Activities at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
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BicyclingHard shell roads suitable for biking, along with 100 miles of trails/service roads for off road bicycling, are shared with hikers, horseback riders and park vehicles. |
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Birding
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park offers excellent seasonal birding opportunities for the nature tourist. The Park offers refuge to six federally threatened and endangered species, and a further six species of special concern. Highlights of a birding trip to Kissimmee Prairie may include the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, Burrowing Owl, Crested Caracara, Wood Stork and the recently sited White-Tail Kite with many other possibilities. The Park also has enough varied habitats, including wetlands, dry prairie, and hardwood hammocks, to offer the bird watching, nature tourist a full day of recreation. |
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FacilitiesAll restroom facilities are ADA accessible. Clivus Multrums (large Port-o-lets), are provided at the entrance of the park and at the Equestrian Campground. Additional restrooms are located at the office. A full facility ADA accessible bathhouse is located at the family campground.
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Fishing
Fishing is available at Seven-Mile Slough culverts and is seasonally dependant on water level.
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Full Facility CampingSurrounded by 54,000 acres of pristine land, campers at Kilpatrick Hammock Campground can experience wilderness camping with all the comforts of home. Water and electricity is provided at each site ONLY in the family camping area. A spacious bathhouse with laundry facilities is located at the family camping area and is available to all campers in the park. Pets are allowed overnight in the campgrounds. RV camping is available; however check with Reserve America as to each sites length restriction. A central dump station is located near the family campground entrance. Pets are welcome and must be on a 6 foot hand held leash and well behaved at all times. Pets must not be left unattended. Pets are allowed on the service roads but are not allowed on the Hammock Trail (orange markers) or the Prairie Trial (blue markers). Kissimmee Prairie also offers the Bedtime Story Camper Lending Library of picture books for campers aged four to nine. From insects to stars, the Lending Library is a fun way to enhance your child’s experience in the Real Florida. For a quiet afternoon or bedtime, share a story with your child to help explain the sights and sounds of Kissimmee Prairie. Check out books at the park office.
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Guided ToursTake a ranger-led prairie buggy tour and see the remote areas of the park. From an elevated seat, one will see spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife. The ride lasts approximately 2 ½ to 3 hours. Bring sunscreen, a hat, drinks and snacks. Cost is $15 for children over 12 years and adults, $8 for children 6 years to 12 years, and FREE for 5 years and under AND sitting on a parents lap for the entire tour. Tours are offered from the first weekend in November to the last weekend in March and only on weekends and state recognized holidays. Reservations are strongly suggested and can be made by calling the park office at (863) 462-5360. Reservations are accepted a maximum of 30 days in advance of tour. Please note that tours are contingent on weather and mechanical conditions of the prairie buggy. |
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Horse CampingKilpatrick Hammock Campground also offers primitive Equestrian Camping. One paddock is provided for each campsite. Water is provided at each paddock and a central community water source for campers is provided near the kiosk at the entry to the campground. A composting toilet is provided for campers' convenience. Campers also have access to the bathhouse in the family campground. Pets are allowed overnight in the campgrounds. Pets must be on a 6 foot hand held leash and well behaved at all times. Pets must not be left unattended. Pets are allowed on the service roads but are not allowed on the Hammock Trail (orange markers) or the Prairie Trial (blue markers). |
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Horse TrailRiding the trails at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park on horseback is one of the best ways to see the real Florida. With more than 100 miles of two-trail roads, horseback riders are apt to see an abundance of wildlife. The trails take you through dry prairie, moist wetlands and cool, shady hammocks. Bring your own horses and enjoy a day’s ride or stay overnight in our equestrian campground. Please be aware that trails are shared with hikers, bicyclists and park vehicles. Pets must be on a 6 foot hand held leash and well behaved at all times. Pets are allowed on the service roads. Pets are not allowed on the Hammock Trail (orange markers) or the Prairie Trial (blue markers). |
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Nature Trails
Hiking through the grasslands of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park will find you in a place so unique there is no other place on earth to see the same combination of plants and animals. You may startle white-tailed deer feeding on the tender grasses or send an Indigo Snake slithering off the trail to hide in the wiregrass. Scan the skies and see a Crested Caracara or Bald Eagle soaring overhead; listen carefully and you may hear endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrows singing in their natural prairie habitat. Wildflowers dot the countryside including Yellow Bachelors Buttons, Pipewort, Blazing Star, Meadow Beauty and the delicate Alligator Lily. Enjoy the prairie by looking into it – not at it. Please be aware that trails are shared with horseback riders, bicyclists and park vehicles. Pets must be on a 6 foot hand held leash and well behaved at all times. Pets are allowed on the service roads. Pets are not allowed on the Hammock Trail (orange markers) or the Prairie Trail (blue markers). |
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Pet CampingPets are allowed overnight in the campgrounds. Pets must be on a 6-foot hand-held leash and well behaved at all times. Pets must not be left unattended. Pets are allowed on the service roads but are not allowed on the Hammock Trail (orange markers) or the Prairie Trail (blue markers).
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PetsPets are allowed in the preserve. They must be kept on a six-foot, hand held leash and well behaved at all times. Pets may not be left unattended at any time. Pets are permitted on the multi-use trail system (which consists of park service roads), but are not permitted on the Hammock Trail (orange markers) or the Prairie Trial (blue markers). Pets are not allowed in the wilderness primitive campsites. |
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Picnic AreaA small number of picnic tables are available near the park entrance and next to the park office. |
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Primitive CampingThe park offers three wilderness primitive campsites. The sites are located 3.5 miles from the park office and can only be reached by hiking or bicycling. Sites have a picnic table and a fire ring. Pack in your own water and pack out your garbage. The three sites are available to individuals or groups at a rate of $4 per person per night with a maximum of 4 persons per site. Call the Park Manager if your group is larger. Please call us at (863) 462-5360 for more information. Pets and horses are prohibited at the wilderness primitive camp sites. |
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Wildlife ViewingSTAR GAZING: : It is difficult to find a location in Florida that is further removed from urban and suburban light pollution than Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. Campers at the Prairie have the chance to see stars, planets, and other celestial bodies in incomprehensible numbers and unforgettable brilliance. Along with Jupiter and Saturn, both clearly visible in the night sky, the International Space Station and Space Shuttle (when in orbit) can also be seen making their orbits around the Earth. The Kissimmee Prairie Preserve offers the best viewing of the night sky in the region. |
