Separated from the main park and campground by a seasonal creek, the Gopher Trail is open to hiking, biking, and equestrian use.
The network of trails is best explored along the main loop route, with a few side trails branching off to points of interest.
Squirrel on a pine treeResources
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Overview
Location: Bradenton
Length: 3.4 mile loop
Trailhead: 27.475556, -82.337250
Address: 20007 SR 64 East, Bradenton
Fees: $5 per vehicle
Restrooms: No
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 941-741-3028
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome.
Directions
From Interstate 75 exit 220 in Bradenton, follow SR 64 east for 8 miles, passing the main park entrance on the left. A half mile later turn left into the second entrance. Parking is immediately inside that entrance on either side.
Hike
Heading eastward from the trailhead, the hike begins on a wide, sandy pathway winding through a mix of gnarled oaks and pines draped with Spanish moss.
At a junction with the Pine Tree Boulevard Trail, turn right to stay on the main loop.
Picnic table and kioskShrubby hog plums stand alongside clusters of saw palmettos and golden grasses as the trail cuts across a scrubby flatwoods ecosystem.
In early autumn, garberia, blazing stars, and Florida paintbrush sport colorful purple blooms at the ends of their flower stalks.
Garberia in bloomAt 0.6 mile, make a right turn to begin the Persimmon Trail. Sugar sands give way to a lush green, grassy pathway.
This side loop turns towards the lake, entering a wet flatwoods environment.
Wet flatwoodsStaying straight at the end of the loop to return to the Gopher Trail, the path climbs slightly in elevation to a bench alongside a map kiosk near the halfway point.
Continuing westward, the sandy corridor meets an intersection with the short Alligator Alley side trail.
Shaded benchThe Alligator Alley trail branches off for a tenth of a mile, ending at a panoramic view on the shoreline of Lake Manatee.
Immediately after passing a junction on the other side of the Pine Tree Boulevard at 2.9 miles, another short side trail named Nowhere Road leads to a small tributary of the lake.
Lake ManateeConspicuous mounds alongside the trail reveal deep burrows carved out by gopher tortoises, the trail’s namesake.
Oftentimes these mounds are covered in the tracks of animals that use the holes for shelter during the heat of day and when fires sweep through this fire dependent ecosystem.
As the trail rounds a final bend, it continues past a maintenance facility partially hidden behind the trees before completing the loop.
Gopher tortoiseTrail Map
Blue: Side and connector trails.
Explore More!
Learn more about Lake Manatee State Park
Lake Manatee State Park With a natural lakefront stretching three miles along the edge of Lake Manatee, this state park outside Bradenton is a quiet place to camp, fish, and hikeVideo
A walk through the Gopher Trail
Slideshow
See our photos of Lake Manatee State Park
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