Florida beyond the theme parks – Myakka River State Park

The Canopy Walkway at Myakka River State Park in Florida.

Stunning Pinterest pictures of Canopy Walkway and Tower at Myakka River State Park in Florida caught my attention when planning our Florida vacation. This is one of those destinations which is fabulously fun, but don’t build it up for more than it’s worth based on a few carefully angled photographs.

Around 30 minutes from Siesta Key Beach, Myakka River State Park should be on your must-visit list! There is so much to do there that you really could spend all day.

Here’s our short afternoon visit!

Make sure to stop at the Visitor Center. There are lots of great displays with taxidermy animals. Also, this is where the bathrooms are!

Our family picnics regularly, at least once a week. As experienced picnickers, we can tell you, this was unique and one of our favorite picnics ever. 

A perfect picnic spot under trees with spanish moss at Myakka River State Park in Florida. Our daughter kept catching skinks. The children had so much fun with all the new natural elements that we had a hard time convincing them to leave so we could go see even more great things!

A scared skink hides on the side of a log at Myakka River State Park in Florida.

We really enjoyed the Nature Trail to Canopy Walkway & Tower. It can be a little tricky to find, but worth taking the time to locate it.

A family walking on the Nature Trail at Myakka River State Park in Florida.

Without a lot of foliage on the ground, it can be confusing to know if you are on the trail or not. Very different than hiking in Iowa. We figured out where to go by spotting the tower and heading in that direction.

A boy walks up a log while his dad watches at Myakka River State Park in Florida.

The underside of the Canopy Walkway at Myakka River State Park in Florida.

The Canopy Walkway was interesting and fun, but not at long or as high as I had imagined it. The viewing tower does offer breathtaking views!

Stairs inside climbing tower at Myakka River State Park in Florida.

At 74 feet above the ground, it feels like you are over a tropical rainforest.

Breath taking views from the top of the tower at Myakka River State Park in Florida.

We did a little more hiking there. We felt that the suggested hiking times are generous. I would say we did the Canopy Nature Trail in around 30 minutes with plenty of time to enjoy the views.

Beauty is everywhere at Myakka! We highly recommend an afternoon visit, if not more.

Beautiful spanish moss hangs from trees at Myakka River State Park in Florida.

Sadly, we didn’t get to see any alligators, but we absolutely loved Visiting Florida beyond the theme parks – Myakka River State Park & Ocala National Forest!

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