Orlando

Exploring Orlando

Best known for its theme parks, Orlando and its surrounding communities have a surprising diversity of character.

Historic neighborhoods are shaded by ancient live oaks. Parks and gardens hug the many lakes. It doesn’t take long to find a natural area nearby for hiking, biking, and paddling, or a spring for swimming.

A growing network of bike paths extends across the region, providing day-long riding opportunities.

As residents of the Orlando metro for many years before moving to the Space Coast, we explored our own backyard more than anywhere else in Florida.

For backpacking in palm-shaded wilderness, head to the Florida Trail along the St. Johns River floodplain.

For day hikes in the many regional parks and preserves, check out the trails we suggest in Five Star Trails Orlando, all within an hour of downtown.

Best Orlando trails and parks

With so many parks and trails to choose from in this massive metro area, where to start? These are our favorites across the Orlando metro. Zoom into the map at the top of the page to find many more.

City Parks and Gardens

Bill Frederick Park Inside the City of Orlando, the urban Bill Frederick Park has a wild side, too, with more than 2 miles of trails to meander through scrub forest and along Turkey Lake.

Dickson Azalea Park At one of Orlando's oldest parks, the lush ravine protected by Dickson Azalea Park provides a scenic walk along Fern Creek any time of year.

Harry P. Leu Gardens Fifty acres of formal gardens hug Lake Rowena in this historic display of botanical diversity in Orlando.

Mayor Carl T. Langford Park A maze of paved trails provides an urban hike through hammocks of ancient live oaks and natural green spaces at this City of Orlando park.

Mead Botanical Garden Established as a camellia showcase, this public garden has a nature trail first built in 1956 to explore natural habitats within a 47-acre urban forest.

County Parks and Conservation Areas

Crosby Island Marsh Preserve On an isthmus between floodplain marshes in eastern Orange County, Crosby Island Marsh Preserve provides an easy walk through a ribbon of sandhill habitat.

Disney Wilderness Preserve Protected and managed by The Nature Conservancy, Disney Wilderness Preserve is a 11,500 acre showcase for habitat conservation amid suburban sprawl south of Orlando.

Hal Scott Preserve At Hal Scott Preserve, enjoy vast prairies and seepage bogs, the Econ River, and camping under a live oak canopy—all within minutes of the Orlando International Airport.

Hidden Pond Preserve Putting together several loops providing perspectives on pine flatwoods, prairie, swamp, and a showy pond, Hidden Pond Preserve offers a very enjoyable 1.9 mile hike.

Moss Park On a breezy isthmus between Lake Hart and Lake Mary Jane, Moss Park offers superb campsites and picnic pavilions under moss-draped live oaks.

Savage Christmas Creek Preserve Protecting more than a thousand acres, Savage Christmas Creek Preserve east of Orlando has more than 8 miles of trails through panoramic prairie and pine flatwoods landscapes.

Split Oak Forest WEA A live oak tree more than 200 years old is the centerpiece of Split Oak Forest, a 2,000-acre prairie and scrub preserve near Orlando, home to families of sandhill cranes

Tibet-Butler Preserve A wildlife haven within earshot of Walt Disney World, Tibet-Butler Preserve provides 3.6 miles of well-kept and gentle hiking trails for family fun.

Tosohatchee WMA Protecting more than 30,000 acres of the St. Johns River floodplain near Christmas, Tosohatchee WMA is a place to immerse yourself in the grandeur of old Florida and its bounty of botanical beauty.

Hiking Trails

Black Bear Wilderness Loop Trail Trot out your sense of adventure to immerse into one of the wildest trails you'll find near Orlando, a trek into the tangled jungle of the St. Johns River floodplain.

Black Hammock Wilderness Area Black Hammock is a bit of Old Florida in Oviedo, with a trail showcasing a delightfully long boardwalk and a loop through scrub habitats above Lake Jesup.

Florida Trail, Mills Creek Woodlands Discover a fairyland of ferns at the center of a spectrum of fascinating habitats along this 2 mile linear section of the Florida Trail.

Little-Big Econ Kolokee Loop Tieing together the Florida Trail, the Kolokee Trail, and the Flagler Trail, the 5.6-mile Kolokee Loop in Little Big Econ State Forest shows off the best facets of the its humid subtropical forest.

Wekiwa Springs Hiking Trail A 10.2-mile loop through landscapes both vast and intimate, the Wekiwa Springs Hiking Trail shows off the best of nature at Wekiwa Springs State Park.

Tosohatchee White Loop A botanically-rich immersion into Tosohatchee WMA, the White Loop combines the Florida Trail and the White Trail for a hike of nearly 11 miles.

Bike Trails

Seminole Wekiva Trail South John bikes the next segment west on the Coast to Coast Connector, the Seminole Wekiva Trail. This well-established bike path connects Seminole County communities.

Cady Way Trail An urban bike path, the Cady Way Trail follows an old railroad line to connect Orlando and Winter Park neighborhoods to neighboring Seminole County.

Florida Coast to Coast Trail With a corridor spanning more than 220 miles across nine Florida counties, the Florida Coast to Coast Trail (C2C) is Central Florida's long distance bike path.

Cross Seminole Trail A 27.6 mile paved bike path connecting to the Orange and Volusia county lines, the Cross Seminole Trail provides access to a massive network of Central Florida bike trails.

Paddling Trails

Econlockhatchee River Paddling Trail Along a blackwater river surrounded by dense subtropical forest, the Econlockhatchee River Paddling Trail offers a remarkable perspective of Florida landscapes from the water.

Wekiva River Paddling Trail A leisurely float downriver from Wekiwa Springs provides paddlers an immersion in the beauty of a Wild and Scenic River teeming with wildlife.

Winter Park Chain of Lakes A series of lakes connected by charming canals offers a unique paddling experience near the heart of historic Winter Park.

Florida State Parks

Lake Louisa State Park As longleaf pine reaches for the sky, the rolling hills of Lake Louisa State Park near Clermont return to their forested roots

Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park Paddle, hike, or ride your horse within this massive riverine preserve on the edge of the Orlando metro, where the Wekiva River and St. Johns River mingle.

Rock Springs Run Reserve State Park You have a better-than-average chance of spotting a Florida black bear at Rock Springs Run State Reserve, a vast wilderness area in the Wekiva River basin.

Wekiwa Springs State Park A massive wilderness area on the edge of the Orlando metro, Wekiwa Springs State Park is centered on a first-magnitude spring that pours forth a river lined with jungle-like vegetation.

Florida State Forests

Bronson State Forest Despite more than 40 miles of hiking and multi-use trails, Charles H. Bronson State Forest is a lightly-visited destination hidden behind more popular public lands.

Little-Big Econ State Forest Spanning from Oviedo to Geneva and Chuluota, Little Big Econ State Forest encompasses more than 10,000 acres of diverse habitats.

Seminole State Forest With nearly 50 miles of trails and roads for hiking, biking, and equestrian use, Seminole State Forest offers surprising panoramas and bubbling springs north of Orlando.

Best Birding in Orlando

Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive A dedicated driving route through vast wetlands along the Lake Apopka North Shore, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is one of Florida's best birding locations.

Orlando Wetlands For a hike filled with the flutter and squawk of birds about their daily routines, Orlando Wetlands is one of the best birding spots in the state. This 5-mile loop showcases our favorite route

Recent Articles

Sunflower Season on the St. Johns River near Orlando (5/31/2020) In September, swamp sunflowers put on a colorful show along the St. Johns River between Sanford and Geneva, north of Orlando. Here's where to take a hike to find them.

Expand Econ River Wilderness (2/19/2020) A proposal has been made public of a land swap offer between a developer and Seminole County for possession of Econ River Wilderness Area. We think that the existing preserve should be expanded, instead. Here's how.

Where to Stay in Orlando

With Florida’s largest concentration of hotel rooms, you’ll find something here to meet your family’s budget.

Before we moved to the metro, we stayed in – and can still recommend – unique lodgings like The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne and the EO Inn & Spa, downtown.

Camping? You’ll delight in the woodsy campgrounds you’ll find here. The trick at Wekiwa Springs State Park is reserving a space well in advance.

You’ll find cabins and glamping at Lake Louisa State Park, not far from Walt Disney World.

Lesser known but nice for families are the well-shaded campgrounds at Kelly Park, Trimble Park, and Lake Mills Park.

Inside city limits, Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake has RV sites, tent camping, and cabins.