Last Updated on September 8, 2023
If you’re craving an escape from the hustle/bustle of city (or theme park) life, make sure you put Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive on your list of great places to visit in Central Florida. Located less than 30 minutes from downtown Orlando, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is a one-way, 11-mile drive that meanders through the eastern portion of the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Lake Apopka North Shore.
Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
It’s hard to believe, but the District water quality protection project has literally transformed these former muck farms into restored wetlands. These lands were actually the former lake-bottom and shallow marshes of Lake Apopka.
In the 1940s, the army corp of engineers created a dike system to section off these lands allowing them to be drained. While most of Florida is sandy and not good for farming, the rich and fertile lake bottom (muck) soils were used for commercial farming to feed our ever-expanding nation.
While the farms were very productive, the farm discharge from the fields was pumped back into the Lake. Fertilizers in that discharge created massive algae bloom that killed most of the aquatic vegetation and sport bass fish that once made Lake Apopka one of the premier bass fishing locations in the nation.
In the early 1990s, a concerned group of locals formed a group called Friends of Lake Apopka (FOLA). This group began a campaign to restore this once-healthy ecosystem to its former beauty. FOLA’s efforts were successful and culminated in (former) Florida Governor Lawton Chiles signing the Lake Apopka Restoration Act in 1996 authorizing the buyout and closing of all commercial farming practices on this land.
Although much work still needs to be done, several large restoration projects have been successful in beginning to improve the lake’s water quality. In fact, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive has been called “the most spectacular and unique environmental sanctuary in all of Central Florida.” It’s a magical place that benefits wildlife and humans alike.
The drive has a 10mph speed limit. Oh, and did we mention that admission is FREE!
They even have an audio tour so you can learn all about this area. For example, did you know Lake Apopka is the state’s fourth-largest lake and is fed by a natural spring, rainfall and stormwater runoff?
The Drive allows an uncommon opportunity to get extremely close to Florida Wildlife in their natural habitat from the comfort of your own car.
This world-class birding location is home to many year-round species while the immense marshes attract multitudes of migrating birds. Over 360 bird species have been documented to date.
In addition, the area is home to many alligators, turtles, lizards, bobcats, foxes, snakes, frogs, butterflies and other animal species.
The Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive gates are open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and most federal holidays, from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm [you must exit by 5:00 pm]. The one-way drive takes a little over an hour to complete, however, visitors are welcome to go at their own pace. There are many recreational opportunities available (see map below).
This is the map of the Lake Apopka North Shore, with entrances colored in yellow. Normally, all of the entrances, except the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive on Lust Road, have legal parking to enter for bicycling and hiking. Magnolia Park is currently closed for renovations, so a parking area has been set up to the right of the Wildlife Drive entrance on the City of Apopka land. The St. Johns River Water Management District has opened a cycling/hiking gate within the main gate.
For more information, visit www.sjrwmd.com.
The District welcomes online donations to support sanitation, recreational maintenance, security, and visitor brochures and maps. You may make a donation on the Checkout Website.
To join FOLA, visit www.friendsoflakeapopka.org/shop.
The 6th Annual North Shore Birding Festival will take place December 2-6, 2021 on Lake Apopka. For more info, visit www.orangeaudubonfl.org/festival/.
Interested in other unique Florida drive-thru’s? Check out: Drive-Thru these 7 Authentic Florida Stores & Attractions