Sarasota Co/Manatee Co Riding

[In the Glades]

Hey guys…. Going to be moving to that area early next year. I’ve searched some old threads that mention airboating in Sarasota is a legal no-go and Manatee isn’t much different. Is that still the case? Deciding if I want to make the move with the boat or not.

Is there any riding close to Bradenton? We’ll be west of 75 near 70.

Thanks!

 

[Polbear]

Not much close to us unfortunately. The closest thing is the peace then Kissimmee and istapoga/Okeechobee. We're about 2 hours from most sliding

 

[JLP3314]

Like Polbear said, (about the Peace River) it's a laid back ride but be careful as it gets tighter/narrower the further up you go, (I lived at it's head waters up in Bartow the Peace Creek was my back yard/property line).
Most lot of folks just trailer over to Kissimmee from there as it's not too far a drive and the riding it 4X better.

 

[White Hawk]

I have ridden all over Manatee county. Airboating is outlawed for the most part in that region. I rode the Manatee river, the Little Manatee River, and pretty much all the bays and flats in the area. There is now an extensive list of no fly zones, I had only been issued warnings at the time and this was 15 years ago. You may still be able to drop a boat in at Cockroach Bay, or Fort Desoto both of which are salt water. The fishing is usually great, I'm not sure how it is at the moment with the Piney Point disaster that caused a massive red tide. I used to run west and hit the Kissimmee River, and Lake Kissimmee. West Lake Okeechobee isn't too far. I ride with alot of guys that drive down to the Glades about once a month as well, they drive down from Sarasota and Manatee. There is plenty to explore. You can also poke around the St. Johns river on the east side of Ocala, there are springs, lakes, rivers, and trails.

 

[In the Glades]

Thanks for the replies guys!

I did a little google mapping and my house will only be about 35min from the DeSoto Park boat ramp on 70, which is promising. I've heard there's some fun fossil hunting in that area and my kids would probably get a kick out of it. Done Kissimmee a handful of times and love the riding there. Looks like a little less than 2 hours to Camp Mack from the house, too.

Maybe I'll keep her after all!