Lake Apopka Loop Trail reopens for Labor Day weekend

MAITLAND, Fla., Aug. 31, 2018 — The St. Johns River Water Management District is reopening the eastern portion of the Lake Apopka Loop Trail on Sept. 1, which experienced damage due to Hurricane Irma.

WHAT: Reopening of the Lake Apopka Loop Trail
WHEN: Sept. 1 through Sept. 3, 2018, opening at 8 a.m.
WHERE: Magnolia Park Trail Head, 2929 S. Binion Road, Apopka, FL 32703

While the trail will remain open throughout the Labor Day weekend, temporary detours on Sept. 4–6 are necessary to allow work crews to finalize repairs and remove materials and equipment. The detour will take visitors north on Conrad Road, west on Lust Road, returning to the Lake Apopka Loop Trail at the pump house. The detour is internal and within the district’s property.

In its current condition, the reopened trail consists of sections of compacted clay and limestone cap. Visitors should use caution and never approach wildlife found in the surrounding wetlands and waterways near the trail.

Additional trail improvements are tentatively scheduled to begin in December 2018. Trail detours will also be available during this time.
In 2017, Hurricane Irma damaged the lake-side levee, which is part of the Lake Apopka Loop Trail, a trail system that covers more than 20 miles and provides hiking and biking opportunities across the district’s Lake Apopka North Shore.

The recently completed repairs required placement of more than 1,500 tons of material on the damaged portion of the Lake Apopka Loop Trail, bringing the area up to grade, armoring the slopes of the levee and capping the surface with lime rock.

A map and information about the opening, as well as future improvements, is available online at www.sjrwmd.com/lands/recreation/lake-apopka.