Hiking enthusiasts itching to get out for a walk in the woods have a new outdoor space to explore in Orange County.
The 241-acre Ken Bosserman Econlockhatchee River Preserve first opened to the public in December, giving the community a new piece of riverfront property to explore. Follow blazes on a one-mile hiking trail that winds through wetland hardwoods and hydric hammock with scenic viewpoints for stopping along the river.
The preserve is named after the founder of The Friends of the Econ, a developer and conservationist who strongly believed in the protection of the river.
“People who see the river fall in love with it,” Bosserman, who died in 2006, previously told the Orlando Sentinel. “I have yet to see anybody go out there and come back and say, ‘I want to build a house out there.’”
There once was a home on one piece of land that now makes up the preserve.
“The folks who lived there had a house on stilts. It got flooded out too many times and became unlivable. They couldn’t live there any more being in the floodplains,” said Andrew Bray, the environmental program supervisor with Orange County’s Green PLACE Program. “We purchased that property and all the properties along the river to help with floodplain protection and mitigation.”
The Ken Bosserman Econlockhatchee River Preserve takes hikers through shaded hydric hammocks and into wetlands. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
Because the Econ River flows out into the St. Johns River, it’s especially important to protect all of the areas for water quality and worsening the impact of flooding events.
The parcels of land that now make up the preserve were purchased through the Orange County Green PLACE Program, which stands for Park Land Acquisition for Conservation and Environmental Protection.
In 2021, Orange County commissioners approved setting aside $100 million to purchase environmentally sensitive lands for conservation. The money was earmarked with the goal of increasing protected county lands from 23,000 acres to 46,000 by 2030.
A thoughtfully-placed bench allows visitors to rest and soak in the views along the Econlockhatchee River. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
Bray said the current acreage approaches 27,000.
“We’ve been working to purchase land throughout the county. We prioritize wildlife corridors, water protection, habitat conservation, critical and rare habitats,” he said. “We’ve bought properties that are half an acre and we’ve bought properties that are several hundred acres. If it’s a valuable property and it provides a critical linkage, we will work with the landowner to try and purchase it.”
The new riverfront preserve helps connect a corridor along the Econ River that links with Orange County’s Econlockhatchee Sandhills Conservation Area to the north.
From the trailhead, follow blue blazes on a short walk through a shady forest before crossing an open field underneath power lines then back into the trees again. After a quarter mile, the trail opens to a grassy field where it meets the start of an orange-blazed loop trail.
The Ken Bosserman Econlockhatchee River Preserve is a new 241-acre property that ultimately leads hikers to the Econ River. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
Navigate a scenic hydric hammock to find where the orange trail meets with a short yellow loop, which enters a wetlands environment where cypress knees begin to emerge from the ground. The sections of trail closest to the river may be wet after heavy rains.
The best views of the Econ River emerge on the western side of the orange loop, which is seen earlier in the hike when going clockwise and later when heading counterclockwise. A thoughtfully placed bench allows visitors to pause, take in the sights and reflect.
It’s the perfect place for a a morning stroll or afternoon outing, plus a conservation victory in the ongoing effort to save wild Florida.
Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
A map shows a network of trails totaling around one mile within the Ken Bosserman Econlockhatchee River Preserve. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
If you go
Ken Bosserman Econlockhatchee Preserve is open from sunrise to sunset daily at 14801 Lake Pickett Road in Orlando. Leashed pets are permitted. For more information, visit orangecountyfl.net.
