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.

The West Orange Trail is a superb rail trail bike path, I am grateful that a thrifty state like…read moreFlorida spends the money to clear and pave such treasures, may they continue to do so. I parked at Apopka station, which has lots of parking and real bathrooms. I did not encounter any sketchy folks, which is delightful. The paved rail trail closest to my house, Whitney ( Wildwood ) to downtown Leesburg, has few upstanding citizens and many shady ones. Many canopy shaded sections, always appreciated here in the Blast Furnace.

The West Orange Trail is a 22-mile long multi-use rail trail owned by Orange County Parks and…read moreRecreation in Orange County, Florida, in the United States. The paved trail passes through downtown Oakland, Winter Garden, and Apopka with most of its length built on old railroad alignments. This is a great trail for walking , cycling, and Jogging ! I started in winter garden and jogged almost 3.5 miles and had a nice walk back. There is a station in winter garden where you can rent bikes and even ones with attachments for the little ones. They have drinks , snacks and a park for kids as well. Parking was convenient too! I look forward to starting at new spots and biking longer trails with my family .

Best decision I've made , This community checks off all my active lifestyle needs and investing in…read morereal estate here as also blessed my business . Everyday I utilize the jogging trail and neighborhood. I can take my little one on beautiful walks in nature , fish, check out the local restaurants, grab groceries and have peace. This community is involved and there is always something to do here. Yard sales, community events, daily walk / jog clubs, tons of things for kids of all ages and senior life as well. 10/10, best community in Orlando !

I love Baldwin Park! I regularly drive here from about 20 minutes away because it's such an…read moreenjoyable walk. Obviously during the hotter months you might wanna sit this out or only come in the early or late hours of the day to avoid the scorching heat. The path around the lake is about 2.5 miles, and you will see walkers, joggers, and bikers of all ages. Walking in this neighborhood reinforces a strong sense of community, because you will see people sitting on benches, enjoying nature, bunny rabbits hopping around, wildflowers, and families taking photos in some of the more picturesque locations! Parking can be a bear, but if you have a little patience, you can usually find street parking or lot parking. And when you're done, you have the enjoyment of being in a walkable downtown area with lots of restaurants and shops.

Every Florida State Park has a unique feature that it offers. This one is very quaint, small and…read moreoffers some simple amenities. The quick boat ride was cool. They also have cabins and the grounds are well maintained by the staff. If you have a boat, this would be a great place to dock from if that is acceptable. I had a great time here, my first time.

The island is very busy around 11am but the island shop is nice, but it only has Dasani water…read more Fishing is fun but I would recommend to bring a fan but there are all sorts of species to catch. The pontoon ride is fun but can get crowded with wheelbarrows. Would recommend!

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.

We came out here for a weekend getaway from the daily grind. The campsites are remote and are…read moreseparated by one or more miles from each other. Most sites are primitive; however, there are a few sites with a bathroom nearby (with no running water). We booked the Bunk Group Campsite for seven people and two nights at $50. The price fluctuates based on how many cars will be at the site. Campers can bring their own wood but it has to be from the FL region. Campers are also encouraged to use the deadwood that can be found throughout the park. All of the roadways are a combination of sand, dirt, and gravel, so your vehicle will get dirty and muddy in some areas. Getting to our site for the first time was a bit confusing because the directions are not very clear and Google maps have not been updated to show most of the trails. If you are coming in from SR 46 you can take Wekiva River Rd into the state park or if you coming from SR 44, you take Brantley Branch Rd into the state park; from there it takes some work to figure out where you are and where you are going. Note: There is a locked gate at both entrances for the trailheads; the code can be retrieved from forestry services once you pay for a site or receive a day permit. Otherwise, guests are limited to the parking area, hiking, bicycling, and horse-riding trails. I believe there are free walk-up campsites however you need to get a permit to leave your vehicle in the lot overnight. The Bunk Group Campsite was great. There was a bathroom close to the camp, lots of space available for multiple tents, and a big screened-in Bunk House area where campers could sleep in wooden bunks and cook/prepare food out of the elements. It is very quiet and peaceful out here, other than the occasional plane that would fly over. Now that I know my way around the park, I look forward to returning for another camping trip. Next time, I would like to stay another night or two. It's a lot of work to drag all of this food and gear out to the middle of nowhere then turn around a pack it up again a day or two later. There are several freshwater springs that you can hike to but we had to go off-trail and into the heavy brush to find them. The largest body of water we had time to visit was Black Water Camp, this is most likely the best spot to fish. Other than that, most of the creeks were swampy this time of year. If you're looking for that off-grid get away from the concrete jungle, then I highly recommend hiking or camping at the Seminole State Forest.

Excellent place if you like hiking and horseback riding. The Bear Pond Trailhead is right on SR46…read moreand it gives you access to Bear Pond and miles of hiking. One can fish at Bear Pond from the fishing pier but one cannot launch boats. There is a trail surrounding the pond but I'm not sure if there are any entry points to fish from the trail. The hiking trail goes through a variety of landscapes. From swap like, to pine forest, then to sand desert with palmettos. We saw a wild bunny and a snake which we couldn't identify. Lots of deer and bear paw prints on the trail but we never saw any. We will certainly make it back to continue the hike.

Ferndale Preserve is located in what feels like the middle of nowhere. The park opens at 6:30 am…read moreand closes at 6pm. There are two trails currently open. One is .5 mile up to a high point and the other is a 1.6 loop. No dogs are allowed in the park or in the trails for their safety. Bathrooms are available at the entrance. The playground area is separated into two sections. The sections are age appropriate and super challenging and fun for children. The equipment is clean and has the appearance of being well maintained. The park is not shaded so I don't recommend coming in the middle of the summer. Fall, winter and spring will provide lots of fun.

I'm a sucker for a good nature preserve and this place is no different. I loved my experience here…read morethe trails were fantastic and the wildlife and trees were incredible. This place has a good trail system encompassing about two and a half miles with multiple cutbacks and side trails and they've even got a water access for fishing. The scrub forest was fantastic and this park is at a higher elevation than most area around it so the views were pretty cool especially looking down onto Lake Apopka. I loved my experience here, and they've got nice clean bathrooms in the parking lot available for your use.

We love this hidden jewel for boating and jet skiing. I like the fact that this park is clean and…read morehas a beautiful beach to pull your boat/jet ski up to and a large sandy area for swimming. There is a sidewalk, picnic tables, a large grass parking area for trailers, and a wide grassy bank for setting up chairs, umbrellas, etc. Another BIG plus: bathrooms! And they flush!! The lake is not as large as some but there are usually less people than at many other Central Florida ski lakes so it makes it nice. It is great for skiing but you can also find a quiet spot for fishing because there is a small canal leading to another even less busy lake. They do have a fishing pier too. They just finished a renovation on the ramp (a double) so it is even nicer than before. The people who use the lake are often times more courteous than at many other, more popular lakes.