Little Big Econ State Forest in Sanford

Went here today to check this place out. What a beautiful place but definitely need bug spray. The paths are narrow and have roots exposed so watch your step. It was nice that this place is mostly shaded and path goes along the river. We did the blue to orange trail and turned around after 2.5 miles due to weather. Saw a huge gator swimming, turtles,squirrels, we also heard cardinals and woodpeckers. Such a peaceful place and path well marked and maintained.

Walked the Lockwood to barr trail, about a 6 Mile out and back. The trail was really impressive, lots of scenery to look at.Like any florida trail, bring bug spray. Dog friendly trail, we saw a huge gator and Im a local so when I say huge I mean one of the largest I have ever seen wild 😜

One of my favorite places to hang out with my kids!

Great place to hike, not very busy, well maintained paths, and a lot of wildlife

Nice piece of what nature in Florida.

Loved the primitive, woodsy trails.

Spent the weekend camping here. Nice camp area, nice trails.* Campsites are not accessible by vehicle, its a bit of a walk in over heavily rooted trail. No water etc.

Very good hiking and biking trails. Highly recommend.

Bring your mosquito repellent! Great trails, but they are not made for strollers or bikes for the most part.Get a map to bring along as the trails split often.Pretty walking trails though, and a bunch of nature to be seen.

The park is beautiful! The paths are clear, trees are properly marked, lots of space for camping, and I was able to bring my dog. Highly recommend!

Hidden gem of a State Park barely tucked away from the busy streets of Orlando. Good trails, enough for hours of hiking. Great primitive camp sites too.

Beautiful forest with several of hiking trails to choose from. its also a good place for canoeing, horseback riding, bicycling, wildlife viewing and picnicking. Saw a few gators just lazing about the river banks.I always thought the forests name was a bit funny so I researched it and apparently just South of the forest the Little Econlockhatchee River and the larger Econlockhatchee River confluence hence the name Little Big Econ.

A slice of heaven just outside of the busyness of Orlando! Great trails. Beautiful & serene river. Not too many people. Saw many birds, including a bald eagle! Highly recommended!

Really nice shady trail with lots of water and different terrains.

Such a great trail and so nice to be with the nature.. Big alligator 🐊 at the river.

I adore this place ; it never disappoints . Download the trail map prior (please note there are multiple entrances to this state forest; plan accordingly for your desired adventure, map available online. Plentiful parking, marked blazes . If your the quiet type; wildlife will be yours to see . Walk, bike or kayak; you can’t beat that . If you plan on a summer trip, be mindful of the heat (I recommend spring & fall).All images ©2021 Mark D. DiOrio, All Rights Reserved

Beautiful trail! Perfect for biking and hiking 🙂

Love this place! I always go the the trail head off of barr street, there are 2 separate ones. Just dont go here after a big storm because all the trails will be covered. At the beginning of the year water is clear, then as soon as rain season starts it gets pretty dark. Watch out for gators! One snuck up on us while picnicking one time lol

Enjoyed every minute of my visit here. Great for biking, hiking, canoeing or kayaking. Very beautiful and peaceful

Beautiful trails amazing wildlife and very serene area by the river. Went hiking there and had a great time. Also the river is chock full of fish..yummy!

Love every minute of my visit. The natural untouched banks of the river were a sight to see in person because it couldnt be described in any way that would do it justice. The wild life and the trees and the water are just breath taking.. i will be going back very soon..

Awesome park if you need to escape civilization for a few. Its clean, and peaceful

Great park, and massive. You can ride bikes and horses on the trails as well as bring dogs.

Fun place to hike. Lots of trails devoted to bikes..makes me wish I would have brought my bike. Plenty of parking and room to be in solitude if that’s what you’re after.

Great trails along the river. Tons of wildlife to be seen and heard. Nothing beats a picnic along the river!

The name Econlockhatchee River, meaning "River of mounds", is a North flowing tributary of the longest River in the United States, the St. Johns River. The Econ, for short, stretches almost 55 miles throughout Central Florida spanning multiple counties, 2 include Orange and Seminole.The Econ is the LAST UNDISTURBED River in Florida and as a result has become a developers dream and a preservationists gem, causing many ripples.We can only hope MONEY is NOT put ahead of the diverse population held within this natural Florida preserve, deeming it just another overpopulated headache left behind by developers who dont even reside here!Things to do include kayaking, hiking, camping, mountain biking, fishing, photography, etc.This is the real Florida!"Get out and about"!

I decided to take a group of people from work out for national hiking day and it was the best decision I made taking them to Little Big Econ State park. The drive out was scenic full of natural florida and some farm animals. I loved that there were a few picnic tables available in the parking area along with a what I call a fancy porter potty. The hike was so refreshing. It was nice breathing in clean air and to think such a beautiful place exist just a short drive from Orlando. It is nice having such a beautiful place just in our backyard. I would recommend bringing little ones or dogs to enjoy the trails.

Great for the outdoors type , if you enjoy wildlife and trails , also kayaking and sight seeing.

Went with my dog to do a small hike, it was very nice with lots of vegetation. It was wet and muddy in some parts as it rained the week before. But we had lots of fun. My dog was completely muddy at the end but she was super happy. Place is kept really clean.

Beautiful trails and places to camp. The views along the river are breathtaking.

Amazing day kayaking on the river! Took a few tries to find a place to put in the kayaks bit well worth it! Wild life was amazing but its pretty shallow right now. Didnt see any Gators but heard from the locals that there are some. Fish were Huge! All and all an awesome day!

Great hiking and kayaking. A little bit of what Florida is really about tucked away in the suburbs.

A beautiful bit of wilderness where you least expect it. Easily accessible, good parking, dirt trails, no facilities. Bring sun protection, bug spray and water.

Its very beautiful and calm by the river. A nice place to relax and unwind.

Love riding Snow Hill! Plenty of green trail, to have a nice relaxing ride in the woods. The all volunteer team that takes care of this trail system works really hard to keep the trails in tip-top shape. Complete with restrooms and a bike wash station, this is our go to trail!

Love this trail! There are several trail options and the scenery is beautiful.

This forrest is wonderful! Camping, hiking some areas for biking and equestrians. This particular location does not have a trailhead for horses or mountain bikes. But it is the perfect trailhead for a day hike or over night camping hike. Most of the trails I have been on will are wide wnough if you want to take a stroller and a little, but only a single and only if it has nice big tires for off road. A Bob revolution or the like would do nicley.

This place is a bit huge, we were able to get to each dead end point for like 1 hour from the parking lot. the forest and the river is incredible. If youre the type of person that need meditation or just want to be alone this place is good for you. We saw some wildlife animals too, like aligator in the river, squirells and fortunately the deers too. Ive been wanting to see a deer in the forest for so long and this place made it happen. I just wish that this place should provide a resting hut in the middle of the forest with some trained personnel just in case of emergency.

I hike this trail weekly. Barr street trailhead. Its absolutely beautiful.

Fantastic place to hike. Look at these pics!

Its a beautiful place to spend the day but if you go to visit, please pick up your trash. Its annoying to see people leaving their garbage in nature the way they do.

Great place for mountain biking. Many established and well maintained trails. Really beautiful!

There is a beautiful river that runs through this state forest and great hiking trails that lead to the river.

This is an amazing place to get some trail time in on your Mt. Bike. The trails go from easy to technical so something for every rider. I really like how the trails flow and interconnect.This is a multi use area so look out for hikers and riders on horses. Also the trails not marked one way but most are single track so keep a lookout ahead for riders who may be coming your way.So get out and hit the Little Big Econ Mt. Bike trails.

As per the description, this place is HUGE! Tons of trails to choose from. Some are sand, some are packed dirt. Very easy to get lost!Parking lot is large. There is a unisex porta potty style bathroom - bring your own toilet paper as there wasn’t any when I went in and I doubt it’s checked often. There are a few picnic tables (all under treesand a Jose station (non potable).Online it says there is a $2 admission fee but the pay box was locked so maybe that’s not in effect anymore.Also, there is no gate so I wouldn’t worry about “operating hours”.Great for hiking alone or with dogs!

We have paddled our kayaks all over Central Florida and the Econ is the best place we have found. Beautiful, quiet and solitary. We have seldom seen another paddled and both outings were on Saturdays.

I love the trails here! So many massive Cypress and Oak trees along the water. Not a single bad trail, but if you go to the Barr St trailhead and take the dotted orange (Natl Scenictrail when it forks to the right, you can get to the "gator spot" and see where this giant dude hangs out on the banks and gets some sun :Also, be careful and vigilant when getting close to the water here; some of the trails go right down to the riverbank and the water is VERY dark even when shallow.

Great place for hiking! Just be weary of the weather. In summer at nights mosquitos come out here and will eat you up no matter how much bug spray you put on!My dog had a great time wandering down the trail with me.❤️

What an amazing place! Tons to discover among miles of beautiful and well marked trails. This last time out we found a log bridge over the river and no less than three 6ft+ alligators sunning themselves on the beach. This really is a magical place and every hiker in the area should go here at least once.

Beautiful quiet green forest with a river running in between,I saw couple of animals there which was interesting,great place for bikers