The Myakka River Canopy Walkway is 25 feet high and only 100 feet long. It sways gently as you walk across, which is both a bit unsettling and wonderful. At the far end of the canopy walk is a 74-foot tower that offers a view that is spectacular. 

Myakka River State Park is a place I’ll have to visit many times to come close to describing. It’s 37,000 acres of outdoor Florida lover’s paradise. You can bike, paddle, hike, photograph, and explore to your heart’s content. On this trip my goal was to see the canopy Walkway.

We stopped and parked right before the bridge going over the river. There were a few people fishing from the bridge and others just taking advantage of the view like we were. In both directions the river stretches out between the trees and the sky is reflected in the river. It’s honestly breathtaking and worth a stop on the way into the park.  There are also a couple of paths to walk by the bridge.

Everyone there seemed really friendly, and one of them pointed out a huge alligator right next to the bridge. You can see alligators swimming across the river, but you can’t really appreciate their size and presence until you see one close up. Not too close, of course. 

After talking a while to other park visitors and taking a few photos we jumped back in the van and headed to the canopy walkway. We could have walked to it but we were doing a huge amount of walking that day and decided to take the easy way.

The Myakka river canopy walkway is part of a loop. However, when I went there had been a lot of rain and the path after the canopy walkway was flooded. There was no problem getting to the walkway though. 

The one complaint I’ve heard from a lot of people is that the walkway isn’t as big as people expected. It’s 100 feet long, so it only takes a few minutes to walk across. We lucked out and there weren’t many people there so we were able to take our time on the walkway and look around as much as we wanted. While it’s true the canopy walkway isn’t the longest it’s also true that it is well worth the trip. I don’t know about you but I love walking on a swaying bridge at eye level with the leaves in the trees. There is so much to see!

The tower that goes above the canopy walkway is something I can’t imagine anyone complaining about. It’s tall enough that you’ll only want to go up if a lot of steep stairs don’t bother you, and only if you don’t have a hint of vertigo. It climbs well above the trees and offers a view that makes it look like the trees go on forever.

Here’s what you need to know to play tourist:

13208 State Rd 72
Sarasota, FL 34241

(941) 273-6511

Myakka River State Park