Myakka State Park should be on everyone's must see list when visiting the west coast of Florida. You can drive and stop at the viewpoints to get amazing views of alligators, or you can put on a backpack and sleep in primitive campsites, and lots in between. There is a museum to explain the habitats and the inhabitants of the... more

Myakka is truely a gem of the Florida Park Service. Just because the people below had a bad day dont let that change your mind from comming. The wildlife is not always right there when you want it to be, this is a park not a zoo. Wonderful trails to walk. Some of the best federally endangered open prairie that... more

We drove up from Englewood. I will see the vegetation was very impressive, it was like walking into a jungle. All the huge oaks with Spanish moss were beautiful. The canopy walk was neat, but I will say I was disappointed. I got the impression it was much longer. It was only about a 40 ft. walk between the stairs... more

We missed the airboat rides, came to late last one at 1 p.m. but park was beautiful to walk on the trails. Especially the one tower trail was fun climbing the tower and going over the bridge. The tower is 76 feet high, if you want to climb to the very top. Alligators are no problem to find and armadillos... more

We vacationed on Siesta Key, and took the short drive to Myakka Park one day. What a treat! After years of theme park side trips, this lovely, peaceful park gave us close-up views of alligators, eagles, owls, and other birds too numerous to name. Don't miss the canopy bridge on the nature trail. The palm trees, palmettos and spanish moss... more

Myakka River State Park is fairly close to Sarasota, and is an easy pleasant drive for out of state visitors on Siesta Key. The road enters a rural area and just when you believe you're hopelessly lost because there aren't any giant billboards advertising the park, there's a little sign about Myakka State Park being ahead. We took the air... more

Walk on the trail toward the dam - we saw several alligators, vultures, and egrets/herons. The view was beautiful. We took the airboat ride which was a little too slow and wordy for our young children but was interesting to us. We did see a couple alligators but the guide told us that it is more common to see alligators... more

This park is georgeous. Any road you take here is scenic. The palms drape over the road and form a canopy. Many roads are along the lake which just adds to the beauty of this park. The only thing that compares is Hawaii'sstate parks. When we come back to this area we will definately come back here to spend the... more

I went on April 18th, the time to go if you want to see gators. The bridge on the way in didn't have many just after 8am, but when I came back by around 11:30am there were plenty sunning themselves. I took the 10am boat ride. If your expecting the fly across the water airboat, this is not it. However,... more