Amberjack Environmental Park – Florida Hikes - Primal Outdoor Members Portal

At Amberjack Environmental Park, 225 acres of conservation land protects the excessive floor within the Cape Haze Peninsula.

Accessed by way of a boardwalk by way of a mangrove tunnel, Amberjack Slough offers a distinguished function on the north finish of the park, a great spot for birding.

Mangrove boardwalk

Elsewhere alongside the path system, the panorama is open and panoramic, with pine flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods, and scrub.

Since our preliminary go to, the path system has been revised. Whereas it beforehand looped the middle of the protect, now two loops stick near perimeter fences.

Florida rosemary under barbed fire fence

Massive Florida rosemary alongside a fringe path within the scrub

Sources

Overview

Location: RotondaLength: 2.8 milesTrailhead: 26.871601, -82.300076Address: 6450 Gasparilla Pines Blvd, RotundaFees: FreeRestroom: NoneLand supervisor: Charlotte CountyPhone: 941-613-3220

Open daybreak to nightfall. Canine not permitted. Count on delicate sand or soggy spots on some trails.

Seek the advice of the kiosk map and an app with with a satellite tv for pc view to assist in navigating, as not all turns and junctions are marked.

Instructions

26.872105,-82.300047

From CR 775 south of Englewood, flip east on Gasparilla Pines Blvd. Observe this street for 1.2 miles by way of residential neighborhoods till it ends on the park entrance. Park close to the kiosk to observe the climbing route proven on the path map. There are a number of totally different entrances to totally different loops, and they aren’t marked. Along with this essential trailhead, there are three walk-through entrances to totally different parks of the protect to allow native residents to take a simple stroll out of their neighborhoods. See the map.

Hike

Sarcastically, the simplest path to observe isn’t on the map. Start behind the kiosk for a linear stroll by way of the pine flatwoods in the direction of Amberjack Slough.

It’s a delicate meander alongside the ecotone, with wetter habitats hiding the slough behind a wall of dense vegetation.

Trailhead kiosk

Oaks and palmettos encompass the path as much as a junction at 1 / 4 mile. Bear proper.

The left flip was the previous begin of the central loop and offers entry from a walk-in entrance. Now an unofficial route, it’s in yellow on our map beneath.

Unmarked path junction

After a curve, meet a boardwalk right into a marsh. Beginning out amongst willows earlier than tunneling below mangroves, it’s surprisingly lengthy

Emerge onto an remark platform alongside an massive open mangrove-fringed waterway.

Boardwalk

On some maps it’s referred to as Amberjack Slough, on others, Lemon Lake. Birds had been plentiful on our preliminary go to.

We noticed few birds in March 2025. As algae blooms usually occur in summer season, it’s unclear whether or not it is a everlasting change attributable to hurricane injury.

Amberjack Slough

Return alongside the boardwalk, passing the junction once more on the return to the trailhead kiosk on this 0.8-mile spherical journey.

To maintain exploring, flip left, following the sting of the parking space walkway to a footpath.

The footpath slips between the palms

Marked on the kiosk map in purple because the Main Path, it makes a loop by way of the northeast nook of the protect.

This brief connector will be damp in spots. If flooded, the portion of this path edging Amberjack Slough shall be, too.

Footpath edging the marsh

When this footpath ends in entrance of a car gate, flip left to slide by way of a stile onto a broad hearth lane street.

Bear away from the perimeter fence at an apparent junction to stick with the Purple Path. It narrows to a footpath earlier than shedding elevation.

Curve previous the boardwalk

A boardwalk to a different remark deck on the slough was taped off on our go to. The willow marshy alongside the slough hugs shut.

Ascend slowly beneath the pines to an unmarked T intersection at a mile. We made a mistake right here by turning proper, which ends up in the fireplace lane street. Flip left as a substitute.

Trail among the pines with dead pine straight ahead

Nearing the unmarked junction

The following junction is the one proven on the map. Make a proper to ascend into scrubby flatwoods.

Winding 0.2 miles amongst patches of sand dwell oaks, reaching the perimeter fence and switch left.

White sand path curving between stands of oaks

Scrubby flatwoods

Proceed alongside the fence behind the condos, bearing left off the perimeter fireline onto an inside one.

At a four-way intersection of fireplace traces, flip left. Crossing a scrub ridge, descend to the ecotone alongside the north fringe of Amberjack Slough and switch left.

Willows alongside the slough

Count on some moist and mucky low spots alongside this stretch. At 1.7 miles, full the loop.

Bear proper on the junction and proper once more to return alongside the pathway previous the boardwalk, reaching the trailhead at 1.9 miles.

Map on the loop junction on the Purple Path

Stroll to the far facet of the parking space to seek out the stile for the Secondary Path proven in blue on the map. It begins out as a footpath then broadens.

At a T junction, flip left. Make a proper on the perimeter fence. The path snugs near it, curving south at a tall stand of pines.

Tall pines

Be part of a protracted, straight stretch of soppy white sand adjoining a fringe fence below a powerline. The sweetness is within the protect’s inside expanse of scrubby flatwoods.

Watch for big Florida rosemary and delicate wildflowers earlier than the sharp proper a half mile into this loop. A picnic desk sits on a platform within the delicate sand.