Crystal River Preserve State Park

The Crystal River Preserve State Park is home to many activities including biking hiking and birding trails, boating, kayaking, fishing and park sponsored boating tours. On our first visit to the park we went to the visitor center and obtained brochures and information from the park ranger. We also hiked the short Crystal Cove Birding Trail. This trail takes you along marshes and canals. At the end there is a fantastic view of sawgrass marshes and the Crystal River.

We returned yesterday to bike the Seven Mile Loop. The bike ride takes you along marshes and vast fields of sawgrass. Since we went late in the day, we only spotted two hawks and one playful otter. If you take this trail in the early morning, you will see much more wildlife in these many habitats. 

The bike trail is wide and clearly marked. During the rainy season we are told it often floods so be sure to check any alerts at the ranger station. This includes all the trails in the state park.  It took us an hour and 45 minutes to bike the loop and we stopped often to take pictures. Visit our Hike and Bike Trails website for more info on the trails.