Myakka River State Park is a Florida State Park, that is located east of Interstate 75 in

Sarasota County Sarasota County is a county located in Southwest Florida. At the 2020 US census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota and its largest city is North Port. Sarasota County is part of the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton, FL m ...

and a portion of southeastern

Manatee County Manatee County is a county in the Central Florida portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county s ...

on the

Atlantic coastal plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

. This state park consists of , making it one of the state's largest parks. It is also one of the oldest parks in the state. It was delineated in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. A small portion () of the park was the gift of the family of Bertha Palmer to the state. The park is named after the Myakka River.

Environment

Myakka River State Park is in the southeastern conifer forests ecoregion. Plant communities in areas of the park with drier soils are a mixture of pine forests, scrubby flatwoods, and dry prairies. Florida longleaf pine flatwoods are woodlands dominated by longleaf pine ('' Pinus palustris''). South Florida pine flatwoods are open woodlands of (''

Pinus elliottii ''Pinus elliottii'', commonly known as slash pine,Family, P. P. (1990). Pinus elliottii Engelm. slash pine. ''Silvics of North America: Conifers'', (654), 338. is a conifer tree native to the Southeastern United States. Slash pine is named after ...

'' var. ''densa'') with a dense ground cover of grasses and shrubs.

Florida dry prairie The Florida dry prairie is a herbaceous upland plant community found in subtropical southern Florida. It consists of plains covered in grasses, low shrubs, and few widely scattered trees. It was originally found on the plains near the Kissimmee Ri ...

s are flat, nearly treeless plains with dense cover of grasses, forbs, saw palmetto ('' Serenoa repens'') and other low shrubs . Wetlands in the park include marshes and forested wetlands.

Floridian highlands freshwater marsh The Floridian highlands freshwater marsh is a wetland community found on the Florida peninsula. These are upland marshes occurring in shallow peat-filled valleys, the basins of dried lakes, and the borders of existing lakes. The vegetation mosaic i ...

es are depression marshes composed of different

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plant communities that vary based on water depth.

Southern coastal plain nonriverine cypress dome The southern coastal plain nonriverine cypress dome is a forested wetland community found in the southern Atlantic coastal plain, in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. They are small forested wetlands characteri ...

s are small wetlands of bald cypress ('' Taxodium distichum'') notable for their dome-shaped appearance. A

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

sinkhole named Deep Hole is located on the northwest bank of the Myakka River in the Wilderness Preserve. The sink is deep though no evidence of a spring was found by a 2011–2012 research team. Rivers in the park support hammocks and floodplain forests. Near the floodplains of spring-fed rivers grow southern coastal plain hydric hammocks, dense forests of evergreen and deciduous hardwood trees. Blackwater rivers support

southern coastal plain blackwater river floodplain forest The southern coastal plain blackwater river floodplain forest is a forest system found in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia. These forests occur in the drainages of blackwater rivers and streams whose dark water is caused by high levels of ...

s of baldcypress along their banks.

Climate

Things to do

The park is noted for its wildlife and some of the rare birds seen only in Florida, such as the roseate spoonbill, frequent the park. Native flora flourishes in the park. There are many species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals to learn about and enjoy watching as well. Myakka River State Park has an excellent system of hiking trails. Walking trails crisscross the eastern side of the park. Six primitive campgrounds are accessible by trail throughout the park: Mossy Hammock, Bee Island, Panther Point, Honore, Oak Grove and Prairie. Horseback riding and biking is permitted on certain designated trails and roads in the park. This part of the park is dominated by expanses of very low vegetation, fields of palmetto, that make a transition to islands, or hammocks, of tall pine and oak trees. A good portion of the park is accessible by automobile. Myakka River State Park's main road, a drive between the north and south ends, leads visitors to a boardwalk out to the river and a lake that is excellent for bird watching. The main drive is also popular with cyclists, runners, and skaters. Bicycle traffic can be heavy, especially on weekends and holidays. A short walk from the main road reveals Myakka's canopy walkway, a novel suspension bridge and tower providing researchers and visitors with views of the forest canopy and a spectacular above-the-treetops view of the entire park. Picnic areas, canoeing, boat tours, and developed campsites are available. The park even has five cabins that were built not with logs, but with the trunks of native sabal palms.

References

Gallery

Image:Wood Stork - Myakka River State Park.jpg, Wood stork Image:Myakka River - Great Blue Heron.jpg, A

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

Image:Black-necked Stilt - Myakka River State Park.jpg,

Black-necked stilt The black-necked stilt (''Himantopus mexicanus'') is a locally abundant shorebird of American wetlands and coastlines. It is found from the coastal areas of California through much of the interior western United States and along the Gulf of Mexic ...

Image:Great Egret - Myakka River State Park.jpg, A great egret Image:Myakka River SP - Boat Basin.jpg, The Boat Basin with airboats ''Gator Gal'' and ''Myakka Maiden'' Image:Alligator - Myakka River State Park.jpg, Alligators abound Image:Myakka River - Kayaking.jpg, Kayaking on the Myakka River Image:Myakka River Sunset.jpg, Myakka River Sunset Image:Myakka Canopy Walkway.JPG, View walking on the Canopy Walkway Image:Myakka River State Park I.jpg, Trails flooded after heavy rains

Environment

Climate

Things to do

References

Gallery

External links