Most people drive past the State Road 72 exit without a second thought. They are headed to Sarasota’s beaches or moving on toward Tampa. But that single exit leads to something rare: Myakka River State Park.
The park is part of a broader network of protected public lands that together preserve more than 80,000 acres of the Myakka River watershed. This is not a manicured nature walk. It is wild ground, and it has been wild for a very long time.
How a cattle ranch became a state park
The land that makes up Myakka River State Park did not start as protected wilderness. Much of it once belonged to the family of Bertha Palmer, a Chicago socialite who ran cattle and swine across the Myakka Valley in the early 1900s. In the 1930s, Florida purchased more than 17,000 acres from the Palmer estate.
Her sons donated an additional 1,920 acres to help establish what would become the park. The Civilian Conservation Corps shaped the place into what visitors know today. Young men employed through President Roosevelt’s New Deal program built roads, bridges, and palm-log cabins during the Great Depression.
Those original CCC structures still stand. The park was formally dedicated in 1941 and has welcomed visitors every year since.
80,000 acres of protected wilderness
Myakka River State Park covers 37,000 acres in Sarasota and Manatee counties, making it one of the largest state parks in Florida. That alone is enough to spend days exploring. But the park is also part of a broader protected zone called Myakka Island, a conservation area totaling more than 80,000 acres of undeveloped ground.
The park holds wetlands, two lakes, dry prairies, pine flatwoods, hardwood hammocks, and a river that flows for 12 miles through the property. You can drive the main road, hike the trails, or paddle the water and still only see a fraction of what is here. Visitor numbers generally thin farther from the main road.
Florida’s first Wild and Scenic River
The Myakka River earns its dark color from tannins that leach from decaying leaves and plant matter along its banks. The Florida Legislature designated it as the state’s first Wild and Scenic River in 1985. The designation provides additional protection for roughly 34 miles of the river corridor. The designation also keeps the surrounding land in its natural state.
Live oaks and arching palms hang over the river’s edge, and the water holds largemouth bass, snook, and various native fish. The Myakka flows south through Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties before emptying into Charlotte Harbor, a bay connected to the Gulf of Mexico. The whole corridor feels like a window into a Florida that most people never see.
A rare dry prairie ecosystem
More than half of Myakka River State Park is Florida dry prairie, a globally rare ecosystem that exists almost exclusively in this state. Florida dry prairie is one of North America’s rarest and most biologically diverse grassland ecosystems, and it looks nothing like what most people picture when they think of Florida.
The vegetation stays low, rarely growing taller than three feet, and you can see for miles in every direction across the flat, open expanse. The park runs prescribed burns every two to three years to maintain the prairie’s health. That management keeps the land from being swallowed by shrubs and invasive species.
Rare animals like the Florida grasshopper sparrow and the crested caracara depend on this open ecosystem to nest and feed. Without it, they would have very limited remaining habitat.
Fun fact: The park sits inside a broader zone called Myakka Island, more than 80,000 acres of protected conservation land in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Alligators and the famous Deep Hole
American alligators are the most common large animal in the park, and they are not hard to find. Upper Myakka Lake is a reliable spot to see them sunning on logs and banks along the shore. Paddlers on the river often lose count of how many they pass.
Visitors should keep a safe distance from alligators and never feed them; feeding them is a criminal offense. Deep Hole is a karst sinkhole about 135 feet deep, located in the park’s 7,500-acre Wilderness Preserve. When dry-season water levels fall, fish become trapped inside, and alligators gather in large numbers to feed.
Access is limited to 30 people per day, and permits are available at the ranger station starting at 8 a.m. The round-trip hike is 4.4 miles along an exposed sandy road with very little shade.
North America’s first public treetop trail
A short walk from the main park road leads to one of the most unusual features at Myakka: a suspension bridge that hangs 25 feet above the forest floor and stretches 100 feet through a canopy of live oaks and cabbage palms. The walkway opened in June 2000 as the first public treetop trail on the continent. At the far end, a 74-foot observation tower offers panoramic views over the prairie, wetlands, and river.
Canopy scientist Dr. Margaret D. Lowman inspired the project. The TREE Foundation, the Friends of Myakka River, and the Florida Park Service built it together as part of the William S. Boylston Nature Trail. It remains one of the most popular stops in the park for good reason. The view from the top of the tower puts the scale of Myakka into immediate and striking perspective.
A paradise for birdwatchers
Myakka River State Park is one of Florida’s premier birding destinations. More than 200 bird species have been recorded in the park, and the variety changes with the seasons. Great blue herons, great egrets, and snowy egrets wade the shallows year-round.
Roseate spoonbills are a standout sight, often appearing in flocks along the river and around the lakes. Winter brings American white pelicans and black skimmers. Swallow-tailed kites typically appear in late winter and early spring for the breeding season.
Ospreys and sandhill cranes move through prairies and hammocks, and barred owls are active near the water at dawn. The park’s mix of wetlands, open prairie, and dense hammock creates the range of habitats that supports such a wide variety of species.
Camp, kayak, hike, and ride horses
The park offers 39 miles of marked hiking trails, including multi-day backpacking loops with six backcountry campsites. 7 miles of paved park road work well for cycling, and 12 miles of trails are open to horseback riding. The Florida National Scenic Trail also passes through the park, making it a notable stop for long-distance hikers.
Developed campgrounds include 90 sites spread across three loops. Paddlers can rent kayaks and canoes at the Myakka Outpost, which has operated as a family-run concession since 1982. The outpost also runs a café and rents bicycles.
Airboat tours are available on Upper Myakka Lake aboard two large vessels called the Myakka Maiden and the Gator Gal. The park is open 365 days a year, 8 a.m. until sunset, and sits at 13207 State Road 72 in Sarasota, nine miles east of Interstate 75.
Little-known fact: In 1935, it was announced that the all-white corps at Myakka was going to be replaced by an all-Black corps. At the time, most of the nation’s residents lived on the East Coast, but most of the required work was being done out west.
TL;DR
- 37,000-acre state park inside an 80,000-acre conservation zone near Sarasota.
- The Myakka River was designated Florida’s first Wild and Scenic River in 1985.
- Deep Hole, a 135-foot sinkhole, draws hundreds of gators in the dry season. Permits are limited to 30 per day.
- The Canopy Walkway was North America’s first public treetop trail, opened in 2000.
- Open daily 8 a.m. to sunset at 13207 State Road 72, Sarasota, FL.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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