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Palm Island Park

Palm Island Park

Pairing an accessible stroll along the shoreline of Lake Dora with the fascination of following twisty trails beneath ancient trees, Palm Island Park is a Mount Dora must

Mount Dora      ( 28.793683, -81.641817 )      1.0 miles

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Locals know Palm Island Park as the go-to place for watching birds and alligators along the edge of Lake Dora.

For us, however, it was a surprise find when looking for the Dora Lighthouse. Seeing people walking a boardwalk on the far shore, we needed to know why.

Since then, we’ve returned many times to enjoy its gentle beauty. The old-growth live oaks, tall cabbage palms, and ancient cypress attract many birds to roost.

Invasive species battle for the understory, but the boardwalks focus your attention on the lake and its residents. On a meandering route, you can walk up to a mile.

Baby alligator on tree Young alligator resting on a live oak branch in the water


Resources

Resources for exploring this area

Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in Central Florida Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.


Overview

Location: Mount Dora
Length: 1 mile in a figure-8 loop
Trailhead: 28.793683, -81.641817
Address: 411 S Tremain St, Mount Dora
Fees: Free
Restroom: At nearby Gilbert Park
Land manager: City of Mount Dora
Phone: 352-735-7183

The park opens sunrise and closes at sunset. You definitely don’t want to be out there at dusk when the birds are coming in to roost.

Leashed pets welcome. No bicycles. Fishing welcome, but no casting from the boardwalk. Access the shoreline or use the platforms provided.

Men walking on a boardwalk under a live oak draped in Spanish moss


Directions

 
From US 441, follow Donnelly St. through downtown Mount Dora. Turn left on E. 3rd Avenue, and right on S. Tremain St. Continue to the end of the street where it intersects with Liberty Ave, and park in the lot.

Hike

From the parking area, follow the paved path through the park gate. You are immediately faced with a choice: a path to the left through the cypress, or the boardwalk.

Follow the boardwalk to start. It swings out over a cove in Lake Dora and parallels the cypress-lined shoreline.

Shoreline with Dora Lighthouse Looking across the cove to the Dora Lighthouse


Looking down into the water, especially on the shoreline side, we’ve watched coots and moorhens, mergansers and rails.

Up in the trees, expect cormorants, ibis, and smaller egrets, including snowy egrets and little blue egrets.

Looking down on a common gallinule Common gallinule below the boardwalk


A roofed platform has benches, giving anglers a place to cast out of the sun and mobility-challenged visitors to rest.

After the curve in the boardwalk, there is a ramp leading to a broad path into the cypress. Take this to find an ancient tree with a hollow in it.

The swamp along the footpath The swamp comes right up to the trail’s edge


At this T junction, turn right. The footpath is broad and barely above the level of the surrounding swamps.

A dense upper canopy keeps the walk shady. Take the next left for an exploration down a dead-end trail with a lot of large trees along it.

Tree arching over trail You must duck under this large tree on this side trail


Returning to the same intersection, continue straight ahead until you find the next left. It leads to a set of trails closer to the shoreline.

At the next trail intersection, turn left to walk out to the very tip of the peninsula on Palm Island, surrounded by marshes.

Marsh with cabbage palm The marsh at the end of this side trail


Return back to the intersection and turn left. Around a half mile, this path meets the boardwalk that sweeps around along the open water of Lake Dora.

Look out, but look inwards, too. At the curve the boardwalk makes, we’ve often spotted alligators climbing right up the live oak branches to sun.

John and his friend Bob looking out over Lake Dora from the boardwalk The boardwalk fronting Lake Dora


The boardwalk ends at the cross trail (the same one that led to the tip of the peninsula) and restarts on the other side.

After passing beneath the oak canopy, it emerges out to the cove of the lake again. From here you can see the boardwalk stretching around to the entrance gate.

Covered shelter on boardwalk A covered shelter under the oaks and palms


In this near part of the cove, look up into the trees to see anhingas drying their wings, and cormorants and ibis roosting.
Look down into the grassy waters to spot young alligators. This is the most likely area in which to spot them.

Anhinga in the trees Anhinga


Sealing the loop, you reach the ramp leading down to the cypress with the big hollow in its base. Stay on the boardwalk and follow it around to the gate.

Instead of walking through the gate, take the path to the right. It quickly turns to a natural surface footpath and meanders through the woods.

Gravel path in woods The path is easy to follow


As it winds through the cypress, note the size of these giants. The understory is relatively open so you can see the boardwalk in the distance.

Reaching a T intersection with homes behind it, the left leads to the neighborhood while the right leads to the hollow cypress. Turn right.

Hollow cypress with boardwalk beyond The hollow cypress


When you return to the hollow cypress, turn right and walk back up the ramp to the boardwalk.

Follow the boardwalk around one last time, savoring the views, to reach the front gate and finish your mile-long walk.

Bronze alligator statue called Old Joe Walk along the sidewalk towards the lighthouse to find Old Joe


Trail Map

Palm Island Park Trail Map


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of Palm Island Park


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Stream flowing downhill in a forest

Hidden Waters Preserve

With trails that lead you deep into a very large sinkhole, Hidden Waters Preserve in Eustis offers a fascinating hike with elevation changes and interesting terrain

Shady trail at Trimble Park

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

Trout Lake Adventure Trail

Trout Lake Nature Center

On 230 forested acres on the northern shore of Trout Lake, Trout Lake Nature Center in Eustis offers a fun network of family-friendly interpretive nature trails.

Lake May near Eustis

Lake May Reserve

With a loop hike of 1.8 miles circling its namesake lake, Lake May Preserve is a success story in habitat restoration, coaxing scrub and sandhills from a former working orange grove

Official Website

Category: Central Florida, Hikes, Loop Hikes, Nature Trails, Parks, TrailsTag: Accessible, Big Trees, Birding, Boardwalks, Dog-friendly, Eustis, Family-Friendly, Fishing, Lakefront, Lighthouses, Mount Dora, Picnic, Scenic Hikes

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Our recent park & trail updates in this region

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Leaning sand pines in scrub

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Dock edged by mangroves

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