Travel dates :: January 17-19, 2016
After our stressful time in Fort Myers, Florida we made our way north to Myakka River State Park for a few days of rest before we would continue north. This place was JUST what we needed!
Myakka is a beautiful place. It’s one of Florida’s oldest and largest state parks and it has some of the most beautiful landscapes.
We had very little phone reception and virtually no internet while we were here – which was actually a welcome break from things. We DID have a lot of sunshine and lots of time enjoying the nature here.
If you visit the park, I highly recommend the airboat tour onto Upper Myakka Lake. The hour-long tour cost our family about $35 and was a blast – the kids especially loved it.
Apparently there are about 1,000 alligators in the Upper Myakka Lake – and we saw at least a dozen of them on the far shore of the lake during the tour. It was a COLD day, I think we would have seen many more had it been warmer. But we learned a ton about gators thanks to our great tour guide.
One of the things we learned is gators are able to bite down on something with a pressure of 3,700 pounds per square inch. In comparison humans chowing down on a piece of steak might have a pressure of 150 to 200 pounds per square inch. Pretty crazy huh? Do you see the two gators here? Sunning themselves under the most beautiful Spanish Moss draped tree. . .
Do you see both gators swimming across the lake here? They swam right in front of our boat!
Another gator. . .and a bird. It always surprises me when I see these things so close together. . .
A bird. . .
A couple more birds. The bird on the branch with it’s wings open is an Anhinga (I think?). We learned on the tour that Anhingas vary from other water birds because they don’t have oil glands that waterproof their feathers. So Anhingas have to air-dry their feathers between dives into the water.
Another gator, this one was a big one! I won’t bore you with more gator photos, but I recommend you take the tour if you’re lucky enough to be near Myakka State Park.
The other awesome thing to do at Myakka River State Park is the canopy walk. I can’t find any details on the park website for it – but get a hiking/trails map at the park and find this canopy walk – and go on it!
It’s is set up for one-way foot traffic, so find the tower that allows you to go up and take the stairs up. . .
The suspension bridge is 25 feet off the ground and nestled in the top of the trees.
It sways a little bit – just enough to make you excited 🙂 and you walk across to the tower on the other side. It’s amazing to be up in the trees! It’s a great opportunity to talk about the creatures that live in the canopy trees and they have some great displays to help with this discussion.
Once you get to the other side of the suspension bridge, climb the tallest tower!
You’ll find yourself 76 feet in the air with amazing 360 degree views of Myakka State Park. . .
It was breathtaking. We went really early in the morning – so we heard lots of bird chirping, the sun was coming up and we were the only people in the tower. I would definitely recommend timing it this way. I also think sunset would be an incredible time to be up in the tower.
Looking down from the top of the tower you can see the suspension bridge below.
And that was Myakka. It was a wonderful state park and definitely worth a stop!
From here we headed north to Oleno State Park near Gainesville. . . more on that later!
That looks like an amazing state park with many educational opportunities. I bet the kids really enjoyed the alligators. It reminds me of the Everglades. I’ll have to make a note of it for the next time we’re in Florida.
Great park! We lived in Sarasota for 10 years and would always take our guests there! There is so much more to Florida than it’s beautiful beaches. I will not hold it against the park that this is where my husband backed into the tree. 🙂 I believe the gators actually show up more when it is cold because they get on the banks to warm in the sun.
Debbi – Oh no! I’m sorry that your husband backed into a tree at Myakka. I can see why, it’s very lush with lots of trees. It was fun to see the other side of Florida beside the beaches!
I’m looking forward to a stay at Myakka in a little over a week. Your little details, like timing the tower walk and the lack of phone/internet are very helpful. I’ve got to say thank you again for sharing the Wandering Labs website – your tips helped me get 4-1/2 wonderful weeks in the Keys with just a few weeks of lead time.
I share your love for Trader Joes, and must admit I’ve used their store locator to influence my travel route more than once! Stay safe and have fun. Love seeing photos of your kids looking like they have a great life.
Hi Kathy – I hope you like Myakka (I am pretty sure you’ll love it!). Glad our tips were helpful and I’m so glad that Wandering Labs was helpful for you. We love, love it. 🙂
There are TWO Trader Joe’s here in San Antonio and it’s on our list. As far as our kids having a great life – I think we have our regular ups and downs that most families have – but that life in general is great and we are so grateful for this time together. I wouldn’t want anything else for us right now!
heather, did you see the photo contest on florida state parks website? you need to start entering these with you amazing photos!
Hi Michelle – I didn’t see that! I’ll have to take a look for it. 🙂 Thanks for saying my photos are amazing – you are too sweet!
Am leaving from jacksonville on the 28th to visit my son who leaves in sarasota, and i told my sisters thati wanted to go by Myakka park but had no clue that it is as big as it is am so amaze with everything there i will be visiting before i head back to jax