When visiting Orlando, most guests experience the incredible theme parks or even the remarkable food. While that certainly isn’t a bad thing, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to expanding your horizons outside of the parks. We are here to show you one of the coolest hiking trails we stumbled across. Of course, there are many more trails but here is a list of things Moss Park Nature Hiking Trail had to offer for our family day out of the house!
WHAT DO THEY OFFER?
Moss park is a nature hiking trail that offers RV Camping, swimming, volleyball courts, public pavilions and hiking/nature trails. Moss Park is about 30 minutes away from the Disney facilities, so if you aren’t looking to stay on property you can come stay at Moss Park. There is a $3 admission fee for 1-2 people and a $5 fee for up to 8 people. For any other information you would like to know you can check out https://www.orangecountyfl.net/cultureparks/parks.aspx?m=dtlvw&d=29#.Xtf8OS2ZPjC.
LONGLEAF PINE FOREST
Before you begin your journey around the beautiful trails, you are greeted with a sign that shows you what you’re going to see and learn about around the trail. The Longleaf Pine Forest is what you will make your journey through. The longleaf pine is an evergreen conifer that is native to the Southeastern United States, it is found along the coast of East Texas to southern Maryland, and extends into northern and central Florida. The longleaf line can reach heights of 98-115 feet and a diameter of 28 inches! These trees have been shaped by wildfires, these fires would kill off competing trees and open up the forest to more sunlight. A diverse mix of wildlife thrived in the understory of shrubs and grasses. Moss Park uses a number of tools to help restore natural balance and maintain the remaining trees.
WILDLIFE
On your wonderful nature experience you may get a warm welcome from the wildlife the forest has to offer! But, watching wildlife can take a lot of patience and can be fun. On your adventure you may see a Red Bellied Woodpecker, Southern Black Racer, a Gopher Tortoise and many more! Many of the creatures are elusive and wary so if you’re trying to look for these animals you need to move slowly and quietly. The best time to find the wildlife are early mornings and late afternoons! Also, just a little tip .. if you would like a better chance to see the creatures, bring some binoculars!
TAKE A LOOK AT OUR FIRST TRIP HERE!
We have taken a trip to Moss Park back in 2018! If you’d like you can see what it was like back then and take a look back at this to see the difference. But due to Covid-19 they do have some things that are closed such as the park and the campgrounds.
In conclusion, we had a great time adventuring through Moss Park. The diversity through the forest is amazing and the hike was so fun! Throughout the forest we learned alot about the ecosystem and about the types of things throughout the forest! If your family is looking to take a walk on a nature trail or have an adventure, definitely check out Moss Park! We hope you had fun hanging out with us at the nature park and we hope this helps with any future trip planning you have!