Ferndale Preserve — Attraction in Minneola

Ferndale is a great and fairly close getaway from the urban sprawl of Orlando. A couple of quick details: ample parking, two restrooms (fairly primitive, one step up from a port-o-let I'd say). You can start your hike trom either end of the parking lot. The obvious entry has a number of interpretative exhibits and you really can't miss it. The entry you easily could miss is on the directly opposite end of the parking from the obvious one. That said, all the trails here connect in one way or another. At Ferndale you are on the side of a mountain (by Florida standards) that slopes down toward Lake Apopka, so there are some quite hilly sections of trail, again by Florida standards I mean. The lake itself is not a big feature of this park and you likely may not even catch a glimpse of it. This preserve is a nice mixture of open prairie and thickly wooded areas. In the warmer months it's great tor butterflies and dragonflies, and you will typically see quite a few birds any time of year. Note that these trails are nice, bit not pristine by any means. Some are sandy, somr grassy (including sharp sticker burrs), some flat, some slopy. And remember, all trails ultimately connect, and a good way to orient yourself is that the parking lot is a high...

A beautiful, quiet, free park that has some of the best native wildflowers that I’ve witnessed. Due to the abundance of wildflowers, there were so many butterflies, dragonflies, and bees and that was epic to see. The view from the top of the hill was also pretty sweet but I was disappointed that the trails don’t take you to the edge of lake when you get to the bottom of the hill. I walked it twice trying to see if I missed something but there isn’t a way to get there unless you clear your own path. I should also mention that on one side of the preserve, you will see private homes through the trees pretty visibly and on the other side, construction/land clearing is underway for what looks like cattle. Pity. If you’re looking for a more long and adventurous hike I wouldn’t recommend this..if you’re looking for a gentle beautiful and kid friendly trail, I...

This out-of-the-way park is cery clean and well-organized. There were nice educational boards under a gazebo describing the past and present flora and fauna throughout the preserve. The trails were clearly marked and clean; there were trails for hikes, bikes, and horses. There were plenty of climbing toys and swings for kids from tots to preteen. And the the bathrooms were fairly clean, despite being outhouses. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised...