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Sleeping Turtles Preserve North slough

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North

Named for a feature on old navigational maps, Sleeping Turtles Preserve North lets you see the Myakka River from its bluffs

Venice      ( 27.1229, -82.3519 )      3.2 miles

271 shares

CLOSED due to Hurricane Ian damage


In this mellow preserve along a sleepy section of the Myakka River, Sleeping Turtles Preserve North buffers the river with 174 acres of floodplain swamp, pine flatwoods, and oak hammocks.

Offering two easy-to-follow loop trails, it provides more opportunities for wildlife watching along this Florida Wild and Scenic River basin.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North A peek at the Myakka River from the bluffs


Resources

South Florida Explorers Guide 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: Venice
Length: 3.2 miles in two loops
Trailhead: 27.1229, -82.3519
Address: 3462 Border Rd, Venice FL 34292
Fees: Free
Restroom: Portable toilet at trailhead
Land manager: Sarasota County
Phone: 941-861-5000

Open 6 AM to sunset. Bicycles welcome. All parking is north of Border Rd.

Leased dogs welcome on the North Loop, north of Border Rd, but not on the South Loop. The South Loop is open to equestrian use as well as hiking and biking.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North


Directions

 
From Interstate 75 exit 193, Jacaranda Blvd, drive north 0.6 miles to where the road ends at a T intersection. Turn right. Follow Border Rd to the entrance to the preserve on the left.

Hike

Not only is Sleeping Turtles Preserve broken into two pieces, north and south of Interstate 75, Sleeping Turtles Preserve North is also broken into two parts by Border Road.

Both pieces are accessed from the same trailhead, where you’ll find a picnic pavilion and portable toilet along with a trailhead kiosk with trail maps.

Like other natural lands in Sarasota County, there are numbered markers along the trail that correspond with the official trail map. You can download a copy of that map at the bottom of this page.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North Picnic pavilion and kiosk


North Loop

Starting at Marker 1, walk from the parking area into the oak hammock that surrounds the picnic pavilion and kiosk.

The trail is a firm natural surface with a canopy knit by the crossed limbs of the live oaks. Bluestem palm crowds the understory, along with young cabbage palms.

At the T intersection at Marker 2, turn right. The trail ascends from the oak and palm hammock to the bluffs above the Myakka River.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North Walking up to the river bluffs


A bench provides the first place to stop and enjoy the view and look for turtles on the fallen logs in the slow current.

The bluff drops off abruptly in several spots where you can get close enough to it to look across the river. Sometimes it’s easier to look down into it.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve Myakka River A closer view of the Myakka River


Passing a series of benches along this section, you also go by the crossover trails at Marker 5 and Marker 6. These enable you to trim your hike.

One more overlook reveals tall pines in the forest above the bluffs on the far shore, in what is part of Carlton Reserve.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North Stopping at a bench along the loop


Look for wild coffee growing densely in the understory close to Marker 6.

By the time the trail turns away from the river after a look across at tall pines on the far shore, you’ve walked half a mile.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North slough
Slough in the Myakka River floodplain

The trail works its way around a floodplain swamp along a depression along the river basin. Palms line a murky slough.

Beneath the canopy of oaks, sunlight illuminates the fibrous strands of bromeliads overhead.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North The bromeliad-laden oak hammock


At Marker 7, you can turn right to head north to two covered shelters along the trail. The first one, just east of Marker 8, provides another river view.

The second one, at the top of the loop at 0.7 mile, is where paddlers along the Myakka River can take out and take a break.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North Passing Marker 7 along the loop


Returning to the bench at Marker 7, make a right to stay on the outer edge of the loop. The oak hammock opens up, and the footpath becomes grassier.

The trail curves past a tall slash pine in an open space before reaching Marker 11. Turn left to stay on the loop perimeter.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North Trail Map Picnic shelter on the prairie


A picnic shelter overlooks a patch of open prairie, one of the more likely places for you to see deer gather as the sun sinks low in the sky.

At Marker 12, make a right. Walk down the corridor framed by live oaks as it swings around back to the trailhead.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North Trail Map Walking through the oak hammock back to the trailhead


South Loop

South of Boundary Road is the 1.8 mile South Loop that can only be accessed by walking there from this trailhead.

We show it on the map, but we were running out of daylight to hike it ourselves. It also has overlooks on the Myakka River.

It is open to bicycle and equestrian use, but dogs are not permitted.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North


This entrance provides parking for both loops

Trail Map

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North Trail Map


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of Sleeping Turtles Preserve North


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Carlton Reserve

Carlton Reserve

T. Mabry Carlton Reserve is less than a dozen miles from downtown Venice but wild enough that the Florida panther roams these woodlands along the Myakka River floodplain.

Jelks Preserve

Jelks Preserve

Offering scenic views of wild shores along the Myakka River, this hike at Jelks Preserve makes a big loop along the trail system to immerse you in a variety of habitats

Trail through open pine flatwoods in palmettos

Myakka State Forest

Along the southwestern Gulf Coast of Florida, Myakka State Forest offers an extensive trail network along the Myakka River basin, with tent camping under the stars.

Myakkahatchee Creek

Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park

Follow the natural curves of the creek on a loop through Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port


Trail Map (PDF) Official Website

Category: Access by water, Biking, County Parks, Day Hikes, Equestrian, Hikes, Loop Hikes, Natural Lands, Nature Trails, Off Road Biking, Paddling, Southwest Florida, TrailsTag: Birding, Dog-friendly, Family-Friendly, Fishing, Myakka River, North Port, Picnic, Sarasota, Scenic Hikes, Venice, Wildlife Viewing

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