withlacoochee gulf preserve

What a great place, scenic with the observation Tower, greatbtrails with a neat boardwalk trail. You can see the people responsible understand prservation of this parksince tgere has been what appears to be reducing the under growth to reduce fire potential. Bet when natural spring flowers appear it will be even more beautiful.Wish the building was open the day we visited.Gill L

We were there in October, and did the boardwalk and tower. A dogfish was in the pond chasing fish about. We hoped the dogfish would pass under the bridge, but no luck there. We did see several crabs though. Didn't see many birds from the tower, mostly vultures, a few egrets and an osprey, but it was mid afternoon, so most animals aren't active. A good place to visit time and again.

Visitors should be aware that recent (May 2014) forest clearing has dramatically altered the landscape, and, ultimately, the claim that this is an undisturbed piece of Florida. Fortunately, the tower area has not been affected, but the board walk and surrounding trails no longer have the same appeal as we had experienced on previous visits. If I had reviewed this before, I would have given it 5 stars plus. Now, it barely rates three stars. My two newly attached photos show what it looks like now.

Great area to walk or ride a bike, see some of nature... (including no-see-ums) so wear long pants and sleeves or use some Skin lotion.Nice tower to climb and get an over view of the wetlands, birds are plentiful and local wildlife to be seen.

The Observation tower you get a great view of the diversity of the 400 acre plus Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve. From the salt water marsh, to its' hardwood hammocks all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Great for bird watching and a wonderful visitors center which is open during educational events. Great for family hikes with a nice boardwalk around a pond. Dog friendly too! Don't forget to bring a poo bag and a dog leash.

We take the pups out once a week. There are several trails and a couple of picnic areas that keep it interesting for all of us. Some serious sniffing goes on for the hour (or more) we spend walking around this beautiful park that borders the Gulf of Mexico. Pets need to be leashed but that doesn't seem to lessen the enjoyment for them at all.

Beautiful! We walked up the observation tower to see the view out over the Gulf. Definitely the real Florida!

I lliked how empty of people this little corner of Florida is! And the vounteers we met at the facility were really nice and welcoming! We walked for hours and enjoyed being in nature!

Yankeetown did a nice job creating this park (was not there in the early 1990's). There are a few boardwalks surrounding a few natural lakes. Paths are fine for walking or bicycling. Be sure to take bug spray in the warm months to keep the biting flies away. Nice observation tower to walk up & see the huge marsh that leads up to the gulf. Nothing fancy, but worth a picnic.

A nice elevated walkway...wish there was more to see. Also a pretty cool observation tower...again wish there was more to see other than grass and nothing. We were there for a good half hour and saw no animals. Not even a bird. We saw some tiny crabs run into a small creek, but that was about it.