Little Manatee River State Park was fun right off the bat. I drove in and parked in the nice paved lot and thought, what a great place to ride my bike!
Now my bike & I have a bit of a history. Historically she has only been nice to look at. I have ridden her a few times around my apartment complex and once around downtown DeLand. I really do like my bike so I decided to take her on my 5 day State Parking adventure down to the bottom of the state. So there we were in the perfect spot to give her a go.
When I got on my bike, I realized that I was either a lot heavier or my tires really needed air. For my egos sake, I decided the latter part of that statement was true and hung my bike back up. I was now ready to explore the park, by foot.
I hiked along the Scrub Jay path for a while and watched some kayakers paddle down the river. I then walked down a sandy road in search of Dude Lake, simply because of the name. It was a nice relaxing walk and the scene at the end was beautiful. The lake was a little too active for me; filled with people fishing, horseback riders taking a break, and children playing chase; all things you would expect to see at a park, but I yearned for peace in nature.
I continued my expedition through the park and found little paths and waterways as I walked aimlessly around, soaking in all Mother Nature had to offer. What a great place to spend the day. I actually liked it so much that I went back & camped a couple of months later. Good times.
Before you visit, make sure you check out the parks website for all of the up-to-date park information: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/little-manatee-river-state-park
