Shingle Creek Regional Park / Kissimmee Florida

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Web: www.osceola.org/index.cfm?lsFuses=department/OsceolaOrg...
Kissimmee, Florida
34746
It is the first phase of a project years in the making that uniquely blends nature with glimpses into how early pioneers used the area’s natural resources at the headwaters of the Everglades.

Shingle Creek was a lifeline for early inhabitants including Native Americans, who used it for transportation, hunting grounds and camps. Starting in the mid-1800s, several of Osceola County’s pioneer families settled here, and various structures found within the park can be traced to them.

The park offers a unique blend of nature and history in a setting quietly hidden within an urban area. More than 1,000 acres have been acquired at a cost of $11 million using a variety of grants and matching funds.

Partners include: Osceola County, City of Kissimmee, South Florida Water Management District, and the Trust for Public Land. The Florida Communities Trust funded nearly 80 percent of the project through land acquisition. The Florida Office of Greenways and Trails funded nearly half of the trail construction expenses.

Approximately 200 acres are accessible with the Grand Opening. In the next five years, officials plan to expand hiking, biking and paddling opportunities. Seven historic structures will also be restored in coming years.

Located just minutes from the busy tourist corridor of U.S. Highway 192, the park is in the middle of a destination that offers a myriad of accommodations with direct access to the Walt Disney World Resort as well as other local attractions.

Osceola County is an increasingly rare place where visitors may easily embrace Central Florida’s natural resources. The park will allow visitor to experience vivid encounters with a wild and vanishing Florida. Bald eagles, wild turkey, great blue heron, yellow-bellied slider turtles, white-tailed deer and river otters are some of the animals that can be spotted in the area.

Shingle Creek Fast Facts

- Boat launches will be restricted to non-motorized, carry only boats such as canoes, kayaks and small johnboats.
- Visitors may bring their own canoe or kayak to experience the 2-mile scenic journey along
Shingle Creek, launching from Steffee Landing located at 4266 West Vine St.
- A fishing dock
- A canoe and kayak launching area
- A children’s play area that includes a paleontological surprise
- 1.25 miles of hiking trails
- A horseshoe pit
- Parking and restrooms
- Plans call for addition sites to open with more hiking trails, a bike path and a nature center
- Seven historical structures will eventually be restored
- Park use is on a first come, first served basis. Hours vary with the season. From October-March, the park will be open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. During spring and summer, the hours will be 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.
- Maps will be available at the paddling and hiking trails, and signs will establish where users are and where the trails end.
- Some areas within the park and along the trails are designated for wildlife conservation and may have restricted access. Signs will request users to stay on designated trails only or enter the park at designated entrances and trailheads only.
- Partners developing and operating park: Osceola County, City of Kissimmee, South Florida Water Management District, Trust for Public Land, Florida Communities Trust, Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Greenways and Trails, and the Osceola County Environmental Lands Conservation Program.

For more informaiton about this and other parks, please call Osceola County Parks at 407.742.7800.