Lake Rogers Park, Odessa, FL

During today's walk in Lake Rogers Park, I thought I might see the White Rabbit jump out at any time, running late to the Red Queen for a game of croquet. Although the surroundings were natural and lush, Florida-style, the path itself was a wide swath of grass. Oh, sure there were roots and sand and even the ubiquitous crushed shell, but the path around the lake was clear in the wilderness and easily maneuvered. It really was just a walk in the park.

Since it was a weekday, I didn't expect to see many other people and I wasn't wrong. One guy went around twice on a mountain bike, which is the only bike I would try to take on this path. Another man was there with his dog and they made the entire 2.5 mile lap. The man said his dog loved it and after the walk would go home and drop right off to sleep. I saw one other twenty-something guy walking around looking down at his cell phone. I thought he might have been hunting Pokemon, but when I asked him about it, he said no, so I just left it at that.

There are two paths around the lake, the Red Trail and the Blue Trail. One review I read said the Blue Trail may be better for those with dogs, since it was further from the water and, hopefully, further from any gators hunting furry snacks. From what I could see, the two trails were really the same path at least half the time, and when they diverged, they didn't do so by much. I kept to the Red Trail for consistency, but next time I'll give the Blue Trial a try and see if there's anything to write home about.

There were several benches for sitting and enjoying the peace and quiet and quite a few blue bird boxes, so I imagine it would be a nice place to sit and read, write, or draw when the weather is nice. There was even picnic area at about the halfway point around the lake. That was unexpected, but a nice touch.

Mind you, this park is surrounded by heavily traveled roads, so you're never completely away from road noise. Still, the natural surroundings and the water can take you away if you let them.

There are signs around the paths with information about some of the wildlife you might see in the park. I didn't see a sign about alligators, but I'm sure you can get plenty up close and personal with them if you go out on the lake itself.

Just as you enter the park is a sign pointing you straight ahead to the Canoe Launch, or as I like to call it, the Kayak Launch. It's probably 100 yards to the water, so you'll want help or wheels to get your boat down there. And I'd be careful in warmer weather. While today was too cool for any self-respecting gator to be out, the launch seems quiet enough that a gator could be anywhere at any time on a nice, warm day.

The parking lot has a couple of port-a-potties and a covered picnic area. There is also a covered picnic area just inside the park. Parking costs $2 and the machine that gives you your parking ticket takes cash or credit cards. Considering you can spend a lot of time there, including picnicking and kayaking, that's a fair price.