Galt Preserve — Attraction in Florida

Dog friendly: Yes. There are waste stations but bring your own poop bags just in case.

Bring your own water.

Trails: Level with some tree roots so watch your step. It is obvious where the trails are but they are not blazed well so you don’t know which trail you are on unless you look at the map. I found the pdf version of the map on the website. The trails are mostly in the open and in the sun. There are boardwalks on portions of the trails. A portion of one trail is closed during bald eagle nesting season (Oct-May) but there are still plenty of trails available.

Wildlife: We saw a black snake, a rabbit, and what were possibly bear tracks in a dry creek bed.

Parking: Plenty of free spaces available on the pavement.

Pavilions: There are two covered pavilions...

My family and I stayed in an Airbnb just a couple miles north of the preserve. It was the perfect place to take the kids for a nature walk and to let them see a different type of landscape than what they are used to seeing at home in Indiana. If you are visiting the area and want an easy hike that will allow you to see what undisturbed SW Florida looks like, this is a great place for that. There are endangered tortoises in this area so enjoy looking at them if you are lucky enough to find one but they are not supposed to be...

BRING BUG SPRAY. Seriously. I used bug spray and the mosquitos found any spot which I missed. Ruined the walk. Hard to stop and enjoy the place with bugs in your face and ears.

The Phil Buchanan Memorial Trail was closed. We did the small loop and some of the purple loop before giving up because of the mosquitos.

We saw two bald eagles hanging out on the power lines. Their nest is gone but they are still hanging around. Trails were a...