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

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Sarasota Bay

Sarasota

A mecca for the arts, Sarasota has popular beaches on its barrier islands and a surprising amount of green space

Sarasota farmers market

Exploring Sarasota

Sarasota is known for its beaches. It has coastal hiking trails that show off Sarasota Bay and the estuaries, and paddling routes to follow along the protected side of the barrier islands. It also is the northern terminus of the Legacy Trail, which stretches along the former Atlantic Coast Line route that the Ringling Brothers Circus once took to its winter home in Venice.

To its east is a large swath of natural lands protecting the Myakka River floodplain. Foremost among these is Myakka River State Park, a well-established state park with great camping and historic cabins. Backpackers have one of the state’s longest backpacking loops to explore on the Myakka Hiking Trail amid wide open prairies and oak hammocks.

Resources

50 Hikes in South Florida South Florida: An Explorer's Guide Exploring Florida's Botanical Wonders Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State

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

Featured Destinations

Myakka Canopy Walk Bridge

Myakka River Canopy Walk

Myakka River Canopy Walk

Historic Spanish Point

Historic Spanish Point
Sleeping Turtles Preserve North slough

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North
Pines rising above palmettos

Urfer Family Park

Urfer Family Park
Sunrise at Bee Island

Myakka Hiking Trail

Myakka Hiking Trail
Oscar Scherer South Creek

South Creek and Lester Finley Trails

South Creek and Lester Finley Trails
Marie Selby Gardens

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Curving dirt path next to trees and open space

Celery Fields

Celery Fields

ALL Destinations

Articles

Oleta River State Park

Florida’s Best Urban Parks

October 27, 2016//  by Sandra Friend & John Keatley

When you live in a tightly packed space, you need somewhere green as your go-to place nearby. These are our top picks for parks in Florida’s urban areas, chosen for their diversity of outdoor activities and/or their unique green spaces.

Historic Spanish Point

December 7, 2013//  by Sandra Friend

At Spanish Point, scents hang heavy in the morning air: a moonflower in the act of closing for the day, the sweetness of citrus blossoms, the purple morning-glory clambering over mangroves, the brush of salt breezes.

Myakka River State Park

Backpacking Myakka River State Park

November 10, 2011//  by Sandra Friend

With 39 miles in four loops, the Myakka Hiking Trail at Myakka River State Park in Sarasota is one of the state’s finest destinations for a weekend or long weekend holiday hike.

ALL Articles

INCLUDES: Fruitville, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, Siesta Key, St. Armands | NEARBY: Arcadia, Bradenton, Osprey, Venice | PART OF: Southwest Florida

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MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

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SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

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