5/7/2023 UPDATE: Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is closed to vehicular traffic Mon-Thu until further notice due to construction. It will open Fri-Sat and on federal holidays. Hikers and cyclists may still use the Lake Apopka Loop during these closures by accessing the trail via Magnolia Park and points west.
If you’re a birder, this is one destination where you will easily spend a day, or two, or a week or more. Especially in winter.
If you enjoy scenic drives, the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is unique. Unlike other wildlife drives in our National Wildlife Refuges and other public lands, this is a very long one. With options.
Narrow and bounded by marshes – and for one optional 1.5-mile section, Lake Apopka itself – it offers outstanding views across the wetlands.
There are several parking areas where visitors are encouraged to get out of the car and take a short walk, plus an audio tour that points out important features along the route.
Resources
Resources for exploring the area around Lake Apopka
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Overview
Length: 9 mile drive on an 13.5-mile road network
Address: 2850 Lust Rd, Apopka FL 32703
Trailhead:28.6692, -81.5588
Fees: None
Restrooms: Portable toilets at several locations
Land manager: St. Johns River Water Management District
Phone: 386-329-4404
Currently open 7 AM to 3 PM (normally sunrise to sunset) Fri-Sun and certain Federal holidays. Consult their website for non-weekend open dates and closure notices.
Traffic flow is slow and one-way. Once you are on the drive, you are committed to completing it. There are no intermediate exit points.
Budget yourself at least two hours for this drive. Bring drinking water and snacks with you as there are none along the drive.
The road is extremely narrow in places. You will end up stopped behind drivers who block the road because they see an alligator. Be considerate and use the pulloffs.
Bicyclists welcome. The roads are unpaved and rough in places. Off-road tires recommended.
Ride along with the one-way traffic flow when cars share the road. The exception is the 1.5-mile segment shared with the Lake Apopka Loop Trail, where cyclists can ride both directions.
Leashed dogs allowed. However, alligators abound. Watch both dogs and small children if you leave the car to walk along the levees.
Whopping huge alligator along Wildlife DriveDirections
From US 441 in Apopka, follow SR 437 south to Lust Rd. A small sign points west to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive entrance. Turn right and pass under SR 429. Wildlife Drive begins where the pavement ends.
The Drive
Once you enter the gates of Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, there is a trailhead with a portable toilet a quarter mile down the dirt road.
It’s a spot where people park to walk or bike in when the drive is closed, and also a final turnaround before you commit to the entire drive. Past that, you enter the wetlands.
Along this introductory section, greenish goo floats on open water. That indicates the heavy nitrogen load entering the wetlands at this point.
Wetlands close to the entrance have this green scum on topAs the road narrows and you progress past the wetland cells, that goo goes away. The water becomes clearer and cleaner as you get closer to Lake Apopka.
More open wetlands farther down Lust RdFour pulloffs provide perches for birding in the first mile. The road makes a horseshoe around a canal discharge at Conrad Rd, where you can stop and walk out on a deck over a wetland.
Conrad Rd is a popular birding stopNarrowing tightly again, Wildlife Drive has vast open water on the left and mazy wetlands on the right. Use the pulloffs to marvel at the giant rafts of coots, gallinules, and teals.
Narrow straightaway near the Bird KioskWhere the road briefly broadens is the access to the one major parking area along the drive, at the Historic Pump House. The final set of portable toilets are located here.
Walkway over the Historic Pump House outflowIt’s worth parking in the dirt lot and walking up to the Lake Apopka Loop Trail for the view of the lake. A walk south along the trail provides fabulous open water panoramas.
Lakefront shelter at the Historic Pump HouseAfter crossing a narrow bridge at 2 miles, you come to the first decision point: left for the Lake Levee or straight on Welland Rd and Roach Rd.
Cyclists meet cars coming from Welland Rd to the Historic Pump HouseBoth are roughly the same distance, but the Lake Levee route climbs up along the lake, sharing the views with the bike trail. Birders will want to stay on the lower route in the wetlands.
On the Lake Levee part of Lake Apopka Wildlife DriveThe routes meet again on Laughlin Rd, which is bounded by canals with wetlands beyond. We saw a lot of wading birds in this section, especially glossy ibis.
Turning onto Laughlin Rd from the Lake LeveeThe next decision point is at the Raptor Kiosk. Straight ahead are audio tour stations 8 and 9 in the lower wetlands. McDonald Canal Rd offers a closer look at canals lined with woody marshes.
Willow marsh and open water along McDonald Canal RdComing together one last time at Lake Level Canal Rd at the Sunset Kiosk, the drive heads due north for a mile between treelines along a working farm.
At Sunset Kiosk a stile leads to a walk along Interceptor RdMaking a sharp right to pass by the farm entrance, the final piece of the drive turns left along the edge of Jones Avenue Stormwater Park.
As you exit, the gate at Jones Avenue opens automatically for each car. To return to Apopka, make a right to follow Jones Avenue to US 441.
Exit gate for Lake Apopka Wildlife DriveTrail Map
Lake Apopka North Shore Trail Map (SJRWMD). Wildlife Drive is shown on the right with audio stops labeled.Explore More!
Lake Apopka North Shore
Lake Apopka North Shore
Across two counties and along the entire north rim of Florida’s fourth-largest lake, this 20,000 acre conservation area is a sweep of wildlife-rich marshes
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Lake Apopka Loop Trail
Discover the wild heart of Central Florida on a ride along the Lake Apopka Loop Trail, an arc spanning two counties along the lake’s north shore
Jones Avenue Stormwater Park
With both wetlands and open water that attract birds, Jones Avenue Stormwater Park filters runoff from the neighboring community while providing wildlife habitat
Magnolia Park
On forested bluffs above Lake Apopka, Magnolia Park anchors the eastern terminus of the Lake Apopka Loop Trail near a campground under ancient live oaks
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.