Florida Hikes

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

Trail through tall pines

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.

Englewood (26.98712, -82.28583)   1.5 miles   Myakka State Forest

In contrast to the much longer North and South Loop Trails in the Myakka State Forest, the Gordon Smith Memorial Trail can be hiked in about an hour.

Grass-carpeted pathways weave through jungle-like clusters of cabbage palms and through a sea of palmettos where pine trees rise sprout.

Grassy path through palmettos Grassy path through palmettos

Resources

Resources for exploring the area
South Florida Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in South Florida book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover Paddlers Guide Florida
 
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Overview

Location: Englewood
Length: 1.5 mile loop
Trailhead: 26.98712, -82.28583
Address: 2000 South River Rd, Englewood FL 34223
Fees: $2 per person day use fee. Annual pass available.
Restroom: Vault toilet at trailhead
Land manager: Florida Forestry Service
Phone: 941-460-1333

Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome. Day use fees payable at a self-pay station. There is no drinking water in this forest. Bring your own.

This forest offers tent camping. Primitive campsites must be reserved in advance through Reserve America.

Seasonal small game hunting occurs. If you plan to hit the trails here, check ahead regards hunt dates.

Directions


 
From Interstate 75, head south on CR 777 for 9.4 miles. Turn left at the forest entrance. Pay your entrance fee at the iron ranger. Follow Shell Rd for a mile. The trailhead parking area is on the left.

Hike

Starting at the parking lot, head west for about 200 feet, and take a left through the gate onto a service road.

Follow the road for about 0.2 mile and turn left. A sign on the right side of the road designates the start of the Gordon Smith Memorial Trail.

Gate and stile with signs and baffle at trailhead At the trailhead

Turn right onto the trail, beginning a counterclockwise loop.

An avenue of bright green grass bordered by walls of saw palmettos passes through quiet woodlands.

Grassy road with tall wheat-colored grass lining it Along the service road

Goldenrod shoots out over the path, displaying bunches of vibrant yellow flowers that sway in the breeze.

As the trail is distinctly cut through the flatwoods, it does not need many markers.

Tall goldenrod blooms along a well-defined pathway Goldenrod blooms

An occasional wax myrtle reaches out from the palmettos, some of which are draped with grapevines.

Cabbage palm group together in stands, providing splashes of shade over tangles of low-lying fronds.

Cabbage palms under pines edging a footpath A cabbage palm cluster along the trail

At 0.7 miles, the path crosses the North Loop Trail. Look along the road about a hundred feet south of this crossing.

Clusters of a crimson-colored carnivorous plant known as sundew can be spotted along the south edge of the road.

Multiple sundew and a single bladderwort blossom A yellow bladderwort rises from a patch of sundew. Both are carnivorous.

Continue across the road past a sign for the Gordon Smith Memorial Trail. Fluffy chartreuse-colored grasses pave the way as palmetto scrub again envelops the path.

The well-maintained trail passes through more pine forest, surrounded by thick walls of brush and tall tufts of golden-hued grasses.

Sign along the footpath with marker 14 Trail sign

After passing the shelter, follow the trail for a quarter mile, completing the loop and rejoining the North Loop Trail.

A little under a half mile from the road crossing, a small shelter is located on the right.

Trail shelter with bench Trail shelter

Turn right, and continue on the road about 200 feet, turning right again at the next junction.

Follow this last stretch of road 0.2 mile back to the trailhead.

Dense scrub underbrush and palms line trail under pines A corridor of dense vegetation along the path

Trail Map

Gordon Smith Memorial Trail Map

Explore More!

Learn more about Myakka State Forest

Trail through open pine flatwoods in palmettos Myakka State Forest Along the southwestern Gulf Coast of Florida, Myakka State Forest offers an extensive trail network along the Myakka River basin, with tent camping under the stars.

Nearby Adventures

Jelks Preserve 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.
Prairie lined with palms Carlton Reserve Less than a dozen miles from downtown Venice, the vast expanse of T. Mabry Carlton Reserve provides regional drinking water and a massive refuge for wildlife.
Dark water with willows on curving route Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park Along a 2.1 mile loop largely under a lush canopy of live oaks and cabbage palms, circle a deeply eroded basin holding sinuous Myakkahatchee Creek, also known as Big Slough.
View of river from forested bluffs 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.

Trail Map (PDF) Reserve a Campsite Hunt Dates Official Website

Chris Stevens
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