If I lived anywhere near here, we'd be at this spring every weekend! There were no crowds present…read moreduring our off-season visit on 9-25 and the water was still between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. That is how the spring is year-round. We paid a $5 vehicle entry fee to the park, brought our own tubes and stripped down to our swimwear before walking to the start of the run (Rock Springs Run). We found ourselves a slippery rock to launch from and away we went! The current is strong, so you fly through the run pretty quickly up until you reach the "spring head". There were lots of families just hanging out here, listening to music, picnicking and the like. Once you get past that part, the current picks up again. We saw fish, birds, otters, wild turkey and a turtle during our visit. We did not see any gators, thank God! It was so relaxing and serene (aside from a few Bluetooth speakers blasting some tunes). We didn't stay more than a couple of hours, having done the run several times. The park's facilities are meager. The concession stand isn't open during the off-season, the bathrooms were borderline gross, and the lockers were old, small, beat-up and you had to bring your own lock. We opted to cover the windows in our SUV and do our toweling down and changing there. As far as outdoor adventures go, you can't beat the fun you'll have here for $5/vehicle. The water is crystal clear, and you can just float the run if you'd like. Some people were snorkeling and digging for gems/crystals and shark teeth (not sure that there are any really there though). Good, clean fun for people of all ages.

What a beautiful little gem!…read more I've seen Kelly Park - Rock Springs pop up on my Instagram and TikTok SO many times, but I kept reading that it gets PACKED during busy season. My husband and I celebrated 13 years together on September 29th, took the day off, and last minute decided to finally check it out. I'm SO glad we did. It ended up being the perfect way to celebrate our love. We did the lazy river THREE times, and it was honestly exactly what our sore muscles needed. The water was definitely cold, but in the best way! There were spots where the sun would shine through the trees and hit my skin, and it felt absolutely amazing. I also loved that you can find your own little spot along the river if you want to hang out for a while. We brought our own floaty and just relaxed. I didn't really swim, but I tried walking parts of the river and, for reference, I'm 5'1" and the water was around waist-deep for me most of the time. The park itself is HUGE, and because it was nearly empty when we went, it literally felt like we had the whole place to ourselves LOL. They have a concession area, although we didn't grab anything, and the bathrooms were clean. Admission was only $6, which felt like such a steal for the experience. And the best part? It's only about 30 minutes from home for me! So happy we found a new little local gem. Definitely excited to come back!

Wow! What a breath of fresh air this nature preserve can be when you are sick of the craziness of…read moreeveryday life. This park includes a visitor's center, multiple hiking trails, and a cute garden area with a gopher tortoise and salcutta tortoise living their best lives. Make sure to check out the Osprey Overlook as there is a boardwalk that overlooks a large lake with plenty of opportunity to see wildlife including otters, gators, and turtles. Honestly, I feel like this is the one park in Orlando where you can actually go hiking. All of the trails here are on mossy/swampy forest floor with no paved walkways. This is good to keep in mind if you are trying to rollerblade or bike ride as there are multiple tree roots on the trails, so probably best to leave these items at home and witch to trail shoes. This also means that some of the trails may be washed out when you visit, especially if going in the summer months. Actually, I would recommend skipping a visit if it has rained less than 24 hours before going as you will not be able to see as much as you would like. Overall, there is easy parking, great hiking, and excellent photo opportunities. Worth a trip if you are in the Orlando area!

You better think twice before you wear your favorite hiking shoes cause things might get a little…read moremuddy! During rainy season some of the trails even close down due to flooding. But for the most of the year this preserve is about three miles of nice, flat hiking. We even spotted some osprey and a tortoise sunbathing in the middle of the trail on the way out.

Great trial to connect to nature. Lots of wildlife and natural Floridian terrain. 10/10read more

This is a pretty nice trail. It's a 7 mile trail with plenty of things to see like the St John's…read moreRiver. I recommend coming early in the morning to avoid the Florida heat. You'll definitely feel the mugginess in the afternoon. Though it is a popular place to hike. It was actually quiet and peaceful. It's an easy trail but I wanted to challenge myself so I did it with a weighted vest on my back. In fact, I passed a few other hikers with weights on too . so if you're training for something, this place is it.

i had a great time walking around this garden located in winter park. there was a wedding…read morehappening, a family gathering elsewhere by the river, & the whole space was buzzing w/ summer energy. there is a whole area of the garden i have yet to explore but good thing is - it's free! i was a little lost on the map, it would have been nice to have a more clear distance gauge because some of the lines look like the trail is super long when in reality it's not and just the placement of buildings/parking too. i'll be back to conquer that map !! or maybe i'll stay a while and smell the roses.

The Gardens are beautiful and a great place to reconnect with the world. We went to see the…read moreNight-Blooming Cereus. It's a once a year blooming that is amazing. The trails are an easy walk and quite beautiful. I highly recommend it.

Lovely paved path around two lakes in downtown Orlando, just south of the 408 off Mills. Great for…read morean after lunch stroll. Well maintained

Greenwood Urban Wetlands is a 19 acre nature park in Orlando. It lies on the west side of Greenwood…read moreCemetery which was established in 1880 and is where many of Orlando's notables and pioneers lie at rest. The wetlands were created in 1991 between the Lake Davis and Lake Como neighborhoods as a stormwater treatment facility to handle the water run off. While the main purpose of the park is to clean the reclaimed water, a welcome byproduct of that is that it attracts a lot of wildlife. Wetland parks are some of my favorite kind of parks because they attract a variety of wildlife including wading birds, migrating birds, lizards, turtles, and alligators. At the entrance to the park is a community garden and Little Library. My favorite part of the park is the 0.7-mile loop trail surrounding Lake Greenwood that takes approximately 13 min to complete. This trail is great for hiking and walking. Along the way you will pass cypress trees, cross two bridges, and see a variety of birds enjoying the lake. Animals that have been spotted here include blue jays, ducks, barn owls, and red wing blackbirds. During my visit I saw a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret along with ducks. The scenery during my walk was stunning. I saw a number of people reading, playing with their kids, and exercising. This is an ideal place to practice your photography, bird, watch, and have a picnic. This is such a wonderful natural resource for the city of Orlando and I loved my visit.

I entered at the Jones East Trailhead, which has plenty of parking and also has restrooms at the…read moreentrance to the trailhead. Walking the trailhead was relatively simple and relaxing. I did encounter a few other people (they were either walking like myself or on a bicycle). The path itself is somewhat narrow, but it was enough for us to pass each other with no real inconvenience. Little Big Econ State Forest is a pretty cool place to check out. Walking the path, it was easy to forget that you were just outside of a major United States city in the twenty-first century. I seek out these spots where I can walk through the trees and forget the troubles of living in a modern city in today's modern world. Little Big Econ State Forest is a cool place to seek out if you are looking for a respite from the hustle and bustle of the modern world.

This state forest is about a 25 minute drive from downtown Orlando. We highly recommend it. They…read moreoffer maps at the start of the trail. So lush and peaceful. The stream along side most of the trail is beautiful. There are many benches along the path that offer a nice view of the scenery with shade. We took our pups and hiked for about 2 miles. The hikes range from 3 - 10 miles. I saw they do offer camping as well. Make sure to pack some water. It was nice to see many tamiles and couples enjoying the outdoors. We loved the variety of scenery and that it has lots of natural shade throughout the hike.

Bear Creek Trail was a fun discovery on a recent trip to Winter Springs. There is a small parking…read morearea at the trailhead. From the parking area the trail radiates in both directions through a small hammock area with ancient cypress, oaks, and cabbage palms. The natural area serves as a floodplain buffer between two neighborhoods in the Tuscawilla community. The trail is maintained by the City of Winter Springs. Bear Creek Nature Trail is narrow and sandy. It runs parallel to Bear Creek. There are changes in elevation which makes it more interesting and you cross two small bridges. When you are high above the creek you have to be cognizant of your footing so that you don't accidentally step off the trail and fall. There are also picnic tables available. The length of the trail is .9 of a mile. Bear Creek Nature Trail was an easy and fun hike and I enjoyed the view of the creek. It also had the added bonus of being mostly shaded and bug free!

awful do not recommend. I couldn't even stand up from over five seconds straight before freaking…read moredirt slid out from underneath me and I fell into like 20 different rivers only like a mile we ended up like 5 miles away from where we started and I was drenched in water for how many times I fell in the creek bro. I've probably got one or 23 amoeba's in my dick right now, dude if I get sick, I'm suing the creek

I joined the Save Split Oak group for a guided hike and had a lovely visit. Highly recommend…read morechecking them out and going with the group as they are so knowledgeable about the flora, fauna, special points of interest, and any questions we had. It's a beautiful area with plenty of trails to wander and experience true Florida nature. There are many options to choose from to have the experience you're looking for for length of hike, shade level, openness, what to see, etc. Hopefully it will remain protected but definitely recommend visiting while you can.

Was craving some outdoor adventure but wanted to stay local and away from crowds, so when I looked…read moreup nearby hiking trails, Split Oak Forest came up. Originally wanted to do the 4 mile hike but ended up doing 5.67 miles. What can I say, we got lost in the wilderness. But really, the split oak tree near marker G distracted us. We were suppose to follow the orange markers but somehow ended up following the yellow markers which veered us off course. Once we realized that we were going the opposite way, it was already too late to turn around. Plus, nature was calling and the thought of holding it in for another 3 miles just convinced me to just keep going. The trail was easy. Lots of sand trails though. And with that being said, make sure you've got the right hiking shoes on. I recommend getting hiking shoes from REI. Trust me. With the uneven sand trails, you want to have good balance. Your feet will thank you later. Split Oak forest is a hidden gem tucked away in a city away from the city. Made me feel like I was far away from civilization. Great for getting your cardio in and enjoy nature at the same time.

What a great place to see the native wildlife and plant species. During my walk along the trail, I…read moresaw so many birds, turtles, and alligators - it's definitely a place to take photos. Besides hiking, the park also offers biking, bird watching, and horseback riding, plus guided tours. Check out the visitor center, you'll see live fishes and baby alligators, as well as taxidermy displays of the local wildlife. You'll also learn how this wetland functions as an advanced treatment for Orlando's reclaimed water. I thought it was super informative!

Truly a hidden gem! It's free to visi and they offer free tram rides on the weekends. It's sooo…read morevast and beautiful, there's so much wild life to see. On my hike we saw tons of alligators, birds, bunnies and turtles. Even got to see baby owls. There are miles of trails and a board walk. Went at 8am on a Saturday and there weren't too many people out but as we were leaving the groups were picking up. There are benches along some of the trails and picnic tables and bathrooms near the entrance.

Spring Hammock is a 1,500 acre preserve on the shore of Lake Jesup. The ecosystem contains hydric…read morehammocks, floodplain forests, pine flatwoods, and upland mixed hardwoods. Two thirds of the preserve is swamp but it also has ancient bald cypress trees, rare cuplet ferns and the largest stand of tulip poplars in Florida. Unfortunately many of these natural wonders are no longer reachable by hiking. The boardwalks in the preserve were built by the School Board for use by the Environmental Studies Center. As they fell into disrepair, the trails were closed off for safety. You used to be able to hike for three miles in the preserve. There is currently no way through it now. Since 2018 The Natural Lands Program has had plans to rebuild the Cypress Boardwalk and a pavilion and add a new rain shelter and wayfinding signage. Here it is 2025 and the boardwalk is still closed although there are signs saying the new trail is coming. According to videos on the internet, ground was broken on the project 8 months ago in cooperation with the county and federal government. The new boardwalk is being paid with a voter approved one penny sales tax addition. While the new boardwalk is being completed there is still one large cypress tree that is still reachable. You can find Lady Liberty in the Big Tree Park portion of Spring Hammock Preserve where there is a short boardwalk to reach the tree.

Not a bad little hiking trail! About 30 minutes out from Orlando, there is a paved biking trail and…read morethen a shaded walking trail through the woods with a small creek running alongside for part of the trail. The walking trail does not loop so you walk to the end and then back, its about 2.3 miles altogether. It is nicely shaded for a majority of the walk but I would recommend a bottle of water and some bug spray on a hot Florida day! Probably not a place I would go out of my way again to visit given there are some other great trails near Orlando but at least its open during the current shut down if you're feeling stir crazy!