Recreation areas open (or closed) after the storms

Last updated on December 2nd, 2024 at 05:38 am

National Parks and Recreation Areas

Canaveral National Seashore. The Eddy Creek Parking Lot and Boardwalk in the Playalinda Beach district are open to the public. In the Apollo District (New Smyrna Beach), parking lots 1,2,3 and 5 are open. In the Playalinda District (Titusville), parking lots 1,3,5 and 7 are open. Be aware of rip tides along beaches. The park is operating on winter hours of 6 AM – 6 PM.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Open with some exceptions: Bio Lab Road is closed, as is the Catfish Creek loop road and the Palm and Oak Hammock Trails. Most all other refuge areas and facilities are open, including the Visitor Center, Black Point Wildlife Drive and all boat ramps. The Haulover Canal Bridge will be closed until November 16. Refuge public use areas on either side of the bridge will still be open to visitors.

Everglades National Park Alerts and Notices. Park is open, but some roads/trails may be closed for localized flooding. Visitor centers are reopening later today. Gulf Coast Visitor Center and kayak/canoe launch closed for reconstruction.

Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Due to wind and storm surge from Hurricane Milton, the Wildlife Drive is CLOSED until further notice. The Wildlife Drive was compromised in multiple locations and the foundation of the observation tower was damaged. Maintenance and repair work is under way, and the Refuge will reopen once work is completed. Updates can also be found on the Refuge’s Facebook page. The Visitor and Education Center is OPEN every day except Friday, from 9 am to 4 pm. The Bailey Tract is also open for hikers and bicyclists.

Big Cypress National Preserve. Open. ORV Trails are OPEN but may be obstructed by Milton debris. Kirby Storter Boardwalk will be closed due to a fire that occurred the evening of October 14.

Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Open. The 5.5-mile canoe trail is temporarily closed for semi-annual vegetation maintenance October 14-18, 2024. 

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Open.

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. Open.

Dry Tortugas National Park. Fort Jefferson on Garden Key and Loggerhead Key have reopened.

Gulf Island National Seashore. Open with pre-hurricane closures.

Ocala National Forest: These recreation areas have reopened, while flooding remains a problem in other areas of the forest. Here’s a list of openings:

• Alexander Springs Campground & Recreation Area
• • Buck Lake Group Campground
• • Clearwater Lake Campground & Recreation Area
• • Clearwater Lake Nature Trail
• • Doe Lake Group Camp
• • Doe Lake Boat Ramp
• • Fore Lake Campground & Recreation Area
• • Fore Lake Pier and Launch
• • Hopkins Prairie Campground
• • Juniper Springs Campground & Recreation Area
• • Juniper Run
• • Juniper Wayside
• • Lake Dorr Cabin
• • Lake Eaton Campground
• • Lake Eaton Boat Ramp & Pier
• • Lake Shore Group Campground
• • Mill Dam Group Campground & Recreation Area
• • Mill Dam Boat Ramp
• • Salt Springs Recreation Area
• • Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area
• • Shooting Range
• • Sweetwater Cabin

Osceola National Forest and Apalachicola National Forest are open.

Florida Trail

Florida National Scenic Trail. Some sections of the Florida Trail may still be closed. For updates on individual trail sections, go to floridatrail.org/trail-closures-and-notices or visit the Florida Trail Association’s Facebook page.

Warnings remain for these sections:

• The Aucilla WMA and Middle Aucilla Conservation Areas.
• A significant portion of the FT along the Suwannee River stretching from Twin Rivers to US-129, including sections in Twin Rivers State Forest, Suwannee River State Park, and Holton Creek WMA.
• The Juniper Prairie Wilderness section of the Ocala National Forest.
• The FT Western Corridor, including sections of Withlacoochee State Forest and Green Swamp WMA.

County parks and recreation areas

This listing focuses on counties hardest hit by recent hurricanes.

Pinellas County, including Fort De Soto Park (video)

Pinellas County (St. Petersburg and Clearwater) was hard hit by Hurricane Milton and recovery efforts are still in high gear. The following parks remain closed to the public due to storm damage, debris cleanup or ongoing hurricane recovery efforts:

Fort De Soto Park — Florida’s most popular park experienced significant damage and remains closed. All camping and shelter reservations are suspended pending further evaluation and likely won’t resume for several weeks, if not months.

Other Pinellas County parks that remain closed.

• Fred Howard Park
• John S. Taylor Park
• Lake Seminole Park
• Sand Key Park
• War Veterans Memorial Park
• All County beach access areas

All other Pinellas County parks and preserves, including county boat ramps and portions of the Florida Botanical Gardens, are now open.

Here’s an overview of recovery in Pinellas County beaches and other tourist destinations from the Tampa Bay Times dated Nov. 22, 2024. (A subscription may be required.)

Sarasota County

Turtle Beach Campground. Turtle Beach Campground is closed through at least December 18, possibly longer, due to hurricane damages. Website transactions and future reservations are temporarily suspended until further notice.

Casperson Beach. Caspersen Beach in Venice is temporarily closed due to damage caused by this year’s hurricanes.

The following beaches have reopened:

• Venice Beach
• North and South Brohard Beaches, Venice
• Maxine Barritt Park, Venice
• Nokomis Beach
• Siesta Beach, Sarasota

Hillsborough County

Hillsborough County has reopened many parks after Hurricane Milton. The following parks were still closed as of Veterans Day:

• Alafia River Boat Ramp
• All Persons Rotary Park
• Carmen Casa del Rio Park
• Clayton Park Sports Complex
  • Fields are open, the back of the park is closed due to tree damage
• Davis Park
• Dead River Conservation Park
• Firehouse Cultural Center
• Jean Street Park
• Lake Park
  • Due to recent storms, Lake Park is now being used by FEMA as a debris site. There is no estimated reopening date at this time, so please check back regularly for updates and announcements.
• Lucy Dell Community Pond
  • Park is open, playground is closed
• Morris Bridge Biking Area
• Northlakes Community Center and Sports Complex
  • Pickleball and basketball courts open, sports fields are not
• Northwest County Dog Park
  • The small dog side is open, but the large side is still closed
• Northwest Equestrian Park
  • Due to recent storms, Northwest Equestrian Park is now being used by FEMA as a debris site. There is no estimated reopening date at this time, so please check back regularly for updates and announcements.
• Panther Trace Park
• Rocky Creek Trails Nature Preserve
• Sun City Heritage Park
• Sydney Dover Conservation Park
  • Due to recent storms, Sydney Dover Conservation Park is now being used as a debris site. There is no estimated reopening date at this time, so please check back regularly for updates and announcements.
• Tanner Road Park
• Trout Creek Conservation Park
• Upper Tampa Bay Trail
• Valencia Lakes
• Westgate Park
  • Park is open, playground is closed
• Wynn Memorial Park

For an updated list of closures, visit hcfl.gov

Lee County

Florida State Parks openings and closures

164 of the 175 Florida state parks are open, including state parks in the Florida Keys that had closed temporarily for Hurricane Rafael. Only 11 state parks remain closed.

Hillsborough River State Park closed indefinitely

Hillsboro River State Park took a severe hit from Hurricane Milton and will be closed indefinitely as the river remains at flood stage and the ground remains soggy after 15 inches of rain. There was signfiicant wind damage along trails.

“Both day use and the campground will be closed until further notice,” the Hillsborough River State Park Preservation Society said in a Facebook post, quoting park officials. Campers with reservations through the end of the year are being notified by email of cancellations.

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Colt Creek State Park — Colt Creek State Park has reopened, including trails.

Lover’s Key State Park — The bayside day-use area, main entrance and beach at Lovers Key State Park are temporarily closed due to storm impacts. The boat ramp is operational, but parking is limited. Please follow instruction from park staff, adhere to all posted signage and avoid closed areas.

Cayo Costa State Park — The beach facing the Gulf of Mexico is open daily, 8 a.m. to sunset, but is only accessible to private boaters. There are no ferry services, docks, electricity, drinking water or overnight accommodations available. Restrooms are available on the gulf side of the island.

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park (Hamilton, Columbia counties). The park and campground are open and campsite reservations are being accepted. However, the canoe launch, gift shop, cabins and the South Gate are unavailable. Visitors may enter the park via the North Gate located on Foster Barnes Drive.

Myakka River State Park (Manatee, Sarasota counties). The park and campground have reopened as of Sunday, Nov. 3. Some amenities, such as the tram, canopy walkway and bird walk are not available until further notice as storm recovery efforts continue.

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (Citrus County) has reopened.

Madison Blue Spring State Park (Madison County) has reopened.

Open but campground remains closed

Oscar Scherer State Park (Sarasota County). The campground is being cleaned up and will take some time to reopen. Otherwise, the park is now open for day use.

Hontoon Island. (Volusia County). The state park is open to visitors, but the campground remains closed. Ferry service will be provided on a limited basis Friday through Sunday. For additional information, please contact the ranger station.

These state parks remain closed

As of Nov. 17, the following state parks were still closed to both day use and camping as cleanup continues post-Milton:

1. Caladesi Island State Park (Pinellas County).
2. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park (Collier County).
3. Egmont Key State Park (Hillsborough County).
4. Faver-Dykes State Park (St. Johns County).
5. Gasparilla Island State Park (Lee County).
6. Hillsborough River State Park (Hillsborough County).
7. Honeymoon Island State Park (Pinellas County).
8. Stump Pass Beach State Park (Charlotte County).

For updates, visit floridastateparks.org/StormUpdates.

Florida State Forests and Wildlife Refuges

Florida Wildlife Refuges. Some wildlife management areas and roads are closed. These closures could affect hunting opportunities, including for those with quota permits. Flooding continues in refuges located along the Suwannee/Santa Fe, St. Johns & Withlacoochee rivers due to Hurricane Milton. Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail campsites are closed until further notice due to Hurricane Helene.

All campgrounds and recreation areas in Florida’s state forests are open, with these exceptions:

Lake George State Forest. Forest is OPEN; Price Road and Pine Road remain closed.

Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest. Wildcow Grade is OPEN to Mustang Grade. Panther Pond Campground, Overflow Campground, and Hunt Camp are OPEN. Sic Island Road is OPEN to the Boardwalk Trailhead and Tram Loop Trailhead.

Tiger Bay State Forest. Forest is OPEN. South end of Indian Lake Road (Indian Lake Road bridge remains closed.

Twin Rivers State Forest. Closed.

Withlacoochee State Forest. Forest is OPEN; the following recreation areas and campgrounds are CLOSED: Silver Lake Day Use Area and Boat Ramp; Hog Island Day Use Area (Campground is open); Croom River Trail; River Junction Campground and Day Use Area; Iron Bridge Day Use Area;Oxbow Primitive Campsite and Day Use Area

Florida water management districts

Florida is divided into five water management districts whose job it is to manage the state’s water resources, aquifers, reservoirs and preserved wetlands in conjunction with other government agencies. As part of that mission, they also manage or share management of vast recreation areas for camping, fishing, hunting, hiking and other recreational pursuits.

• South Florida Water Management District: All SFWMD-managed lands have reopened. Some lands may have campgrounds and interior vehicles access roads that are temporarily closed. If you have a reservation, email SpecialUseLicense@sfwmd.gov with any questions.
• Southwest Florida Water Management District. Many District-managed campgrounds and properties, including trails and day-use areas, are still closed due to Hurricane Milton impacts. ADA trails at Hampton and Green Swamp West remain closed. Most District managed campgrounds will remain closed through Nov. 15. For details, visit swfwmd.state.fl.us
• St Johns River Water Management District. Most district recreation areas have reopened, although flooding is still occurring along the St. John’s River. For details, visit sjrwmd.com/lands
• Northwest Florida Water Management District. The recreation area at Pitt/Sylvan springs is temporarily closed for repairs. The trail to Pitt Spring from Strickland Road as well as the boardwalk to Sylvan Spring (from the Pitt Spring Parking Area) remains closed for renovations. At Williford Spring, the current ADA accessible ramp will be temporarily closed for renovations until further notice. The existing boardwalk and facilities at Williford Spring are open.
• Suwannee River Water Management District. District lands are open to hunters. Vehicle access for hunters will be limited and hunters will need to be prepared to access by foot. District campgrounds and recreation sites — except those listed here — are closed until trees and debris are cleared. 

Did you know? Almost a third (30%) of Florida is public lands. The federal government owns 4.5 million acres, half of which is managed by the National Park Service. State agencies manage more than 12 million acres, including lakes, rivers, and islands. More than 4 million acres is conservation land open to the public for recreation. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission manages more than 6 million acres as Wildlife Management Areas. County and municipal governments manage more than a half-million acres for public use. 

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