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

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Myakka River Upper Lake

Myakka River

Meandering 72 miles from marshes in Manatee County to empty into Charlotte Harbor at Port Charlotte, the Myakka River is designated a Florida Wild and Scenic River, largely untouched along its length.

Lower Myakka Paddling Map

Carlton Reserve

Carlton Reserve

Venice      ( 27.1283, -82.3345 )      1.9 miles

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.

Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park

Needlerush marsh Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park

Punta Gorda      ( 26.87355,-82.023981 )      

Stretched long and thin to follow the convoluted shoreline of Charlotte Harbor, Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park protects more than 100 miles of coastline along the Gulf Coast

Englewood

Oyster Creek, Englewood

Englewood is a waterfront village straddling Sarasota and Charlotte Counties, its historic core on Dearborn Street near the shores of Lemon Bay

Jelks Preserve

Jelks Preserve

Venice      ( 27.0916, -82.3378 )      3.7 miles

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

Myakka River State Park

Myakka Canopy Walk Tower

Sarasota      ( 27.239406,-82.316719 )      

With tall waving grasses, saw palmetto, and the sound of birds, Myakka River State Park is Florida’s Big Sky country, blanketing more than 28,000 acres east of Sarasota

Myakka State Forest

Trail through open pine flatwoods in palmettos

Englewood      ( 26.990576, -82.302249 )      

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.

North Port

Palms at Warm Mineral Springs

East of the Myakka River, North Port is home to Florida’s only public hot spring, Warm Mineral Springs

Port Charlotte

Bayshore Live Oaks Park

North of Charlotte Harbor, Port Charlotte encompasses a vast residential area with both city parks and larger environmental lands

Sarasota

Sarasota Arts Complex

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

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North

Sleeping Turtles Preserve North slough

Venice      ( 27.1229, -82.3519 )      3.2 miles

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

Tippecanoe Environmental Park

Tippecanoe Environmental Park entrance

Port Charlotte      ( 26.994981, -82.183023 )      1.9 miles

With 380 acres of uplands and wetlands along the rim of Tippecanoe Bay, Tippecanoe Environmental Park can be explored on an extensive interconnected network of hiking trails.

Venice

Lyons Bay, Venice FL

Named after the city in Italy when the post office was established in 1888, Venice is one of Florida’s first planned cities, designed by noted architect John Nolan in the 1920s as an Italian renaissance village

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

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