Deer Creek Prairie Preserve
Submitted by Tori Blankenship
Newly opened to the public July 16 and only available to ride by permit, the preserve comprises approximately 6,439 acres of land that is bordered by the Myakka River on the west, I-75 on the north and U.S. 41 on the south. The Warm Mineral Springs neighborhood and City of North Port lie to the east. The site holds dry prairie and mesic flatwoods, with areas of hydric and prairie hammock, as well as scrub, scrubby flatwoods, improved pasture and tidal marsh. The preserve protects nearly six miles of the Myakka River and nearly completes protection of Deer Prairie Creek, which is a critical tributary of the Myakka River.
Friday afternoon I received my permit to ride! Last minute notice (as always) 11 BBFT’s and their riders left from our stables early Saturday to go explore the new trails - thanks guys, for being so adventurous and gung-ho. With a very detailed new trail map in hand and a toast among friends before our adventure in hopes that we would find our way back and not wind up at the Georgia line (thanks Lanny), we saddled up and headed out.
The initial trail out was out in the full sun on a wide road for about 15 minutes, the preserve was not looking to good at this point. We found a pump and an extremely clean new water trough on the trail. The horses took their turns splashing, drinking and leaving grass that had accumulated in their mouth into the trough. It was now “broken in” and ready to start accumulating algae thanks to our horses sharing their mouthfuls of grass. We came to an intersection that was shaded, headed West and found the most incredible lush, shaded and tropical trails from then on. We encountered several water crossings with improved gravel bottoms and measurement poles showing how deep the water was. The footing was excellent in most areas and allowed plenty of opportunities to let our horses gait on for long stretches. The trail bordering the Myakka River was lined with tall regal palms, huge oaks with flowing Spanish moss and soft lush grass underfoot, breathtaking - this was absolutely my favorite part of the ride. The map is really well marked with numbered intersections so it is very easy to find your way around, for most people. Thanks to the numbers on the trail markers it was pointed out to me, several times, that I had led our group in a perfect circle in an attempt to find the main trail back towards the parking. It was such a nice area, I just wanted to experience it one more time before we headed back to the trailers (sounds good enough, doesn’t it?).
Throughout the trails there are picnic benches that are marked on the trail map, also a picnic bench in the shade, back at the trailer parking area. There is not a water source for the horses at the parking area, so if you come to ride here bring water for your horses. We rode for a solid 2 hours and barely touched the thousands of acres that make up this preserve for us to explore. Next time we’ll pack a lunch and our halters and explore a little farther, and farther each time.
For more information on how to obtain a permit to ride at the preserve, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask for Natural Resources.
