A Deep Hole

Being in Myakka River State Park feels like home. Why do we keep coming back? Well, it probably has something to do with all the birds that are present in the park. Plus the hiking and biking trails, the rivers and lakes one can kayak, the close proximity to Sarasota and Bradenton, and most of all the nature. There’s not a day that goes by we don’t see a deer, armadillo, feral hog, wild turkey, and so on. Oh, did I forget to mention the 16’ alligators. That’s why I like it here. So, I have blogged on Myakka before but this time I’m blogging on some of the other things in the park. I may repeat myself once or twice but that’s okay it’s worth it.

Firstly, I started at the Visitors Center which is near the front entrance of the park. Here I gathered information about the trails, watched wonderful videos, saw great displays, and gained knowledge about the park.

Florida Panther

There are a few trails I wanted to explore, the first being a place called Deep Hole which is ¼ mile west from the campground. This trail is in a protected part of the park therefore a permit is required. No bikes or dogs, motorized vehicles or fires allowed. Thirty people are granted permits per day to venture into the Deep Hole either by hiking or kayaking. This is to reduce the impact us humans have on the land. Getting a permit is the hard part; one must be at the ranger’s station by 8 am otherwise all the permits have been handed out. People line up to get one of these much sot after pieces of paper. I was in luck I’m number 22 so yes I got a permit. I signed the paper, was handed my permit (you must carry on your person at all times), and away I go.

Tall Pines in the prairie preserve

The Myakka River flows south through the preserve widening at Lower Myakka Lake. At the south end of the lake is Deep Hole. This body of water is an ancient sinkhole approximately 140’ deep. During periods of drought large quantities of fish are trapped within the small sinkhole. These fish are crammed between hundreds of hungry alligators and cold oxygen deprived water. Oxygen is only present within the first 20’ of water, below that is a dead zone. This cold oxygen deprived area helps with the preservation of dead animal and plant remains as they fall into the abyss. Thousands of years of decaying material has formed a thick layer of sediment, possibly a hundred feet thick at the bottom of the hole.

Deep Hole

BIG Gators

The sheer beauty of this tranquil paradise was amazing. It was quiet except for the occasional sound of a bird or the grunt of an alligator. A few kayakers ventured into the deep hole. I’m not sure if I would do it with all those gators lurking in the depths of the water and on shore. After talking with them they are quite familiar with the area and do the trek on a regular basis. All I can say is “ballzy”, if that’s a word.

Count the gator heads

I stuck around for another ½ hour after watching the kayakers leave just to enjoy the peace and quiet. But then it was time to go. It’s a 2.4 mile walk back to the truck and getting late in the day.

The trail back

Back at the park, I stopped at the ranger station to hand the permit in. This is required so they know if everyone got out alive. No alligators got me.