[Blackened]

I am getting sick of having to take a "trip" up to ocala every time I want to squeeze in some trail time. So lately I have been searching and searching locally to find some decent trail systems since there is so much land in the area.


Recently I stumbled across a few of the many "preserves" that are all over the area. What bugs me about these places is that I have seen guys entering the gates to go offroading but they are not open to the public. Does anyone know how to gain access to them? I have only been out on one once(following one of the vehicles) and there are some great trails out on them.


Some examples of the ones I have been to are.. Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, Connor Preserve, Cypress Creek Preserve. And this website has a ton more but I do not know if the others actually have any trails on them. SWFWMD Recreation

 

[TampaChris]

I took my truck here one time

Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve • Four-corner area of Lake, Pasco, Polk and Sumter counties, east of Dade City

There were some good mud trails along the power lines. I did not spend too much time exploring though. Jeep comes next month. Sure I will check it out again.

 

[gringo loco]

Gotta be careful on public land like green swamp. You have to stay on the hard road unless it's fishing and frogging season or you have a handicapped permit. Green swamp is huge though, I think its about 90,000 acres, I was there yesterday and it is wet right now

 

[Blackened]

Green swamp is a little far from me but do they have locked gates on the entrances?

 

[gringo loco]

No, as far as I know after living and hunting here for 32yrs WMA's of truly public lands do not have locked gates except for maybe some small period in the summer maybe when there is no season for anything whatsoever. Maybe between snipe and skunk ape season.

 

[TampaChris]

How is the hunting there? For deer...

 

[gringo loco]

If you like a challenge its great the place is huge and really wet in some places, lots of hunters (drawback) but the game is there you just have to work harder than the rest. It is a beautiful place though, my favorite real estate in central Florida for variety of woods.

 

[Blackened]

No, as far as I know after living and hunting here for 32yrs WMA's of truly public lands do not have locked gates except for maybe some small period in the summer maybe when there is no season for anything whatsoever. Maybe between snipe and skunk ape season.

Thanks for the info. I will try to check it out sometime but that is about as far as ocala to me. Hoping someone will have some more info on how to get into the preserves that do have gates.