A Walk at Wekiwa
A walk in the park at Wekiwa Springs State Park doesn't have to be a long one. Here's a way to sample the park's highlights and habitats along its trails.
Charles Lee Sabal Point Sanctuary
Longwood 3.4 milesThreading through a wilderness floodplain where the Little Wekiva and Wekiva Rivers meet, this 3.4 mile round-trip hike hidden in a subdivision offers excellent birding near Orlando.
Green PLACE Hiking Spree
Celebrating Orange County’s initiative to protect environmentally sensitive lands, the inaugural Green PLACE Hiking Spree encourages you to hike their trails.
Greeneyes Wildlife Preserve
Apopka 0.9 milesExplore rolling sandhills peppered with the preserve's namesake wildflower along a pair of short loop trails with benches and picnic tables.
Hiking at Kelly Park
For families in the know, Kelly Park is a favorite destination for tubing, the southernmost tubing run in Florida. But it also has some great hiking trails where you will probably see wildlife.
Jones Avenue Stormwater Park
Mount Dora 0.8 milesWith both wetlands and open water that attract birds, Jones Avenue Stormwater Park filters runoff from the neighboring community while providing wildlife habitat.
Just Bearly
As I discovered later, bear sightings are common at Kelly Park. But this bear certainly surprised me at the end of my research hike for Five Star Trails Orlando.
Kelly Park
Apopka 2.6 milesTubing Rock Springs Run is why most folks visit Kelly Park, but the Kelly Loop Trail provides unique perspectives on many more natural features within the park.
Kelly Park Western Addition Trails
Apopka 1.7 milesAlong the Oakhill and Prairie Lake Trails at Kelly Park, explore the Western Addition to walk around anomalous habitats persisting where a spring-fed lake flourished long ago.
Lake Apopka Loop Trail
Lake Apopka 17.2 milesDiscover the wild heart of Central Florida on a ride along the Lake Apopka Loop Trail, an arc spanning two counties along the lake's north shore.
Lake Apopka North Shore
Apopka to Ferndale 17.0 milesAcross two counties and along the entire north rim of Florida's fourth-largest lake, this 20,000 acre conservation area is a sweep of wildlife-rich marshes.
Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
A dedicated driving route through vast wetlands along the Lake Apopka North Shore, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is one of Florida's best birding locations.