Visitors have a great opportunity to experience Florida’s native wildlife in the midst of this Stormwater Treatment Area (STA). This vast wetland offers hiking, bicycling, bird watching, fishing and nature photography.

Located along the eastern edge of the Kissimmee River floodplain, the Starvation Slough Airboat Launch provides access to Starvation Slough and No Name Slough. If you walk far enough west into the floodplain anywhere along No Name Slough, you will see backfilled portions of the former C-38 Canal resulting from river restoration. You may ride a horse at both sloughs.

Oak Creek has many old-growth oaks, some spanning nearly five feet in diameter. Enjoy the shade while you look toward the water’s edge.

This area offers miles of hiking and bicycling trails and accessible fishing platforms within an expanse of Everglades wetlands and muhly grass prairies dotted with tropical hardwood hammocks and cypress forests. This site provides critical habitat for the Cape Sable seaside sparrow, the American crocodile and over 200 species of birds.

Hunting is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Visit myfwc.com for hunting dates, regulations and detailed license information.

Snell Creek is part of the Lake Marion Creek Wildlife Management Area which also includes Torrelli South, Horse Creek, Huckleberry Island, Baker Dairy and Lake Marion.

Hilly scrub, pine flatwoods and riverine swamp forest provide habitat for a variety of Florida’s native plant and animal species at the Lake Marion Creek Wildlife Management Area.

At the Torrelli South Trailhead, you can take a quiet hike along the sugar-sand hills where you may see a rare scrub jay. At lower elevations you will find shady, fern-carpeted tree hammocks.

Located in southwest Orange and northwest Osceola counties, Shingle Creek is a great place to bike, hike, fish, kayak, canoe and view wildlife.

Shingle Creek is the major water source for Lake Tohopekaliga, which is part of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and forms the headwaters of the Everglades. Because of the land’s significance to the Everglades, Shingle Creek is a featured site along the Everglades Trail.

For more information, please call the District Recreation Hotline at 866-433-6312 or email recreation@sfwmd.gov.

Chandler Slough is a beautiful tract of cypress swamp, oak and cabbage palm hammocks and marsh habitats. This is a great spot to watch wildlife, including wading birds and waterfowl, and hikers can also access the Florida National Scenic Trail which runs through the property.

To the south, overhanging oak limbs frame a view of the Old Kissimmee River as it winds its way between Telex and Yates marshes. You can also visit Seaboard Marsh to the north by boat. Watch for bluegill beds in the spring and summer in the shallows of the riverside.

At the end of the old Kissimmee River, on the north side of S-65E, you’ll find an expanse of thick marsh that is virtually inaccessible, except for cuts in the old river. The old river resembles the look of the C-38 Canal here because it is very wide as it runs through the overgrown marsh. The more adventurous might want to park by the marshy pasture at the north end and walk to higher ground to find a shady oak for a picnic.

Located in the Reedy Creek watershed, this area features picturesque views amid a mosaic of floodplain swamp, wet prairie, mesic flatwoods and scrub. You can enjoy this biologically diverse treasure by boat, starting from the closest boat launch at Cypress Lake.

Take a break at the “Cowboy Camp” established in the 1920s on Rough Island South, enjoy shady oaks and a large hammock on the south end of Rough Island North, or spend some time at the picnic area at the south end of Johnson Island. Hiking is best during the dry season.

At the end of the old Kissimmee River, on the north side of S-65E, you’ll find an expanse of thick marsh that is virtually inaccessible, except for cuts in the old river. The old river resembles the look of the C-38 Canal here because it is very wide as it runs through the overgrown marsh. The more adventurous might want to park by the marshy pasture at the north end and walk to higher ground to find a shady oak for a picnic.

Located along the eastern edge of the Kissimmee River floodplain, Oak Creek has many old-growth oaks, some spanning nearly five feet in diameter. Enjoy the shade while you look toward the water’s edge.

On a spring day, you will delight in watching butterflies fly from wildflower to wildflower.