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Flat Island Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 318 Google reviews · Running trail in Leesburg, Florida · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Mixed
- Loop distance
- 5 mi
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from Flat Island Preserve's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Preserved woodlands and palm forests with trails, campsites, and picnic tables, plus canoe rentals for the canal.
What runners say about Flat Island Preserve
“A cement block restroom building is at the trailhead; the clean restrooms have flush toilets with two stalls each.”
“I was in awe, it was so beautiful, lush, and wild.”
“There is shaded parking and clean bathrooms in the parking lot.”
“the blue and red trails are single file, but there's a wide trail down the center which might be about a mile one-way; there's good signage with precise mileage.”
“We live near Leesburg, FL and the idea of walking in a quiet preserve in the middle of a city was interesting to us.”
Great trails !! The trail is well maintained. A few roots to look out for as you get closer to the boardwalk . Woodpeckers and owls for the bird lovers. Mushrooms and wildflowers to discover. A bonus I spotted an Albino squirrel near the camping area. Full bathroom facilities on site.
We took our 2 youngest 4/3 with us and had a great time. The road in is sand but don’t need 4x4 we did it in a Hyundai Elantra with no issues. Plenty of parking and picnic tables if you want to eat there. The trail is very well kept and an easy hike for beginners or small children.
Very nice, well maintained trail through palmetto, live oak, and cypress. Bug spray is a must all year except maybe the coldest of days. Canoe launch is within the preserve on a canal and a walk-in campsite that needs a permit.
Hey, this is a nice peaceful place to go for a walk and enjoy nature. It is a little swampy, so make sure you have shoes that you don’t mind getting wet or muddy. Also, the mosquitoes are definitely around so long sleeve clothing is preferred and some bug spray if you have it.
Trail conditions & character
“It's not very busy and had plenty of parking when I came around 10 and leaving around noon.”
“A cement block restroom building is at the trailhead; the clean restrooms have flush toilets with two stalls each.”
“We chose to follow the southern part of the trail system: markers A-E led us to the 440-foot long boardwalk and canoe landing area.”
“There is shaded parking and clean bathrooms in the parking lot.”
“The trail we took is well marked with red blazes on the trees to provide direction.”
“Dappled Sunlight and Red Blazes I read about the Flat Island Preserve in a local newspaper, described as a local place to train for long hikes in woods and trails.”
“It is a little swampy, so make sure you have shoes that you don’t mind getting wet or muddy.”
“The full trail is a 3+ mile loop but lots of turn of turn offs in case you don’t want do the full loop.”
“We live near Leesburg, FL and the idea of walking in a quiet preserve in the middle of a city was interesting to us.”
“There is about 6 miles or more of hiking trails.”
Plan your run at Flat Island Preserve
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- SurfaceMixed — more than one surface along the route, so check the segment you plan to run
- Loop distance5 mi back to where you parked. Long enough for a real long run.
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadparking, restrooms — reported by runners
- DogsWelcome, per reviewers. Leash rules vary by park — the trailhead sign is the authority.
- Websitefloridahikes.com
- Phone+1 352-343-3777
- Social Instagram · Facebook
Hours
| Monday | 8:30 am–5:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 8:30 am–5:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 8:30 am–5:30 pm |
| Thursday | 8:30 am–5:30 pm |
| Friday | 8:30 am–5:30 pm |
| Saturday | 8 am–8 pm |
| Sunday | 8 am–8 pm |
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