The visitor center at Myakka River State Park offers park guests a long list of things to do. These activities range from boat tours to Safari tram tours and Full Moon Concerts to wildlife viewing. Water related activities, which include boating, freshwater fishing, canoeing and kayaking, take advantage of the park's lakes and freshwater river. While some visitors enjoy a seven mile scenic drive through the park, others will explore the park over a series of loop trails. Great for foot traffic, as well as bicycles and horses, trails are either hard-packed dirt or grass covered.
   The park is located on Florida's west coast just east of Sarasota and is one of the state's oldest parks. Established in 1934, the park's landscape includes several different eco-systems. Varying from dry prairie land to wetlands and shady oak-palm hammocks to pineland thickets, Myakka State Park also protects a portion of the wild and scenic Myakka River.
   When park goers shy away from water related activities, suggestions of what to do usually involve a nature trail. The unique Canopy Walk features a boardwalk built at tree-top level and offers a rare viewpoint of subtropical, overhead organisms. The Canopy Walk is part of the Nature Trail Loop, accessed from the park road. It's topped off with a 75 foot observation tower, offering views out into the woodlands. The Myakka walkway was envisioned by Dr. Margaret D. Lowman, director of the TREE Foundation. The special boardwalk came about with united effort from the Florida Park Service, Friends of Myakka River and the TREE Foundation.

     Area Map