Category: Sarasota

Hiking along Siesta Key Beach is one of our favorite local places to walk. Siesta Key is an eight-mile-long island that is accessible by two bridges from the mainland. On the Key, there are three beaches: Siesta Key Beach, with adjacent Crescent Beach, and further south Turtle Beach.

We accessed the beach from the pavilion where there are bathrooms, dressing rooms, food, picnic areas, a playground, and volleyball courts. We used the yellow lifeguard stand as our reference point and headed south toward Crescent Beach and Point of Rocks, about two miles south.

Siesta Key has fine white quartz sand. Walking on it is like walking on cornstarch—soft, smooth, and cool. As we approach Crescent beach the sand becomes grainier with shells and we are thankful for our sandals.

Crescent Beach ends at Point of Rocks, a rocky area with a tide wall. At low tide, you can see various forms of marine life in the clear water, making it a fun place to snorkel.

The four-mile round trip walk took us about 1-1/2 hours. I recommend this hike at sunrise, sunset, or on cloudy days. Otherwise, it can be very warm and crowded.

John Ringling Causeway, aka, the Ringling Bridge is named after John Ringling of the Ringling Brothers Circus. It spans across Sarasota Bay and provides stunning panoramic vistas of Sarasota and the keys.

Though the 65-foot tall bridge extends from Sarasota Bay to St. Armands Circle (about 2.6 miles), we only walked the first portion to Bird Key Park and back for a roundtrip hike of 4.25 miles.

We parked at the Bayfront grateful for the cloud cover. On hot sunny days the bridge walk can be scorching, the only shade provided by the turnaround tunnel at Bird Key. We passed the controversial stature Unconditional Surrender. City residents are divided on whether the “kissing statue” should remain in the Marina.

On the approach to the bridge, we passed Cedar Point, which was home to Sarasota’s first jail. Because of the beautiful sunsets from the location, it became known as “Sunset Park.” With the intentions of building a causeway to connect mainland Sarasota with the keys, John Ringling purchased property on Cedar Point.

Though the vistas from the bridge are spectacular, this is not an ideal hike. The traffic makes it too noisy and the diesel-fueled trucks make it smelly. Additionally, there are no facilities.

At the Eloise Werlin Park, located on the eastern base of the John Ringling Causeway Bridge, there is a walkway under the bridge that provides access to the opposite side of the bridge. There is such a turnaround at the other end of the bridge at Bird Key Park.

At Bird Key Park, there are picnic tables, benches for watching the wildlife and bird watching, and a canoe launch. There is also a whimsical bike sculpture. I wonder if it is one of “Dr. Nik‘s” who has more than 36 decorated bikes around Sarasota.

Sleeping Turtles Preserve lies just west of T. Mabry Carlton, J. Memorial Reserve in Venice and about 20 miles from home. This 174-acre preserve is divided by the Border Road and contains in all about 5 miles of interconnecting hiking trails, including a single-track along the Myakka River.

To date, the northern side of the preserve is, for me, the most scenic local hiking experience. Several mowed and tree-covered paths intertwine to ensure several hours of walking.

It was interesting to note that in 2003, the Myakka River flooded to heights greater than Dennis. Note that this gauge stands up from the riverbank about 3-to-4 feet and is about 20 or 30 feet inland from the shore.

Once we reached the northern limit of the preserve, we followed a single path along the riverbank. This was most scenic but unmarked. We were on guard for alligators sunning on the banks or near the edge of the water. At one point something large dove into the water. When nothing surfaced, we backed tracked, just to be on the safe side.

There are plenty of benches and several covered picnic tables to provide resting areas. Today’s lunch was sardines or smoked herring, bread and butter, and olives.

After lunch, we hiked the southern portion of the preserve. Unlike the northern section, dogs are not allowed on these trails, but horses are. Since this side is not near the river, it is not a scenic. Also, since it is nearer to the highway, the the traffic noise detracted from enjoying nature’s tranquility.

The southern side also had fewer benches and the interconnecting trails could confuse someone without a map. Even though the maps at the entrance were not up-to-date, there are more trails than depicted, we managed not to get lost, thanks to Dennis’ good sense of direction.

Overall, we had a wonderful visit and I recommend hiking in the Sleeping Turtles Preserve, especially the northern portion. We will return to this picturesque local hiking spot.

About 20 miles southeast of Sarasota, the T. Mabry Carlton Reserve is a wonderful midweek wilderness escape. The reserve has over 90 miles of trails and is nearly 40 square miles. We only hiked about 5 miles in the small black rectangle pictured below, following the red and then green trails.

Upon arrival, we hiked a short loop to the restrooms and picnic area. Luckily, Dennis notice this fellow before sitting on the loo. It is as big as his hand, measuring 4 or 5-inches

Planning a 5- to 6-mile hike, we packed a lunch, carried 3 liters of water and a large bottle of Gatorade. Because the weather was predicted to be around 87° F and sunny, we carried our GoLite UV protection umbrellas, but we did not need to use them—a breeze helped cool us, though Dennis who does not tolerate the heat would have preferred it to be cooler.

This habitat is similar to that of other local reserves. There are scrub grasses, palmettos (some that might be as much as 10,000 years old according to the website), birds, game, insects, and an occasional tiger lily. We did not see large wildlife, though we did find deer tracks.

There were plenty of insects. Cicadas buzzed, grasshoppers clicked and clacked as they flew around us. There were numerous types of dragonflies and, of course, mosquitos near the boggy areas. Dennis spotted a 3-inch Florida Lubber Grasshopper. Good thing he did not try to pick it up. “When alarmed, lubbers will spread their wings, hiss and secrete foul-smelling froth from their spiracles. They can expel a fine spray of toxic chemicals for a distance of 15 cm,” the UF research states.

The Red Trail (3.0 miles) is mostly a mowed path, with a few muddy places. The Green trail (2.1 miles) had knee-high grasses and more difficult mud patches to cross. Heading south, we followed the Red Trail until it junctions to the Green Trail which we then followed back to the picnic area. After lunch and a nap for Dennis, we headed north on the Red Trail and returned on the other end of the Green trail, thus completing the two loops.

We returned home hot but mellowed. It is refreshing to get away from the noise and worries and spend time out in nature. There are many other trails to hike in the T. Mabry Carlton Reserve. I am sure we will be checking them out.

Hello, Everyone.

Much has happened since I last posted. Last fall, I took several trips cruising the Caribbean and even visited the Panama Canal. Since I had previously toured many of the islands, I chose not to write about them again. And then the pandemic arrived and I canceled all travel plans. Though I do walk 6 – 8 miles daily walk around the community, I have been feeling cooped-up.

Recently, I read Travelled Far by Keith Foskett. (For my review, click here.) The book discusses the benefits of local hiking. I immediately decided to do the same and hike trails around Sarasota Florida. Though still flat, these unpaved trails would offer me relief from inner-city environs and the constant pounding on a solid surface.

My first adventure was to Red Bug Slough (pronounced SLOO) a broad, shallow channel filled with flowing water except in periods of extreme drought. In this marsh, there are many forms of wildlife, and my husband and I saw turtles, an alligator, red dragonflies, woodland ducks, egrets, and other waterfowl. Though we only saw shiners at the water’s edge, fishing from shore is permitted.

The preserve is only 72-acres but the hour-long walk was as wonderful as walking in a huge wilderness tract. The birds and bugs replaced the city sounds with soothing background noises. The soft and sometimes muddy earth enticed us to keep going. The oak forest and pine flatwoods provide cooling shade. And all of the “wilderness” within a few miles of home.

I will have to return when the summer’s wet season is over to visit some of the trails that were not accessible. For those who do not like walking on the grass and dirt, there is a paver block walkway along the southern boundary of the preserve, though we did not visit that.