Myakka State Forest
Managed by Florida Forest Service
7,753 acres52.7 mi of trail
South LoopPalmetto TrailNorth LoopForesman Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Rino Landa · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in North Port
15% of North Port’s land is conserved: 9,810 acres
89 miles of mapped trail cross North Port, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Myakka State Forest (52.7 mi), Orange Hammock Ranch (8.9 mi), Schewe Ranch - South (6.1 mi). 32% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns · #251 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
9,810 acres · of 99.4 sq mi of land
Trails
89 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
477 ac
5.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
32%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
59 mi
26 mi lanes · 33 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is North Port?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Port have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Port is ahead of 58% of U.S. towns, #251 of 638 in Florida. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Port’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (89 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land5.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (477 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13CParks close to home32% of residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 58%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 61%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Myakka State Forest, with 52.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Orange Hammock Ranch
Managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
5,863 acres8.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Schewe Ranch - South
Nature preserve
1,198 acres6.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park
Managed by City of North Port
166 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Blue Heron Park
Managed by West Villages
41 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 18 parks & preserves
Myakka State Forest7,753 acres · 52.7 mi of trail · Florida Forest Service
DirectionsOrange Hammock Ranch5,863 acres · 8.9 mi of trail · Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
Schewe Ranch - South1,198 acres · 6.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMyakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park166 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · City of North Port
DirectionsBlue Heron Park41 acres · 1 mi of trail · West Villages
DirectionsShewe Ranch - North1,198 acres · SWFWMD
Atwater Park20 acres
DirectionsButler Park16 acres
DirectionsMorgan Community Center Park12 acres
Dallas White Park12 acres
Blue Ridge Park6 acres
Garden of the Five Senses5 acres
DirectionsWalton Ranch3 acres · Sarasota County
LaBrea Park3 acres · City of North Port's Parks & Recreation Department
DirectionsPine Park3 acres
Veterans Park3 acres
DirectionsStation Park2 acres
City Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
9,810 conserved acres
15% of North Port’s land. Who manages North Port’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land9,335 ac
Regional Water Districts1,223 ac
County270 ac
Town or city154 ac
State fish & wildlife28 ac
State Resource Management Area · 8,136 acWatershed Protection Area · 1,199 acState Recreation Area · 1,199 acLocal Other or Unknown · 253 acLocal Recreation Area · 118 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 51 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 30 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myakka State Forest State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 8,136 | Open |
| Myakka River Watershed Protection Area | Regional Water Districts | 1,199 | Closed |
| Schewe Ranch . South State Recreation Area | Other state land | 1,198 | Open |
| Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park Local Other or Unknown | County | 163 | Open |
| Myakka Islands Point Local Other or Unknown | County | 90 | Open |
| Butler Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Atwater Community Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Garden Of The Five Senses Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Dallas White Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Larry Thoennissen Athletic Fields At George Mullen Activity Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 13 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in North Port
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in North Port
Atwater Park Playground and Splash PadIn Atwater Park
DirectionsGarden of the Five Senses Playground
DirectionsPlus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in North Port
Fetch Dog Park at Wellen Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in North Port
Flying A Group CampIn Myakka State Forest · FDACS
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 19.3 miHorses · 18.3 miUnpaved · 11.5 mi
South Loop6.2 mi
Palmetto Trail5.3 mi
North Loop5.1 mi
Foresman Trail3.2 mi
Slash Pine Trail2.3 mi
Gordon Smith Memorial Trail1.2 mi
Dirt Dump Pass1.1 mi
River Trail0.7 mi
Jennings Boulevard0.6 mi
South Border Road (East)0.5 mi
1 more trails
To Mangrove Camp
0.4 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
59 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
26 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
33 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
40Tennis
19Baseball
12Basketball
3Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in North Port
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.6 | 11.2 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.5 | 13.8 | 13.7 | 13.1 | 12.3 | 11.5 | 10.8 | 10.4 |
| High (°F) | 74 | 77 | 80 | 84 | 89 | 91 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 86 | 80 | 76 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 8.5 | 7.9 | 9.1 | 7.7 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.1 |
November is the driest month (2.0 in) and August the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 9.1 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in North Port →
Next door
North Port and its neighbors
North Port has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Port | 15% | 0.9 | 6 | 32% | B |
| Englewood | 8% | 1.1 | 49 | 71% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Port
Where can I hike in North Port?
The longest trail networks: Myakka State Forest, 52.7 miles; Orange Hammock Ranch, 8.9 miles; Schewe Ranch - South, 6.1 miles; Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Port is conserved land?
15% of its land, against a typical 3% for a Florida town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on North Port’s trails?
Myakka State Forest and Orange Hammock Ranch don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Port?
59 miles of bike routes are on the map: 26 of painted or protected lanes and 33 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near North Port?
84,327 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Port or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,608 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does North Port have?
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #251 of 638 in Florida. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from North Port neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →