• De Soto Landing

    De Soto

    National Memorial Florida

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • Junior Ranger Summer Camp Registration Is Now Closed

    Due to an overwhelming response all summer camps are now full. No more applications will be accepted. More »

Leave No Trace

undefined
 

Take Only Photographs, Leave Only Paw Prints

De Soto National Memorial was founded in 1948 to tell the story of the 1539 De Soto Expedition and the Native Americans encountered. Over the years the park has become much, much more. The park provides a rare oasis of solace and repose for humans and wildlife among a sea of rapid development.

You can help support the park by following these simple rules:

  • Pick up all trash. Receptacles have been provided throughout the park for your use.

  • Do not damage plant life by picking flowers, berries, or leaves. Pick up only those that have fallen on the ground.

  • Do not retrieve cultural material including pottery and other artifacts. Pot hunting and use of metal detectors in a National Park is a violation of federal law.

  • All dogs must be leashed. Use doggy bags provided in the park to dispose of the waste from domesticated animals.

  • Do not disturb migratory birds and other creatures within the park.


  • The Gumbo Limbo trees are fragile, please do not climb or hang from them.


With your help De Soto National Memorial will continue to be a sanctuary for wildlife and for humans for centuries to come.





























Did You Know?

Did You Know?

The crossbow was such a fearsome weapon that in 1139 Pope Innocent II outlawed its use among Christians. However, no restriction was placed on its use against non-Christians, including the Native Americans that Hernando de Soto met on his 1539 Expedition to Florida. Visit De Soto National Memorial. More...