A 464-acre Orange County preserve across Lake Mary Jane from Moss Park, with five marked trails, two trailheads that don't connect, and a name nearly everyone spells wrong.
Isle of Pine Preserve is a 464-acre natural area at 14032 Lacebark Pine Road, Orlando, FL 32832, managed by the Orange County Environmental Protection Division. The county's trail map shows five marked trails totaling 7.2 miles: Blue, Green, Orange, Red and White. The Green Trail has its own trailhead to the west, inside the Isle of Pines neighborhood, and does not connect to the other four inside the preserve. The county lists leashed pets and horses as allowed; bicycles are not. There are no restrooms and no drinking water, and the preserve is open sunrise to sunset.
One letter causes most of the confusion about this place. The preserve is Isle of Pine. The neighborhood wrapped around its western edge is Isle of Pines. Maps, review sites and, for a while, this blog have used the two interchangeably. They are different things, and the difference matters if you are trying to find a trailhead or a house.
This post has also been corrected. An earlier version gave the preserve's size as 550 acres, a figure that circulates on hiking sites. Orange County's own trail map says 464. Below is what the county actually publishes, where the popular sources disagree with it, and what that means for anyone living nearby.
Where is Isle of Pine Preserve, and how big is it?
Isle of Pine Preserve covers 464 acres at 14032 Lacebark Pine Road, Orlando, FL 32832, on the east side of Lake Mary Jane, southeast of Lake Nona.
Moss Park sits across the water on the other side of Lake Mary Jane. The preserve is managed by the Orange County Environmental Protection Division as part of the county's Green PLACE conservation program, which acquired the land in 2007. Before that it was slated for development. The county bought it from the developers instead.
To reach the main trailhead from Narcoossee Road, take Moss Park Road east about 4.5 miles to the Moss Park entrance, then continue on Lake Mary Jane Road about 2.6 miles to Capri Road. Turn left, and Capri becomes Lacebark Pine Road, which ends at the parking area.
Is it Isle of Pine or Isle of Pines?
The preserve is Isle of Pine, singular, and the neighborhood beside it is Isle of Pines, plural.
Orange County names the preserve in the singular on its trail map and park listing. The neighborhood is an older, established community along Lake Mary Jane, with homes built from the 1960s to the present. Search either name and you will get results for both, which is why people end up driving through the subdivision looking for a trailhead that is actually at the end of Lacebark Pine Road.
What trails are at Isle of Pine Preserve?
Orange County's trail map shows five marked trails totaling 7.2 miles: the Blue, Red, Orange and White trails from the Lacebark Pine trailhead, and the Green Trail from a separate trailhead to the west.
| Trail | Length | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | 1.2 miles | The main entry trail from the Lacebark Pine parking area, through upland scrub where gopher tortoises burrow. Open to hikers and horses. |
| Red | 2.3 miles | The longest trail, an interior loop mostly on drier scrub and scrubby flatwoods. |
| Orange | 1.8 miles | The outer corner of the preserve. This is the section that floods; at least one hiking guide skipped it for that reason. |
| White | 0.5 miles | A short spur off the Blue Trail into wetter flatwoods, where sundews and bladderworts grow. |
| Green | 1.4 miles | Separate west trailhead. Runs through mesic and wet flatwoods along Lake Mary Jane to a carnivorous plant bog. Hikers only. |
Expect other numbers elsewhere. AllTrails lists the Blue Trail as a 1.7-mile loop, FloridaHikes describes a 2.1-mile route, and a 2021 Orlando Sentinel feature said around six miles of trails. Those figures are for routes people actually walked, which combine sections of several colored trails. The county's per-trail lengths are the ones to plan with.
Can you walk from the Blue Trail to the Green Trail?
No. The Green Trail has its own entrance at the end of Lake Mary Jane Road, inside the Isle of Pines neighborhood, and there is no marked trail linking it to the Blue Trail system.
The two trailheads are about a mile apart. Wetlands sit between them, and the preserve is bordered by private land on three sides, so you can't cut across. One longtime hiker found it close to impossible to get from one to the other without leaving and driving around. Plan them as two separate visits. The Green Trail entrance has been described as walk-in only, with homes on both sides and little or no parking. [VERIFY: whether the Green Trail entrance at the end of Lake Mary Jane Road has visitor parking or is walk-in only]
If you want a longer day on connected trails, the Moss Park trail system links into Split Oak Forest. Isle of Pine is the quieter, smaller alternative.
Can you bring a dog, a horse or a bike?
Orange County's listing allows leashed dogs and horses at Isle of Pine Preserve, but not bicycles.
The dog question is where the sources disagree most. The county's park listing includes leashed pets among its amenities. AllTrails says dogs aren't allowed on the Blue Trail. The county manages the land, so its listing is the one we follow, but check the signs at the trailhead before you go. Anyone coming from Moss Park should know this: Moss Park allows only ADA service animals, so Isle of Pine is the nearby preserve where a dog is likely welcome.
Horses use the Blue Trail system; the Green Trail is for hikers only. Bicycles are not permitted anywhere in the preserve.
What will you see on the trails?
The preserve holds nine natural communities, including basin marshes, cypress domes, wet and mesic flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods and bay galls, and it has a large gopher tortoise population.
The canopy is mostly slash pine and longleaf pine, with cypress and black gum in the wet spots, over saw palmetto, gallberry, fetterbush and shiny blueberry. The open pine savanna is good for birding: bald eagles and ospreys work between the lakes, and hikers report sandhill cranes, woodpeckers and hawks. Wildflowers bloom through spring and summer. The Green Trail ends at a bog with carnivorous sundews and bladderworts, which few people expect to find this close to Lake Nona.
What should you know before you go?
Bring water and plan around the absence of facilities: the preserve has no restrooms and no drinking water, and it is open sunrise to sunset only.
The trails are loose sand in the uplands, which makes for slow walking and rules out wheelchairs and most strollers. The low sections hold water after rain; the Orange Trail floods first. [VERIFY: whether the Orange and Red trails are routinely under water in summer] Wear closed shoes and long pants, because parts of the trail are overgrown. There are picnic tables at the main trailhead, and parking there is free.
Is Isle of Pine Preserve worth the drive?
Yes, if you want an easy walk with almost no one else on it; no, if you need restrooms, paved paths or a trail network big enough for a half-day hike.
Pros
- It is lightly trafficked, so a quiet walk is the norm rather than the exception.
- Leashed dogs are allowed, per the county, which Moss Park next door does not allow.
- Free parking and no entry fee at the main trailhead.
- Five short trails let you pick a walk from half a mile to a few miles.
- The Green Trail's carnivorous plant bog is unusual for this part of Orange County.
Cons
- No restrooms and no water.
- The two trailheads don't connect, so seeing the whole preserve means two trips.
- Loose sand and flooded low spots make parts of it hard going, especially the Orange Trail after rain.
- Sources disagree on acreage, trail lengths and dog rules, and the county's online park listing was unavailable when this post was updated.
Our Take
Isle of Pine is a neighborhood preserve that happens to be run by the county. For people who live near Lake Mary Jane it is an easy morning walk with a dog. For everyone else it is a good hour-long detour after Moss Park, not a destination on its own. Go on the Blue and White trails first, save the Green Trail for a second visit, and skip the Orange Trail after heavy rain.
What the Neighbors Know
The Green Trail trailhead sits inside Isle of Pines, and that is a real part of the case for buying there.
Most of Lake Nona's newer neighborhoods were built with their own parks and trail loops. Isle of Pines was built earlier, around the lakes, and ended up with 464 acres of county conservation land beside it instead. That means preserve, not another subdivision, on that edge of the neighborhood, a Green Trail entrance at the end of Lake Mary Jane Road, and Moss Park across the water. The homes range from 1960s lake houses to recent builds, many on larger lots than you'll find further north. For the full picture of the neighborhood, see our Isle of Pines neighborhood spotlight. For more parks and trails around Lake Nona, see Nona Green: Parks, Trails & Lakes.
So, back to the one letter. If you are driving to walk the trails, you want Isle of Pine, at the end of Lacebark Pine Road. If you are looking at houses, you want Isle of Pines. Live in the second, and the first is just down the road.
Official sources
Thinking about living near Lake Mary Jane? Call/Text David Myers at 407.801.3286 or use the contact form. Ask me which Isle of Pines streets sit closest to the preserve. And no, I won't blow up your phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Isle of Pine Preserve?
The main trailhead is at 14032 Lacebark Pine Road, Orlando, FL 32832, on the east side of Lake Mary Jane, southeast of Lake Nona. The Green Trail has a separate entrance at the end of Lake Mary Jane Road, inside the Isle of Pines neighborhood.
How big is Isle of Pine Preserve?
Orange County's trail map lists the preserve at 464 acres. The 550-acre figure on some hiking sites does not match the county's own number.
How many miles of trails does Isle of Pine Preserve have?
The county trail map shows five trails totaling 7.2 miles: Red 2.3 miles, Orange 1.8, Green 1.4, Blue 1.2 and White 0.5.
Are dogs allowed at Isle of Pine Preserve?
Orange County's park listing allows leashed pets. Some trail apps say otherwise, so check the signs at the trailhead. Nearby Moss Park allows only ADA service animals.
Are bikes allowed at Isle of Pine Preserve?
No. Bicycles are not permitted. Horses are allowed on the Blue Trail system, and the Green Trail is for hikers only.
Does Isle of Pine Preserve have restrooms?
No. There are no restrooms and no drinking water. There are picnic tables at the main trailhead, and parking is free.
What is the difference between Isle of Pine and Isle of Pines?
Isle of Pine is the Orange County nature preserve. Isle of Pines is the established residential neighborhood along Lake Mary Jane beside it.
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