Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Florida / South Florida

Myakka Hiking Trail (Myakka River State Park)

Myakka River State Park, Florida State Parks (near Sarasota)

Clouds reflected in the Myakka River
“Clouds reflected in the Myakka River” by Don Miller , CC BY 2.0 · Source · Resized for the web

The Myakka Hiking Trail winds through Myakka River State Park near Sarasota, crossing open prairies, palm hammocks, and oak forest. Florida Hikes calls it the longest backpacking loop in a Florida state park, about 39 miles in a chain of four loops, with grasslands more than two miles wide in places. Six designated campsites sit along the loops, and Florida Hikes says Bee Island is the most popular, making the easiest overnight trip.

Expect sun, flat ground, and water you’ll need to treat or carry.

The hike

Wikipedia says the park covers 37,000 acres, one of Florida’s largest, and is named for the Myakka River, the state’s first “Wild and Scenic River.” It opened in 1941. Florida Hikes says the Florida Trail Association built and maintains the Myakka Hiking Trail.

Florida Hikes describes the route from the trailhead. The trail climbs a small rise and follows Mossy Island Slough, a sluggish blackwater stream with high banks. At 2.4 miles, you get your first glimpse of the park’s vast prairies. Just after crossing a road into the prairie, you reach the sign for the Mossy Hammock campsite. The junction with the blue-blazed Bee Island Cross Trail comes at about 5.3 miles.

Bee Island is the classic stop. Florida Hikes says it sits on a high, dry hammock with beautiful views of the prairie. AllTrails describes a 14.4-mile loop from the Honore campsite to the Bee Island Cross Trail that cuts mainly through palmetto scrub with little tree cover, and notes that parts can be overgrown in summer but the trail is easy to follow.

Honore is another favorite. Florida Hikes describes it as carved into the underbrush of a palm hammock, with three separate patches of grass with fire rings, each tucked into its own niche along the trail.

The farther sites take more effort. Tribal Feast warns that getting to Oak Grove, Panther Point, and Prairie is no walk in the park. The Dyrt says the six campsites range from 2.5 to 14 miles from the trailheads.

Water takes planning. Florida Hikes says only three campsites have pitcher pumps and all water must be treated. Sources disagree on which three: The Dyrt lists Bee Island, Oak Grove, and Honore, and says Mossy Hammock’s pump is broken. Tribal Feast notes that iron in the well water turns it red when exposed to air. A Dyrt reviewer walked 4.5 miles total to reach water at Bee Island, the closest source.

The heat and sun matter too. AllTrails reviewers recommend sunscreen and plenty of water for the palmetto flats, which have no shade. AllTrails also warns that parts of the trail can be underwater after periods of heavy rain.

Florida Hikes says forest roads open to cyclists run parallel to the hiking trail, so bikepackers share the same campsites, and that the park’s three developed campgrounds have about 90 sites for anyone wanting a night before or after.

Wildlife is abundant. Florida Hikes says the river and its lakes are known for a dense alligator population. Wikipedia describes a hike to the Deep Hole sinkhole, where several hundred alligators can be seen, limited to 30 permits a morning.

For another Florida backpacking loop, see the Citrus Hiking Trail.

Tips

Camping

Camping on the Myakka Hiking Trail is at six designated primitive campsites: Mossy Hammock, Bee Island, Honore, Panther Point, Oak Grove, and Prairie. Florida Hikes says all must be reserved in advance and that bikepackers on parallel forest roads use the same campsites. Treat all water, and confirm which pumps are working before you go.

Inside Intel: Bee Island is the favorite. Florida Hikes calls it the most popular campsite and the easiest overnight, set on a high, dry hammock overlooking the prairie, and its photos show morning mist there. For more privacy, Florida Hikes describes Honore’s three grassy sites, each tucked into its own niche in a palm hammock.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

After heavy rain at Myakka River State Park:

AllTrails warns that parts of the Myakka Hiking Trail can be underwater after heavy rain. We looked at whether the Arc'teryx Beta SL beats two less expensive shells.

Read the comparison →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.