Moss Park: Orange County's Largest Park Near Lake Nona
1,551 acres of old-Florida wilderness, camping, and two lakes — about 20 miles southeast of downtown Orlando
Moss Park is a 1,551-acre Orange County regional park at 12901 Moss Park Road in Orlando's 32832 ZIP code, roughly 20 miles southeast of downtown Orlando near Lake Nona. It is the largest park in the Orange County system, set on an isthmus between Lake Hart and Lake Mary Jane. Admission is $3 per vehicle for one to two people and $5 per vehicle for three to eight people, and the park is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in summer and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter. The park offers 54 RV and tent campsites, two boat ramps, two playgrounds, a swimming area, and hiking trails connecting to the adjacent Split Oak Forest. Pets are not allowed except ADA service animals, and no alcohol is permitted.
So you've been scrolling listings around Lake Nona and you keep seeing this giant green blob on the map to the east. That's Moss Park — and here's what most newcomers don't realize: it's the largest park in the entire Orange County system, and it's sat quietly between two lakes since 1928.
We're talking 1,551 acres of live oaks dripping with Spanish moss, two lakes, a campground, and miles of trail. For a region famous for theme parks, Moss Park is the opposite energy: rustic, unhurried, refreshingly un-engineered.
Here's the honest rundown on Moss Park — and whether the area around it belongs on your list.
Wait, Orlando Has a Park This Big?
It does, and the scale surprises people. By Orange County's own reckoning, Moss Park is nearly twice the size of New York City's Central Park, occupying a narrow neck of land between Lake Hart and Lake Mary Jane.
Geographically, this is the Lake Nona side of Orlando — the 32832 ZIP code, below the 528 BeachLine and east of Downtown Orlando. It's close enough to Hunter's Creek and Meadow Woods for a realistic weekend habit, but far enough out for full-on rural Florida.
From Turpentine and Cattle to the County's Crown Jewel
Before it was a park, this land was worked for turpentine and grazed by cattle. The turn came in 1928, when Mary and Marcellus J. Moss donated 51 acres between the two lakes; the park was later dedicated in memory of their daughter, Frances Moss Carroll, who died in a 1941 car accident in Munich, Germany.
Camping arrived in the 1940s and '50s. Then the detail we love most: in the 1960s, flood-control officials dredged a canal between the two lakes, technically turning Moss Park into an island and opening boat access to both at once. In 1975, Susan and Harry Diamond sold roughly 1,500 acres to the county, cementing Moss Park as its largest park.
What You'll Actually Do Out Here
Camping (The Main Event)
Moss Park is one of metro Orlando's best-known campgrounds. There are 54 RV and tent sites, each with water and electric hookups, a fire ring, a grill, and a picnic table. Five group sites can collectively host up to 450 campers — handy for a scout troop or family reunion.
Pricing is straightforward: $18 per night for Orange County residents and $23 for non-residents, with a 25% discount for visitors 55 and up and active military. Book individual sites through Orange County's online system; it fills up in cooler months. If camping is your thing, compare notes with our guides to Kelly Park at Rock Springs and Lake Louisa State Park, two very different Central Florida options.
On the Water
Two boat ramps reach both Lake Hart and Lake Mary Jane, and the park is a popular kayak and canoe launch. There's bass and panfish fishing plus a designated swimming area on Lake Mary Jane, and the connecting canal lets you paddle between the lakes — a scenic way to spend a morning.
Trails, Wildlife, and Split Oak Forest
Park roads, paved and unpaved, are open to cyclists, with hiking trails through pine flatwoods and oak hammock. Moss Park is part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, so you've got a real shot at sandhill cranes, white-tailed deer, Sherman's fox squirrels, raccoons — and yes, alligators (it's Florida; respect the water's edge).
One of the park's best features is a trail that leads into the adjacent Split Oak Forest, a roughly 1,689-acre conservation area centered on a live oak said to be more than 200 years old. If you want the bigger picture on the protected lands stitched across this part of the region, our guide to Conservation Lands Around Orlando and the nearby Tibet-Butler Preserve are good next reads.
The Practical Stuff: Hours, Fees, and Getting There
Let's get you in the gate:
- Address: 12901 Moss Park Road, Orlando, FL 32832
- Hours: Summer 8 a.m.–8 p.m.; Winter 8 a.m.–6 p.m. (open daily except Christmas)
- Admission: $3 per vehicle (1–2 people), $5 per vehicle (3–8 people), $1 per pedestrian or cyclist
- Rules: No pets except ADA service animals; no alcohol
- Park office: 407-254-6840
From the Lake Nona side, take Narcoossee Road (SR 15) south, then head east on Moss Park Road about three miles to the entrance. From elsewhere in metro Orlando, the 528 BeachLine Expressway and 417 Eastern Beltway get you close quickly.
Local tip: grab a park map at the entrance station when you pay — the trails aren't heavily signed, and a bike makes covering the loops and back corners far easier than walking.
The Split Oak Question (An Honest Note)
If you're researching the area, you'll run into the Split Oak Forest debate, so we won't pretend it isn't there. Split Oak is jointly owned by Orange and Osceola counties and was set aside for conservation in the 1990s. A planned toll road, the Osceola Parkway Extension, has been approved to cross the southern portion of Split Oak on the Osceola side — several miles south of Moss Park's lakes, not the park itself.
Regulators released about 60 acres of conservation easement in exchange for adjacent replacement land, and construction is phased over years, with the Split Oak segment among the later pieces. Conservation groups have fought it hard. It doesn't change life at Moss Park today, but it's a live issue worth tracking through the Central Florida Expressway Authority.
Living Near Moss Park: The Real Deal
If you're weighing the southeast Orlando area partly for proximity to all this green space, here's the balanced take.
The Pros:
- A massive natural escape — camping, paddling, and trails — minutes from the fast-growing Lake Nona corridor
- Close to Lake Nona's Medical City, restaurants, and major employers
- Quick highway access via the 417 and 528
- Genuine old-Florida character, increasingly rare as the region builds out
The Cons:
- No pets allowed in the park — a real drawback for dog owners
- It's rural: limited shade structures fill up, and summer brings heat and bugs
- The Lake Nona area is booming, which means traffic and construction nearby
- Proximity to Orlando International Airport means occasional aircraft overhead
Our Take:
If a wild, no-frills park within reach of a polished, amenity-rich suburb sounds ideal, the Lake Nona side delivers a rare combination. If you need your green space to come with a dog park and a splash pad, file this one under "weekend adventure" rather than "everyday backyard."
What the Neighbors Know
Moss Park is one of those places longtime locals quietly treasure and newcomers stumble onto by accident. It won't appear in a tourist brochure between Disney and Universal, but it's the largest park in Orange County, nearly a century old, and offers a mossy-oak Florida that's increasingly rare this close to the city.
Go for a sunrise paddle, a cookout under the oaks, or a night in the campground, and you'll see why people out near Lake Nona consider it one of the best perks of the address. 🌲
For current hours, fees, and camping reservations, visit the official Orange County Parks & Recreation Moss Park page.
Thinking about the Lake Nona area? Explore Lake Nona homes or contact us for honest, local relocation advice — the good, the rural, and the in-between.
