Oscar Scherer State Park
Managed by Florida State Parks
481 acres3.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Trish Hartmann · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Osprey
Osprey has 532 acres of parks, 90 for every 1,000 residents
16% of Osprey’s land is conserved, about 526 acres. 4.7 miles of mapped trail cross Osprey, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Oscar Scherer State Park (3.3 mi), Historic Spanish Point (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #36 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
526 acres · of 5.2 sq mi of land
Trails
4.7 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
532 ac
90 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
8.4 mi lanes · 1.9 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Osprey?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam90 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild16% of the land is conserved; a typical Florida town, 3%.A trail town0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 78% of U.S. towns.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Osprey have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Osprey is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #36 of 638 in Florida. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Osprey’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land90 acres of park per 1,000 residents (532 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13AParks close to home82% of residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 92%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 95%
Water is 14% of Osprey’s area (1 of 6 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 14%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A. 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 Oscar Scherer State Park, with 3.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Historic Spanish Point
Nature preserve
30 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Osprey dog park
Managed by Sarasota County
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
526 conserved acres
16% of Osprey’s land. Water is left out: Osprey has 5.2 square miles of land and 0.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Osprey’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks470 ac
County56 ac
State Park · 470 acLocal Park · 30 acLocal Recreation Area · 14 acLocal Other or Unknown · 11 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Scherer State Park State Park | State parks | 470 | Open |
| Bay Street Park Local Park | County | 18 | Open |
| Legacy Trail Local Recreation Area | County | 14 | Open |
| Blackburn Point Park and Addition Local Other or Unknown | County | 11 | Open |
| Osprey Junction Trailhead Local Park | County | 11 | Open |
| Shoreland Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Osprey
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Osprey
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Osprey
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.9 mi
off-road bike paths
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
16Tennis
12Pickleball
3Basketball
2Tracks
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Osprey
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) | 73 | 75 | 78 | 83 | 88 | 91 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 86 | 79 | 75 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 9.1 | 7.5 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
November is the driest month (1.9 in) and July 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 Osprey →
Next door
Osprey and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osprey | 16% | 0.9 | 90 | 82% | A |
| Laurel | 8% | 1.3 | 41 | 65% | A− |
| Palmer Ranch | 3% | 1.2 | 10 | 65% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Osprey
Where can I hike in Osprey?
The longest trail networks: Oscar Scherer State Park, 3.3 miles; Historic Spanish Point, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Osprey is conserved land?
16% 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 Osprey’s trails?
Oscar Scherer State Park and Historic Spanish Point don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Osprey?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.4 of painted or protected lanes, 1.9 of off-road paths and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Osprey?
30,988 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Osprey or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 532 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Osprey have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #36 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 Osprey 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 →