Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
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.
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.
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 is a waterfront village straddling Sarasota and Charlotte Counties, its historic core on Dearborn Street near the shores of Lemon Bay
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
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
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.
East of the Myakka River, North Port is home to Florida’s only public hot spring, Warm Mineral Springs
North of Charlotte Harbor, Port Charlotte encompasses a vast residential area with both city parks and larger environmental lands
A mecca for the arts, Sarasota has popular beaches on its barrier islands and a surprising amount of green space
Named for a feature on old navigational maps, Sleeping Turtles Preserve North lets you see the Myakka River from its bluffs
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.
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
