Roughly 1,700 acres of gopher tortoises, sandy loop trails, and a 200-year-old split oak — plus the toll-road fight that could reshape its southern edge
Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area is a roughly 1,700-acre protected preserve straddling the Orange-Osceola county line about 16 miles south of downtown Orlando, just south of Lake Nona. It was set aside in 1992 as a gopher tortoise mitigation park and is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The preserve offers about 9 miles of free, color-blazed hiking trails, including a perimeter loop near 6.4 miles, across pine flatwoods, oak hammock, scrub, and open prairie. It is named for a live oak more than 200 years old that split down the middle and still lives. The southern portion of the forest is the planned route of the Osceola Parkway Extension toll road, a project approved by state agencies but still contested.
So you've heard that Lake Nona is all Medical City, Town Center, and autonomous shuttles. But drive about 15 minutes south and the pavement gives way to sugar sand, palmettos, and the occasional gopher tortoise crossing the trail. That's Split Oak Forest — a nearly-wild, roughly 1,700-acre preserve on southeast Orlando's doorstep.
Here's the thing: Split Oak is one of the best free hikes in the metro area, and it's at the center of one of Central Florida's most divisive land-use fights. We'll give you both — the trail guide and the honest context.
What Exactly Is Split Oak Forest?
Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area (WEA) is a preserve straddling the Orange-Osceola county line, roughly 16 miles south of downtown Orlando. It totals about 1,700 acres — a little over 1,000 on the Orange side and roughly 685 on the Osceola side — jointly owned by the two counties and managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
This is no manicured city park. It's a working piece of native Florida — pine flatwoods, oak hammock, dry scrub, open prairie, and sawgrass marsh, kept healthy by prescribed fire. If you've only known Orlando's outdoors through theme parks, a morning here is a genuine reset.
From Cattle Range to Tortoise Sanctuary
The land was once used for cattle and turpentine. In 1992, Orange and Osceola counties acquired it with a Florida Communities Trust grant and gopher-tortoise mitigation funding, setting it aside as a mitigation park — land preserved to offset tortoise habitat lost to development elsewhere.
The name comes from its most famous resident: a live oak more than 200 years old that split down the middle and kept growing. It's tucked along the northern trails — worth the walk to see a tree that's outlasted two centuries of Florida real estate cycles.
What Makes It Special
The headliner is the gopher tortoise — a keystone species whose deep burrows shelter hundreds of other creatures, from burrowing owls to indigo snakes. Split Oak protects a sizable population, and it's a stop on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail.
On a good morning you might spot sandhill cranes near the sawgrass marsh, wild turkeys and the rare Florida scrub-jay, plus deer and the telltale rooting of wild hogs. Viewing platforms dot the loops, including overlooks near Bonnet Pond and Lake Hart — though some have seen better days, so check current conditions rather than banking on a specific boardwalk being open.
Hitting the Trails: What to Know Before You Go
Split Oak offers about 9 miles of marked, color-blazed trails — from the roughly 4.2-mile Green Trail to a full perimeter loop near 6.4 miles. The terrain is flat and rated easy, but don't let "easy" fool you: long stretches are deep white sugar sand that work your calves and throw the sun right back at you.
Getting There & Access
- Main trailhead (Osceola side): 10525 Clapp Simms Duda Road, Orlando, FL 32832 — a sand lot on the western boundary. From MCO, take SR 528 (Beachline) east to Narcoossee Road, south several miles, then east on Clapp-Simms-Duda Road.
- Moss Park access (Orange side): Hike in from the northeast via Moss Park on the Swamp Trail. Moss Park has parking and restrooms (and its own vehicle entry fee).
Trail Tips
- Cost & hours: Free at the Clapp-Simms-Duda trailhead, no permit. Generally open about 8 a.m. to sunset (Orange County lists summer 8 a.m.–8 p.m., winter 8 a.m.–6 p.m.).
- Amenities: No restrooms or water at the trailhead — grab a paper map at the kiosk and pack water.
- Best season: October through April, when it's cooler and the bugs back off. Summer sun on open sand is no joke.
- Rules: As an active wildlife area, rules are stricter than a city park: verify current FWC dog policy before bringing one (online guidance conflicts), bikes generally aren't permitted, and horseback riding is by FWC permit via Moss Park (Saturdays). Expect airplanes overhead from nearby MCO.
More nearby green space? See our roundup of conservation lands around Orlando, or head to Tibet-Butler Preserve and Lake Louisa State Park. For the full local rundown, see our comprehensive Lake Nona parks and recreation guide.
The Elephant on the Trail: The Osceola Parkway Extension
Now, the elephant on the trail. Split Oak was set aside to be protected "in perpetuity," but its southern edge is the planned route of the Osceola Parkway Extension — a toll road (working designation SR 534) and part of a regional beltway extending SR 417 into fast-growing Osceola County.
As planned, the road would cut through the forest's southern portion, causing roughly 60 acres of direct habitat loss and complicating prescribed-fire management on about 100 acres more. Here's the twist: Orange County voters passed a 2020 charter amendment to protect Split Oak, and the county later withdrew support — yet the project kept advancing. Florida's wildlife commission approved releasing 60 acres of easements in exchange for roughly 1,550 acres of nearby conservation land, the Central Florida Expressway Authority approved the plan, and in June 2026 the South Florida Water Management District signed off on more.
Supporters — including many Lake Nona-area commuters — argue the road is overdue relief for brutal traffic and better airport access. Opponents, led by Friends of Split Oak Forest, call it a development-enabling road through land promised to stay wild, and litigation is ongoing. Survey stakes have appeared, though the forest segment isn't expected until around 2030. For visitors, that means the trails are open and most of the preserve is intact today — but the map may look different by decade's end.
What This Means If You're House-Hunting Nearby
Split Oak sits at Lake Nona's southern reach, near the Moss Park neighborhoods and the Narcoossee Road corridor, so a genuine wilderness preserve minutes from home is a real quality-of-life perk. We'll be straight, though: the same growth that makes these neighborhoods desirable is what's pushing the road through Split Oak's southern edge. If proximity to protected land factors into your decision, know where the future corridor sits relative to a specific home before you commit — lower risk when you're informed, not no risk. Our Lake Nona Medical City guide is a good companion read.
What the Neighbors Know
Split Oak Forest is the kind of place locals quietly treasure and out-of-towners drive right past. It's free, genuinely wild, and delivers 200-year-old oaks, tortoise burrows, and big-sky prairie views 15 minutes from Lake Nona Town Center. Go in the cooler months, bring water and a map, and wear real shoes for the sand.
Just go in clear-eyed. This is protected wilderness with an asterisk — beloved, ecologically important, and facing a road its own protections were meant to prevent. Visit it, appreciate it, and you'll know exactly which conversations are shaping its future. That's about as Central Florida as it gets: wide-open possibility, right up against the growth that keeps redrawing the lines. 🌳
For trail maps and current rules, visit the official Split Oak Forest page from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or follow Friends of Split Oak Forest for guided group hikes and project news.
Thinking about a home near Lake Nona's parks and preserves? Browse the latest Lake Nona listings, or reach David Myers at 407.801.3286 or through our contact form for honest, local advice — trade-offs included.
David Myers 407-801-3286
