Long Branch Preserve Hike

📍 Parking
Pine Lily Preserve Trailhead
1401 S Co Rd 13, Orlando, FL 32833
Coordinates: 28.528639, –81.096583
🥾 4.6 mile hike.

Note: The Pine Lily trailhead requires a short quarter-mile walk down the road to reach the preserve entrance.

⚠️ Come prepared
Insect protection highly recommended. Freshly cut trails on portions of this route mean ticks and chiggers are very likely. Wear treated clothing, long socks, and apply repellent.

Sun protection. Portions of the trail are fully exposed, and it will be hot. Sunscreen and a hat are a must.

Uneven terrain. The pink trail has significant trip hazards. Sturdy footwear recommended.

About the hike
Tucked away in the rural woodlands south of Colonial Drive in east Orlando, Long Branch and neighboring Pine Lily Preserve protect a large swath of land in the Econlockhatchee River floodplain. Long Branch is one of the Econ's longest tributaries — and one of the few that isn't crowded by houses.

Orange County recently expanded the park, adding freshly cut trails along Long Branch all the way to its swampy confluence with the Econ. Our 4.6 mile route follows yellow and white trails before heading to the newly blazed pink trail, which dives deep into the floodplain hammock past a bench overlooking a seasonal creek.

From there we'll wind through live oaks draped in resurrection ferns and butterfly orchids to a clearing where a house once stood, then loop through cypress-filled wetlands near the confluence before retracing our steps to the trailhead.

Questions? Drop them in the comments. RSVP so we know you're coming — see you on the trail! 🌿