Florida Stewardship Forest • National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat™ • Adopt-a-Pond Pasco County
Many volunteer and pro bono contributions have gone into creating and maintaining the nature preserve and trails. Thanks to Pam Hayes for donation of tree and plants in 2012 in memory of her late husband John. [read more]
Sale of scrap aluminum cans from our crushers and collection bins throughout the resort funds our nature projects – please use them!
Lake Como features around 5 miles of trails for you to enjoy the 
natural beauty of our 
lakes, wetlands and woodlands. (111 acres of our 200-acre grounds are registered wetlands or forest.) Some trails are suitable for foot traffic only, while others may also be enjoyed on bicycle or golf cart. Please, no smoking on trails as posted, due to brush fire hazard. Alligators may sometimes be found on or near trails (or anywhere on the grounds). Enjoy! but please do not disturb the wildlife. A nature trail map with wildlife checklist is available at the office or at the Trail Bulletin Board opposite the hot tub.
Explore! Take a 4-minute virtual trail walk (slideshow)
Como Birders’ List with ID links to Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds web site
Nature Alley Bulletin Board (fun facts and quizzes) Ken’s Sand Hill Crane chick photos 2013
Read article “Lake Como: Doing It Naturally“ in The Naturist Society’s N Magazine issue #32.1 - highlighting the evolution of the resort’s nature preserve and trails. The quarterly N Magazine is a TNS member benefit and is also available for sale online and at select locations. (Reproduced by permission of TNS.)
Read the article (4.5 MB pdf file) Visit the TNS website (join or buy magazine)
New exercise stations along the West Grove Orange Blossom Trail loop. Already installed: 2 exercise stations offer chin-up bars, a sit-up bench, dip bars & a balance beam. A 3rd station will offer an angled exercise bench. For exercise station locations, see the map at the bottom of this page. Future plans include the possible installation of brick pavers at the exercise stations and the addition of additional exercises. Constructed by volunteers – materials funded by donations to the West Grove Development Fund.
West Grove aerie
Our residents and seasonal visitors include cranes, egrets, herons, ducks, hawks, osprey, eagles, songbirds, owls, bats, deer, alligators and turtles…and an assortment of butterflies gathering nectar from wild flowering plants.
Don’t forget our free kayaks and pedal boats for a leisurely excursion around the lake shore. Boats are located at beach park, and paddles are located in the locker by the picnic shelter tiki hut.
TRAIL MAPS
view larger trail map with distances (West & South Grove trails)
Though the blighted orange orchards in the groves have been replaced by pine plantations, we still like to call the main West Grove perimeter trail the Orange Blossom Trail.
Pines have been planted in several stages in the North, West & South Groves starting in 1999 at the west end of the West Grove. The most recent pine plantings are the saplings in the North Grove and the area between Leonard Road and the resort fence, planted in 2011.
Within the West Grove pines, you will find several foot paths that we call the Star Trails. These are not marked on the map.
Como Lake used to be Moss Lake. Not long ago, we swapped names with a Moss Lake just outside the resort, that used (confusingly) to be called Como Lake. This change is not reflected on all internet map services.
Heron Lake was created in the ’60s. It is a borrow pit about 35 feet deep, from which earth was extracted for use elsewhere.
Trails marked as primitive are usually partly under water and contain patches of deep mud ooze. Future but indefinite plans include boardwalks for these trails to make them usable in all seasons.