Weekiwachee Preserve — Attraction in Spring Hill

I went here with my son-in-law and 5 year old grandson. It was beautiful and peaceful. Hard to believe a major road and city are less than a mile away. We walked to the end of the road which is about 1 1/2 miles then we walked one of the dirt roads back to one of the lakes. By the time we did that and walked back to the car we had gone about 5 miles. My grandson rode his bike while we walked. I'm not sure how far it is to walk around the whole preserve. My son-in-law tracks how far he walks or runs and one time he said he went around what he thought was the whole thing and it was 7-8 miles. He said they only open the gate to let people drive in once a month or so. They allow dogs on leashes. And they allow fishing in the lakes you just have to pack everything in and out. I did not see any trash cans even at the entrance gate so you need to take your trash home to throw it away. There were a few pieces laying here and there that I picked up as we walked. But for the most part people are taking care of the preserve. There is a bathroom at the end of the road by the first lake. I did not go in so I can't comment on the facilities. It's worth the hike in to...

Nice, super wide trails that are fairly smooth/level. The trail straight back is paved at least for a good portion of the way. My Medical service dog (@MaizyShiba) and I only walked a little ways by taking the first path on the left till it split off into multiple paths. There is some shade along the way, but due to the humidity and the sun, the middle of the day should be avoided. Needless to say, we didn't reach any lakes nor a bathroom.

Maps are needed, so one knows how long each path is and be able to make wise decisions on their hike, especially for those of us that can't walk miles at a time. There are posts along the way, which seems to be about 1 block apart.

Hikers, bikers, and families are all very nice.

The only insects and bugs we experienced today was lots of black, sugar ants (sporadically on the sides of the grass areas), one cow ant mound with too many Cow ants active outside, 1 small yellow jacket, a good many butterflies (yellow one and an orange one), and 1 dragonfly.

Parking is...

A primitive park primarily for hiking and biking, and dog walking, with no swimming or snorkeling or scuba in the lakes as posted, not safe, and no lifeguards! The preserve has few amenities, rustic, so BYO everything. Wildlife is usually in the north portion of the preserve to avoid us while most people stay in the south portion. Been 30 years since Weeki Wachee Preserve was established through the CARL program with recent improvements such as wood benches along the main entrance road, a good idea. A couple of covered picnic tables around the main lake should be replaced and a few more added, maybe available in government surplus, or built locally by the person(s) who made the benches? This is a go-to place for many people; the place should be going in the right direction with more of the...