.
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Resources for finding county parks
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Best County Parks in Florida
These are some of our favorite county parks and natural lands statewide. There are so many to choose from! Use the map above to zoom in on a region or city you plan to visit.
Anne Kolb Nature Center Whether it's from the top of a five-level observation tower or at ground level with the land crabs, Anne Kolb Nature Center focuses on the urban mangrove forest that it protects and interprets
Barrier Island Sanctuary Home to a gentle 1-mile loop hike through coastal habitats, Barrier Island Sanctuary is a gateway to Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, with an informative oceanfront coastal biology center.
Bell Creek Nature Preserve Weaving through scrubby habitats on an oasis of natural land surrounded by development, Bell Creek Nature Preserve provides a window to Florida’s vanishing landscapes. 
Camp Chowenwaw Park In a deeply forested area on Black Creek north of Green Cove Springs, Camp Chowenwaw Park provides campers and hikers a unique destination, a former Girl Scout Camp with a rich history.
Cedar Point Environmental Park Where Oyster Creek meets Lemon Bay in Englewood, Cedar Point Environmental Park provides easy interpretive hikes through coastal habitats on a wildlife-rich peninsula 
Celery Fields A historic agricultural area transformed into a haven for birders, Celery Fields offers easy walking, running, and biking on paved and unpaved trails built around restored wetlands.
Circle B Bar Reserve For fabulous birding and more alligators than you can count, roam the marshy edge of Lake Hancock on miles of causeways through Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland
Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve Protecting miles of frontage along the sinuous path of Spruce Creek, Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve offers a diverse collection of trails to explore. 
DuBois Park Fronting Jupiter Inlet where the Indian River Lagoon meets the Loxahatchee River, this breezy park has one of the most beautiful waterfronts in the region.
Eagle Lake Park Now an urban forest in the heart of Pinellas County, Eagle Lake Park is the legacy of the Taylor family, early citrus growers who helped to found Largo
Fern Forest Nature Center A bounty of ferns awaits at Fern Forest Nature Center, where more than two miles of trails introduce you to a slice of Florida's past, a tropical forest surrounding the original floodplain of Cypress Creek
Flatwoods Park In addition to the 6.9 mile paved bike path loop at its core, Flatwoods Park at Lower Hillsborough Wilderness provides many different routes for outdoor exploration
Golden Aster Scrub Nature Preserve Protecting uplands immediately east of Tampa Bay, Golden Aster Scrub Nature Preserve immerses hikers within oak scrub habitat along a sandy loop trail.
Grassy Waters Preserve Protecting a sheet flow of rainfall moving steadily southward and parallel to the Atlantic Ocean, Grassy Waters Preserve bears a striking resemblance to the Everglades - because it is.
Green Mountain Scenic Overlook At the Green Mountain Scenic Overlook and Trailhead, the highest elevations in Central Florida provide a sweeping panorama of Lake Apopka and Florida's longest set of trail switchbacks
Green Cay Wetlands Discover a bounty of bird life along the extensive boardwalks at Green Cay Wetlands, one of South Florida's best urban birding destinations
Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park With cool ocean breezes and a plunge in the surf after your hike, the 2.7-mile hiking loop at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park in Jacksonville is a great choice for a summer outing
Hart Springs A beauty spot along the Suwannee River north of Fanning Springs, Hart Springs offers swimming, hiking, camping, and cave diving in a rural setting near Trenton.
John Chesnut Sr. Park With its extensive waterfront on Lake Tarpon and Brooker Creek in Oldsmar, John Chesnut Sr. Park has always been a popular natural getaway near Tampa Bay.
Kelly Park Tubing down Rock Springs Run is why most folks show up at Kelly Park, but the Kelly Loop Trail is a nice dry way to see the waterway and wildlife. 
Lake Beresford Park Offering gentle trails for family fun and miles of paved bike paths to explore, Lake Beresford Park provides far more than just a peek at its namesake lake
Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area Escape to a vast watery wilderness where you can hike, bike, or paddle through Northern Everglades habitats on the outskirts of residential Palm Beach County 
Lyonia Preserve Florida's best place to see a Florida scrub-jay up close is Lyonia Preserve, with 2.2 miles of loops through the highest ground in Volusia County.
Moss Park On a breezy isthmus between Lake Hart and Lake Mary Jane, Moss Park offers superb campsites and picnic pavilions under moss-draped live oaks.
Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens First established in 1919 by botanist Henry Nehrling as a caladium farm, Caribbean Gardens grew into a major tourist attraction for tropical trees and plants, and is now the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens. 
Oxbow Eco-Center Preserve A network of nature trails circles natural habitats along North Fork of the St. Lucie River, radiating from an environmental center with family appeal. 
Princess Place Preserve Gentle loop trails showcase wild spaces and cultivated grounds at Princess Place Preserve, an 1880s homestead on Pellicer Creek with a campground on site. 
Robinson Preserve Farmland turned back to mangrove marshes: that's Robinson Preserve, with more than 4 miles of hiking on shell and wild pathways along Tampa Bay at Bradenton.
Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park Explore an expansive landscape of pine flatwoods, prairies, scrubby flatwoods, and open scrub along nearly 50 miles of trails just east of New Port Richey
Trimble Park A 1.3-mile nature trail at Trimble Park near Mount Dora offers a family-friendly outdoor adventure beneath ancient oaks and cypresses along the shorelines of two lakes
Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Historic and natural landscapes come together along impressively accessible trails at this picturesque conservation area on a WWII-era training base.
Withlacoochee River Park With two different trails - gentle and wild - showing off the park's natural features, Withlacoochee River Park is a popular overnight camping destination.