Category: Florida Federal

Desoto National Memorial

Desoto National Memorial
“De Soto National Memorial, in Manatee County 5 miles west of Bradenton, Florida, commemorates the 1539 landing of Hernando de Soto and the first extensive organized exploration by Europeans of what is now the southern United States. The memorial includes 26 acres, where the Manatee River joins Tampa Bay.”  (from Wikipedia)   Thank you Diane McConnell for letting me know about this park.  She writes that the crushed shell trails through mangroves are wide and flat.
“A visitor to De Soto National Memorial can quickly experience four distinct natural ecosystems along the park’s half mile nature trail. The park is situated along the south shore of the Manatee River at the mouth of Tampa Bay. The Bay is a subtropical estuary consisting of open water and a mixture of mangrove and salt marsh vegetation in the tidal zone.”  Map  Phone 941-792-0458 x105     Website

The Nature Trail winds along the shoreline and through several Florida ecosystems, including a mangrove forest like the one that De Soto’s men would have encountered when they landed. Trails include interpretive signage and waysides that tell the story of the De Soto Expedition and the natural history of the area.

Covid restrictions as of March 2020: “De Soto National Memorial’s parking lot, nature trails, and restroom facilities are open. The Visitor Center remains closed. ”

Gulf Islands National Seashore FL & MS

Gulf Islands National Seashore.
The hurricanes of 2017 may have done considerable damage to these areas.  Call before going. Phone 850-934-2600
The islands  in the northern Gulf of Mexico offer white sandy beaches and  aquamarine waters.  Come for boating, camping exploring an old fort or to fish.
“Visitors can plan their trip to either the Florida District or to the Mississippi District. Each district provides recreation, barrier islands, salt marshes, historic structures and wildlife along the Gulf of Mexico.”   Accessibility         Loaner wheelchairs are available in both districts.  Here is their website. 
Florida:
Wheelchair Accessible“Perdido Key Discovery Trail and six beach cross-over boardwalks (two to sound; four to Gulf) are wheelchair accessible.”  call 850-934-2600 for more information.  Fort Pickens fishing pier is accessible.
Wheelchair AccessibleNaval Live Oaks   The first loop of the 0.8 mile Breckenridge Trail is an “accessible boardwalk with tactile waysides.”
Mississippi:
HikerwithcaneThe Davis Bayou Trail takes visitors through a coastal forest and over two local bayous. The trail is approximately two miles long. AllTrails describes it as “good for all skill levels.”
Wheelchair AccessibleThe short boardwalk over Stark Bayou is the only part of the trail that is wheelchair accessible.
“Boardwalk trails, campsites and fishing pier are accessible.”  For information call Davis Bayou Visitor center at 228-875-9057.

Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park
The Everglades spans across 1.5 million acres that stretches over the southern part of Florida. There are three main areas. The northern section of the park is accessible via Miami or Everglades City, the southern section is accessible through Homestead.  The three entrances are not connected.  The Everglades has a “vast diversity of flora and fauna in different eco-systems: freshwater sloughs, marl prairies, tropical hammocks, pineland, cypress, mangrove, coastal lowlands, marine, and estuarine.”
Gulf Coast Visitor Center Phone 239-695-3311  As of November, 2017 the center is closed because of damage from Hurricane Irma.  Call to learn current status.
Flamingo Visitor Center   Phone 239-695-2945  As of November, 2017 the center is partially closed because of damage from Hurricane Irma. Call to learn current status.
Shark Valley Visitor Center  Phone 305-221-8776 As of November, 2017 the center is closed because of flooding from Hurricane Irma. Call to learn current status.
Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center  Phone 305-242-7700      

Facilities, including trails for mobility-impaired visitors.
Information for sight-impaired visitors.

Wheelchair AccessibleAnhinga Trail  0.8 mile round trip “…self-guiding trail winds through a sawgrass marsh, where you may see alligators, turtles, anhingas, herons, egrets, and many other birds, especially during the winter. This is one the most popular trails in the park because of its abundance of wildlife.”
Wheelchair AccessibleGumbo Limbo Trail  0.4 round trip “… self-guiding, paved trail meanders through a shaded, jungle-like hammock of gumbo limbo trees (Bursera simaruba), royal palms (Roystonea elata), ferns, and air plants.”
Wheelchair AccessiblePineland Trail  0.4 mile trail trail “loops through a forest of pines, palmettos, and wildflowers.”
Wheelchair AccessiblePahayokee Overlook  a 0.16 mile boardwalk loop

Wheelchair AccessibleMahogany Hammock Trail  0.5 mile “self-guiding boardwalk trail meanders through a dense, jungle-like hardwook “hammock.” Lush vegetation includes gumbo-limbo trees, air plants, and the largest living mahogany tree (Swietenia mahogani) in the United States.”
Wheelchair AccessibleWest Lake Trail  .05 mile  “self-guided boardwalk trail wanders through a forest of white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa), black mangrove (Avicennia nitida), red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), and buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) trees to the edge of West Lake.”
Wheelchair AccessibleBobcat Boardwalk Trail  0.5 mile “self-guided boardwalk trail that meanders through the sawgrass slough and tropical hardwood forests.”