An outstanding example of restoring agricultural land to natural habitats, Perico Preserve is worth the walk not just for exercise but for its natural beauty.
Connected to Robinson Preserve to its north by a boardwalk, it is similar to it but compact by comparison, offering a more intimate immersion in habitats and better wildlife watching.
Crossing a bridge on the south loopThe lower loop and connector are open to cyclists, but the upper portion of the upper loop is strictly for hikers.
A mix of natural paths, shady spots, elevated ridges, and boardwalks with observation platforms make for a pleasant walk.
A rookery island is a highlight for birdersResources
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Overview
Location: Perico Island
Length: Up to 2.2 miles
Trailhead: 27.496902, -82.677375
Address: 11700 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton
Fees: Free
Restroom: Portable toilet at trailhead
Land Manager: Manatee County
Phone: 941-748-4501
Open sunrise to sunset. No pets. A portion of the trail system is hiking only. A shaded picnic pavilion adjoins the trailhead.
Carry sunglasses to wear where the white pathways reflect the sun’s glare into your face.
Directions
From US 41 (9th St SW) in downtown Bradenton, follow Manatee Ave (SR 64) west for 6 miles, crossing the causeways to Perico Island. The kayak launch and walk-in entrance are on the right. Continue another half mile and turn in at the larger trailhead on the right, just past the subdivision.
Hike
Start behind the gate adjoining the picnic pavilion. At the fork in the trail, bear left. The first of a series of artistic maps points out your location on the overall trail system.
Walk along the crushed rock and shell path between cedars and mangroves. Peek through tall shrubs for glimpses of the southerly wetlands of the preserve.
Initial trail junctionCross a bridge that also serves as a bird blind, with cutouts at both child and adult height for looking across the open water of the wetlands.
Proceed through a tangle of coastal hammock, with clusters of giant leather fern lending a primordial feel.
Bird blind bridgeDuck under a fallen tree and reach a tunnel of shade in an oak hammock, the limbs above laden with Spanish moss. Taller pines and oaks take over as the canopy lifts.
Pass an interpretive sign about pines before crossing the next bridge over open water between the interior wetlands and the mangroves along the estuary.
Watch for waterfowl in the waterwayEmerging into full sun, gain a little elevation along a windswept expanse of smooth cordgrass.
The trail junction at 0.3 mile is where the hiking-only side of the upper loop begins. Turn left to follow it.
A bike rack and gate signal the hiking-only part of the trailNicely maturing longleaf pines dot the grassy high ground above the tangle of mangroves outlining the estuary below.
Broad and glaring in the sun, the pathway passes a covered swing, its surroundings a prairie island above the mangroves and the distant pond.
Swinging bench on the prairieDrawing closer to the pond, walk past blooming clusters of sea oxeye on the way to the next covered swing. Soon it’s possible to see herons on the mangrove island in the pond.
Ascending and curving, the path parallels the ragged edge of the mangrove forest, with views down towards it.
Peeking at the rookery between treesWhen vegetation closes in around the trail, sea grapes looming overhead, it’s nice to have small puddles of shade.
Meet a boardwalk at 0.7 mile. It bridges the connection of the pond to Perico Bayou.
Boardwalk to bayou overlookA spur leads to the bayou itself. This curving boardwalk through the mangrove forest terminates in an observation deck on the bayou.
Return to the main path and turn left, continuing the walk along the pond’s northern rim.
Pathway near the pondThe boardwalk deposits you on the limerock path between the mangroves, which passes a bench.
From the next bridge, you can see a channel out to Perico Bayou, and the expanse of the pond with its rookery island. Houses loom on the near shore along the property line.
Channel to Perico BayouThe hiking-only side of the loop comes to a close at a gate at 0.9 miles, facing a trail junction.
To the left is the linear trail to the east end of the preserve, mainly important for connectivity.
Junction with connector to Robinson PreservePressing tight against a waterway defining the edge of the island subdivision, it reaches a T intersection 0.4 miles from this junction.
To the left at the T is the bridge to Robinson Preserve and the Perico Preserve kayak launch is to the right.
Along the connector to Robinson PreserveFor purposes of a loop hike, keep right at the junction with the connector to Robinson Preserve to continue around the pond.
The path curves behind houses in the adjoining neighborhood, the pond hidden behind a low line of mangroves.
Straightaway on the south side of the pondRounded pines and cabbage palms adjoin the trail once it straightens out. In a scrubby area, we saw a marsh rabbit close to an interpretive sign with a sketch of one.
Pause at the observation deck along the pond. At 1.1 miles, it affords the best perspective on the island rookery.
Rookery overlookThe pathway rises into the grassy high ground once more, meeting a trail junction. Bear left for the return trip on the opposite side of the lower loop.
Curving away from the junction, the two-track has the wetlands to its right. It becomes a straightaway along the property line, hemmed in by mangroves with breaks for views.
Wetland views on the exit routeExpect the best birding to be along the open water section; alligators sometimes sun on the banks.
Reach the initial trail junction at the base of the lower loop, completing the loop just past the picnic pavilion after 1.4 miles.
If you added in the connector trail to the Robinson Preserve boardwalk and gate, it’s a 2.2 mile hike.
Trailhead picnic pavilionTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
A walk through Perico Preserve
Slideshow
See our photos from Perico Preserve
Nearby Adventures
Robinson Preserve Edging Tampa Bay, the vast sweep of Robinson Preserve is a puzzle of natural and restored habitats circled by more than ten miles of mixed-use trails. 
Neal Preserve Discover the botany and prehistory of Perico Island through excellent interpretation and observation points with outstanding views at Neal Preserve.
Leffis Key Preserve Discover the spectacular beauty of a coastal mangrove forest on a network of boardwalks along Sarasota Bay at the base of a 26-foot-hill with an outstanding view.
De Soto National Memorial Interpreting the landing of Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto, De Soto National Memorial occupies a peninsula where the Manatee River flows into Tampa Bay. 
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