Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Encompassing the Wekiva River, Little Wekiva River, and Rock Springs Run, the Wekiva River Basin is a watershed on the eastern rim of the heavily populated Orlando metro, collecting waters that flow towards the St. Johns River. Many parks and natural lands edge or protect this drainage basin.
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.
Last Monday, we decided to visit an area behind a familiar trailhead. Sandy had noticed the unlocked gate before, so we decided to check it out. The gate led us to a slightly worn path and then an old sugar sand road. Walking along I noticed small bear prints in the white sand. They were …
North of Orlando, Black Bear Wilderness Area in Sanford offers some of the best wildlife watching in the region on its loop along the St. Johns River.
Trot out your sense of adventure for an immersion into one of the wildest trails you’ll find near Orlando, the 7.1-mile loop in the Black Bear Wilderness Area in Sanford.
“A fed bear is a dead bear,” says Florida Fish & Wildlife. It’s time to make homeowners responsible for keeping trash and food out of reach when they live in bear territory.
7.5 miles. Walk through vast, open spaces that you’d never imagine existed so close to Orlando.
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.
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.
Tubing down Rock Springs Run is why most folks show up at Kelly Park, but the Kelly Loop Trail is a nice dry way to see the waterway and wildlife.
At Lake Lotus Park in Altamonte Springs, the 1.7-mile trail system along Lake Lotus and the Little Wekiva River floodplain provides a great respite from surrounding suburbia.
Explore the Wekiva River and Black Water Creek floodplains on this lengthy loop hike in Seminole State Forest
Paddle, hike, or ride your horse within this massive riverine preserve on the edge of the Orlando metro, where the Wekiva River and St. Johns River mingle.
