Hal Scott Regional Preserve & Park

Entrance sign on Dallas Blvd and the trailhead kiosk.

Location

Located in east Orange County near Orlando, Florida.

Directions

From I-95 exit 75 near Cocoa, head west on SR 520 until you get to the Wedgefield subdivision which is about 17 miles. Turn left on Maxim Parkway and follow road until it ends.  Turn left on Bancroft Blvd and then take the next right turn which is Meredith Parkway. Follow road until it meets Dallas Blvd. Turn left and drive for about 1.6 miles. Entrance to park will be on your right.

From Orlando, get on the Beeline Expressway (SR 528)  and go east until you reach the exit ramp for Dallas Blvd. Turn left and go north for about 1.5 miles. Park entrance will be on your left. 

Camping

Hal Scott has three primitive campsites (Canal 3, Yates & Hancock) for tents only.  Each is equipped with fire rings and picnic tables but you won't find any Porto-lets or potable water at these sites.  Access to these sites are by foot, bicycle or horse back only.  Nearest campsite (Canal 3) is about 2 miles from the parking lot.  All campsites are available on a first come - first serve basis.  No reservations or fee required.

Hiking

Hal Scott has over 19 miles of double-track trails open to hiking, biking and horse back riding.  The trails are divided into 4 loops, each blazed with a different color (red, green, blue and yellow).  The trailhead is located at the park entrance off of Dallas Blvd. Plenty of parking is available.

Maps

• Scanned image of the map available at the entrance kiosk.

• Color infrared aerial map Hal Scott showing hiking trails, camp sites and roads.  Aerial photo was taken in 2000.

• Satellite and topo maps from TerraServer USA
• Satellite, road and terrain maps from Google Maps
• Topo map from TopoQuest

GPS Data

File Formats	Downloads
Garmin MapSource	trails.mps
TopoGraphix ExpertGPS	trails.gpx
Google Earth	trails.kmz

Flowers

Atlantic St. Johns Wort, Bog Bachelor's Button and White-Topped Aster

Hooded Pitcher Plant, Pickerelweed and Myrtleleaf St. Johns Wort.

Yellow Butterwort, Multi-Flowered Grass Pink and Crow Poison

Local Weather

Trail Notes

• 21-Jul-2003: Very wet time of the year. Most of the trails had several inches of water on them. There's a new bridge now where old Curry Ford Road used to cross the Econlockhatchee River. Now you can get over to the other side of the preserve without getting wet. Looks like they decided not to construct a second bridge down at the southern river crossing. Too bad, because there was about 3 feet of water I had to wade across with my bike. They've installed pitcher pumps at the Yates and Canal 3 campsites. The water is not potable, so don't count on it to quench your thirst. Also a control burn was done back in May, but everything is already starting to grow back.

• 18-Feb-2002: Finished mapping the yellow trail in the south part of Hal Scott. The trail is bit overgrown in places and little muddy at the Turkey and  Green Branch creek crossings. All the other trails seem to be in pretty good shape.
• 13-Jan-2002: Most of the trails were in great shape. You might encounter a few wet spots especially if you try to cross the Econlockhatchee River. The river is only about a foot or two deep at the Yellow Trail crossing but the water is definitely cold this time of the year. 
• 14-Apr-2001: Very hot and very exposed. Make sure to bring lots of water and sun screen lotion. Some of the trails are chopped up by tractor treads from recent mowing which can be a real pain if your on a bike. The bridge is still out where old Curry Ford Road used to cross the Econlockhatchee River. All campsites are in excellent condition.

Additional information

• Florida Hikes
• Florida Trail Association
• Land Management Plan
• Property Map
• Recreational Guide
• Trail Guide

Last updated on 6-Sep-2009 at 9:08 P.M.