About this property
The Wekiva River Buffer Conservation Area includes mainly seasonally flooded wetlands in the floodplain between the Wekiva and Little Wekiva rivers. The district, the state and the Florida Audubon Society acquired the area primarily through mitigation to protect water quality of the rivers, with approximately 6.5 miles of the rivers’ shorelines within the conservation area. The river’s basin includes a mix of rivers, springs, seepage areas, lakes and wet prairies.
One of the special highlights of this property is the river’s inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. It is further protected as part of the Wekiva River Protection Area and its proximity to Rock Springs Run State Reserve and Wekiwa Springs State Park. While the property has a limited trail/road system due to the nature of the swampy habitat, the one road/trail there is takes you through a beautiful shady forest of huge hardwood trees. Black bear are common here.
Wildlife viewing
Please respect Florida’s wildlife and use caution while visiting district lands. These are wild animals. For your safety, do not approach or feed any wild animal. The area supports a diversity of wildlife and is part of a corridor for the listed Florida black bear between the Ocala National Forest and Rock Springs Run State Reserve. Other wildlife sightings include ibis, wood storks, great blue herons, egrets, river otter, barred owl and pileated woodpecker.
Recreational activities
- Fishing, hiking, bicycling and wildlife viewing.
- Canoeing opportunities are available on the Wekiva River; however, there are no launches located on the property.
- Geocache located on property. Please visit our geocache database for more information.
Access
West of Longwood, access is through the Sabal Point development. For details and to get driving directions from your location, see the Google Maps link on this page.