Myakka River State Park
Myakka River State Park is known for its great birding, and we have been
working on making our visitor service areas accessible to all. What we do have
that is completely accessible is the Native Tree Walk; it starts at the visitors’
center where there are accessible bathrooms, and accessible displays inside of
the visitor center. A paved path and drive continues for about half a mile. Along
the path you can view native Florida trees. There is also a wheelchair accessible
picnic area with a grill and picnic table, then the path continues down to a
pavilion by the Myakka River .
In addition to the Native Tree Walk, we also have a boardwalk that extends out
into the upper Myakka Lake where birding is at its best. This boardwalk is about
2 tenths of a mile long and is very easy to traverse. the only viewing problem is
the safety boards that have been put up so that visitors will not fall off, and also a
fence has been put up for the same reason. It may be hard to take pictures from
a sitting position, but the view is still amazing.
Myakka River State Park also has seven miles of scenic drive where wildlife
viewing is accessible from the comfort of your vehicle.
The concession area in the park is just a short 3 mile drive from the ranger
station, and has an accessible gift shop and restaurant; boat tours and tram
rides (when water levels permit); restrooms and picnic area. With some
assistance a sandy dirt trail that is about 4 tenths of a mile long to the weir and
fishing pier can be traveled with little effort, but well worth it for viewing wildlife.
There is almost 40 miles of trails at Myakka that vary in length and ease. I feel
that there is a trail for everybody; you can decide for yourself what trail would be
best for you. You can see our trails on line at http://www.MyakkaRiver.org
Always call ahead for current trail conditions and water levels, and let us
know if you need further assistance. With appropriate time for planning we at
Myakka can accommodate almost any request.
I hope this information helps you to better plan your trip to Myakka River
State Park . If you have further questions or need assistance in planning your trip
please contact me at Nicole.Finehout@dep.state.fl.us. I would be happy to assist
anyway that I can.
Nicole R. Finehout
Red Cross Instructor
Myakka River State Park