Florida's Underrated State Park Is A Wetland Wonder With Paddling, Fishing, And Well Maintained Trails

An under-the-radar Florida state park gives visitors the chance to experience some quiet time outdoors. Lake Griffin State Park offers everything from camping under longleaf pines in the middle of a beautiful oasis to light hiking, fishing, and birding. Visitors can also paddle on their own (or take a guided daytime or moonlight tour) into the park's primal Dead River Marsh, where they might see everything from alligators and softshell turtles to a host of wading birds, anhingas, and ospreys.

Situated just 49 miles northwest of Orlando and its international airport, visiting Lake Griffin State Park is one of many incredible things to do in and around Orlando other than visiting Disney World. It's a great place to camp with 40 total campsites, including seven sites with full electric, water, and sewer hookups for travelers equipped with RVs. There are also numerous tent sites for campers who want to rough it a bit. Campers can, and should, book their sites well in advance online for the chance to spend some quality time at this beautiful Florida state park that offers a little something for everyone. Campsite rates start at $18 a night.

For anglers who like to paddle into wild waters in search of bass, crappie, and catfish, a journey down the Dead River Marsh to Lake Griffin offers a very special opportunity. The paddle is about a mile long and, while there is undeniably great fishing on Lake Griffin (which is the eighth-largest lake in Florida and one of nine lakes included in the Harris chain of lakes), the fishing in the Dead River Marsh between the state park's boat ramp and Lake Griffin can be very good for paddling anglers.

Traditional motorboats are allowed, but the nature of the canals and the marshes between the boat ramp and the entrance to Lake Griffin require slow-going. Many bass anglers troll the channel in search of Lake Griffin's prized largemouth bass. Some bass anglers consider Lake Griffin to be the best of the nine lakes in the Harris Lake chain. Even though it offers access to some incredible fishing, and it's easy to get to from Orlando, Lake Griffin State Park remains a hidden gem among Florida's stellar state park system. It definitely belongs on the list of most underrated state parks in Florida.

For those who might like to stroll beneath the central Florida forest canopy, a nature hike near the entrance to Lake Griffin State Park leads to what is believed to be the second-oldest live oak tree in all of Florida. According to the state park, the tree is about 400 years old. The oldest live oak tree in Florida, the Fairchild Oak, grows in Bulow Creek State Park south of St. Augustine; it, too, is believed to be more than 400 years old.

In total, Lake Griffin State Park offers visitors about 2 miles of hiking trails that wind through various habitats, from marshlands to sandhills. The trails are great for birders and wildlife watchers who have reported seeing all sorts of indigenous critters inside the 620-acre park, including coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, and even black bears. For those who want to explore the Dead River Marsh but aren't keen on paddling, Epic Water Boat Tours offers hour-long pontoon boat eco-tours for $25 a person. Other activities in the park include geo-caching; with permission, experienced geo-cachers have hidden some little trinkets and treasures throughout the park. Visitors can get some clues to the cache locations on the Operation Recreation Geotour page of the Florida State Parks website.

The park also sports a small playground for the kiddos, and it has a boat launch for both private boats and those rented through the park's outfitter. Guests at Lake Griffin State Park shouldn't struggle to find things to do. Like Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, an overlooked Florida State Park ideal for hikers and wildlife lovers to avoid crowds, Lake Griffin State Park offers an underrated vacation experience.