One of the best things about living in Sarasota is the abundance and quality of the parks system. The Sarasota County Parks system will be the subject of future posts, but today’s subject is Oscar Scherer State Park, located right here in Osprey.
Although it is located in a busy residential environment, Oscar Scherer spans 1400 acres of natural habitat that was set aside primarily as habitat for the endangered Florida Scrub Jay. The park features 15 miles of hiking trails, a large lake with a swimming area, and offers canoeing and kayaking on South Creek. The immensely popular cycling and walking trail, the Legacy Trail, runs through Oscar Scherer and the park has access to the trail. There is also a campground in the Park.
Hiking in Oscar Scherer State Park
With 15 miles of trails to explore, there are options for hikers of all abilities. Like most of Florida there is not much elevation change but each trail offers a different experience and they vary in length from the 5 mile Yellow Trail which runs along the upper sections of South Creek, the 2 mile Red Trail and 1.5 mile Blue Trails which run through the pine flatwood terrain that is preferred habitat for the Scrub Jay. The Green Trail is a 3 mile loop trail on the south side of the creek and campground that is closed during certain times of the year when Bald Eagles are nesting.
I recently hiked the Lester Finley Trail and South Creek Trails that run between the Ranger station and Lake Osprey, the location of the swimming beach and Nature Center. It is a little over 2 miles roundtrip along a very shady and scenic trail along South Creek. Here are some photos that I took on the hike.
Canoeing and Kayaking at Oscar Scherer
South Creek offers some very scenic views when on the water and you can also travel down South Creek to the Intracoastal Waterway if feeling energetic. The park offers kayak rentals but you can bring your own kayaks and launch from the kayak launch in the park. There are also guided kayak tours from time to time.
Camping at Oscar Scherer State Park
One of the most popular camping destinations on the Florida west coast is Oscar Scherer State Park. The park itself is beautiful and so is the campground area and sites are booked up months in advance, especially during the cooler months when our seasonal visitors are escaping the cold weather up north. There are 104 RV/Tent sites that offer electric and water hook ups, and each site features a table and grill. There are also 7 fully ADA accessible sites. The campground has clean and accessible restrooms with showers, and a laundry facility.
There is also a tent only group camping area available to rent that is popular with school and other groups. Additionally, there is equestrian camping available as well.
Best Way to See Oscar Scherer
With so may things to see and do at Oscar Scherer, why not just get an annual Florida State Parks Pass? The annual fee for an individual annual pass is $60, or $120 for a Family Pass that will cover up to 8 people in a vehicle. The pass will get you into any of the 175 State Parks all across Florida as many times as you care to go!
Please share any experiences you have had at Oscar Scherer State Park!