Myakka River State Park

Just southeast of Sarasota is this wild and scenic state park. Myakka River State Park is one of Florida' s oldest and largest state parks Myakka’s vast expanse of native flora and fauna, hiking and biking trails, waterways, and, of course, alligators make for an afternoon adventure.

As well as enjoying the peace of the Floridian countryside there are several things you can do in Myakka to make sure you see all there is to it.

You could maybe enjoy a bowl of gator stew in the concessions area as the

Myakka Outpost sells camping and fishing supplies, t-shirts and hats, field guides and nature books, souvenirs, and good things to eat such as gator stew, gator jerky, gator sandwiches, ice cream and snacks. They also rent bicycles, canoes and kayaks.

There is a visitor centre there which was being refurbished and up graded when we visited which will include displays of wildlife and their habitats, frog calls; also features the Myakka Movies.

You can hire a bike and take to the 7 miles of roadway -all paved that take you through several different types of terrain from the shade offered by the tress and overhanging hammocks to the sides of the grassy marsh land and the lake shore or you can try out the country dirt roads that will show you the inner lands.

If you like to fish then Myakka is ideal for trying to catch some of Florida’s great species from Largemouth Bass and Tarpon to the delightfully named Stumpknocker and Hogchocker and several others in between. Just make sure you have a license to fish there which can be bought online before you go.

You could also see the lake in all its glory and maybe even some of its inhabitants form the safety and comfort of the boats that will take you out into the lake 3 or 4 times a day depending on the time of year you go to visit. They run 4 times in winter December 16th - May 31st and 3 in summer June 1st - Dec 15th. The captains are very knowledgeable of the history and like of the lake and really make the tour enjoyable.

In the winter season you can also opt for a tour on the bus that will take you through various land types - majestic pine flatwoods, fertile marshes and sunny prairies and shady hammocks so you can see close up the habitat of the Floridian wildlife and how each part the eco system is all dependent on each other for success.

There is a nature trail that will take you a leisurely 45 minutes to complete but the best part of this is off on a spur trail. If you take this spur you will come to the Myakka Canopy Walkway a great feat of engineering in the forest as it rises to a height of 74 feet above the floor. To get to the high point you must first climb a tower of 35 feet then start to make your way across the walkway as it gently sways in the breeze over the 85 feet of its length. Once you have crossed the bridge there is another tower for you to climb –this time one that is 74 feet high at its peak. As you climb this tower you can stop and look over the treetops and see the canopy in close up.

Myakka is only one of many of Florida’s great natural parks that are within easy driving distance of the theme parks and are a fantastic way to see what the State is really like and I would encourage anyone to try and get to one of them especially if you have made several visits and not ventured outside the theme parks Park entrance fee is $5. 00 per vehicle for 2 to 8 persons.

The park is open everyday, 8:00 AM until Sunset.