Florida Hikes

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

Firebreak and grassy strip through pine flatwoods

Scherer Thaxton Preserve

A system of multiuse trails traverses increasingly wild environments, circling an artificial lake to enter pine flatwoods habitat extending into adjacent Oscar Scherer State Park.

Osprey (27.192694, -82.441556)   3.5 miles  

Scherer Thaxton Preserve’s story begins with neighboring Oscar Scherer State Park, which served as a beacon for conservation in the 1990s.

The state park opened in 1956, originally encompassing a parcel of land surrounding South Creek.

With help from environmentalist Jon Thaxton and his advocacy for imperiled Florida scrub-jays, the park nearly tripled in size in 1991.

Path into pine flatwoods Pine flatwoods in Oscar Scherer State Park (Sandra Friend)

That same year, Sarasota County purchased over 300 contiguous acres to further buffer this slice of natural land.

This preserve opened to the public in 2014, boasting a network of hiking and biking trails with connections to the adjoining state park and the paved Legacy Trail.

Next to the trailhead, a covered picnic area overlooks a pond, where a designated kayak launch provides access to the water.

Sandy launch spot on a pond Kayak launch at Scherer Thaxton Preserve

Resources

Resources for exploring the area
Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover South Florida Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in South Florida book cover Paddlers Guide Florida
 
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.

Overview

Location: Osprey
Length: 3.5 miles
Trailhead: 27.192694, -82.441556
Address: 13125 Honore Ave, Osprey
Fees: Free
Restrooms: At the trailhead
Land manager: Sarasota County
Phone: 941-861-5000

Open 6:00 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome.

Directions


 
From the intersection of Honore Ave and SR 681 east of Osprey, head northwest on Honore Ave for 0.8 mile, and the entrance will be on the left side of the road.

Hike

Starting at an accessible parking spot at the entrance, follow a concrete sidewalk past the picnic pavilion to a wooden pier extending over the cattail-lined lake.

A pair of benches provide a place to sit in this peaceful spot among the distinctive calls of red-wing blackbirds.

Benches built into observation deck serving double duty as a fishing pier Pier bench

From the pier, follow a grassy pathway around the northern perimeter of the lake, passing a bench on the other side before turning west to dive deeper into the natural areas of the preserve.

At 0.6 mile, turn left to walk along a powerline easement for a short span, returning to the forest in a tenth of a mile.

View of a pond from a bench Pond view

Although much of the trail network runs alongside firebreaks of upturned, soft sugar sand that is difficult to traverse, it is often possible to walk on mowed grass paralleling the sand.

Along the route, short side paths divert to scenic views at the edges of depression marshes, which tend to attract a variety of birds.

Curving churned sand next to curving grassy pathway among pines Flatwoods firebreak

Approaching one mile, take a sharp turn southward, following a straight stretch of trail across a seasonally flooded pair of prairie ponds.

To the west, a well-managed pine savanna stretches off into the distance, its scattered pines dotting a sea of saw palmetto and gallberry.

Sandy firebreak with tire tracks leading across a large prairie with a wetland in it Prairie crossing

At 1.9 miles, a short post with an arrow indicates the connector trail leading into Oscar Scherer State Park towards the Yellow Trail and Legacy Trail.

Turn the opposite direction to explore a loop at the southern end of the preserve, returning to the straight trail again in a half mile.

Path entering pines Path to Oscar Scherer State Park

Retrace your steps northward along this section for a quarter mile before making a right at junction with a bench.

The path wanders eastward, crossing under the powerlines and following a sidewalk around the south end of the pond before returning to the trailhead at 3.5 miles.

Trail marker next to bench Shaded bench

Trail Map

Scherer Thaxton Preserve Trail Map

Explore More!

Video

Hiking Scherer Thaxton Preserve

Nearby Adventures

Oscar Scherer State Park A stronghold for Florida scrub-jays north of Venice, Oscar Scherer State Park is an important island of biodiversity in an increasingly overdeveloped region.
Path between palms and pines Pinelands Reserve Near the outskirts of Venice, a county preserve presents an easy loop trail meandering through South Florida pine flatwoods habitat.
Bike path in pine flatwoods The Legacy Trail Connecting Venice and Sarasota, one of Florida's finest paved trails provides a corridor for biking and hiking along a historic railroad line.
Creek flowing next to a sand path in pine flatwoods Curry Creek Preserve East Amid expanding suburbia in Venice, this 71-acre island of botanical delights circled by a 1.6 mile loop buffers wildflower-rich longleaf pine flatwoods along a mangrove-lined stream.

Trail Map (PDF) Official Website

Chris Stevens
Latest posts by Chris Stevens (see all)
Category: , , , , , , , , Tag: , , , , , , , ,