WATER & COAST
Crystal River Preserve State Park
Citrus County · Gulf Coast
More than 27,500 acres of salt marsh, mangrove island and hardwood along 20 miles of Gulf coast, free to enter.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
Crystal River Preserve State Park protects more than 27,500 acres along 20 miles of the northern Gulf coast, between Yankeetown and Homosassa. Inside it are scrub, pinewoods, hardwood forest, salt marsh and mangrove islands, and where the freshwater springs run out into salt water the state calls this one of the most productive and biologically diverse estuaries in Florida. That is the reason the fishing is what it is, and the reason the birds are here. The main walk is a seven-mile loop trail, long enough and quiet enough that walkers and mountain bikers can go a good while without seeing anyone, and shorter trails run off it. Kayaks and paddleboards go out from the launches, and a pontoon boat tour runs through the estuary for people who would rather be taken. The preserve is at 3266 North Sailboat Avenue in Crystal River, opens daily from 8 in the morning until sunset, and charges nothing to enter. There are picnic pavilions, restrooms, parking and accessible facilities
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