Taking the Walking Path Between Disney Springs and Old Key West (Map with Photos)

If you’re staying at Disney’s Old Key West, you might be interested in taking the walking path between the resort and Disney Springs. It is one of the longer walking paths at Walt Disney World, and given the reasonably remote area and distance, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. However, I have walked it a few times. Below, we’ll take the virtual walk so you know what to expect. I’ve included plenty of photos so you’ll know what to expect and can reference a few markers along the way.

We will start on the West Side of Disney Springs near the Aerophile balloon. The large balloon sits on the lake near Jaleo, Starbucks (West Side), and Summer House on the Lake. Technically, the path begins at Cirque de Soleil, but I felt like the balloon was a better reference than you could actually see from most places near the water in Disney Springs.

Here is a photo of the walkway along the water. Saratoga Springs Resort is on the opposite side of the lake. We have a separate guide that details both options for walking from Saratoga Springs to Disney Springs.

We’ll pass the abandoned West Side Boat Dock.

In the photo below, you can see where a sidewalk starts near the trees. That is the House of Blues at Disney Springs on my left.

We’ll continue down the sidewalk toward the Strawberry surface parking lot at Disney Springs.

Once we reach the parking lot, we meet another sidewalk that continues to the right.

Here is a look back to where we started.

The sidewalk continues the length of the parking lot.

If the boats are running, you’ll see them pass. The Disney Springs water taxis do not run when the water levels are too low, which happens occasionally.

You would cut over to Saratoga Springs the same way if you were visiting The Springs section of the resort.

Below, we see the Saratoga Springs boat dock. That building in the background is home to the resort’s lobby, quick service, pro shop, gift shop, and the Turf Club Bar and Grill.

We’ll pass by the Mickey-shaped sand trap.

Here’s what that area looks like from the distance. You might notice the Purple Martin’s birdhouses in the distance. To get to Old Key West, we are going to stay on the path ahead that walks right by them.

So when you get to this bridge, don’t cross it. It goes to Saratoga Springs. The easiest way to remember is that you’ll always stay on the left side of the river, and you won’t cross it until you get to Old Key West.

Here’s a better look as we get past the bridge, where we see additional birdhouses.

Remember, this is an exceptionally remote area. You might run into a few people playing golf, possibly a few other walkers, and you’ll see boats when they are running. On this afternoon, we only ran into a handful of people and one snake. I didn’t take a picture of the snake.

Here’s a look at the path.

We come to another bridge for golf course guests. A few signs remind us to stay on the path to the left of the river, which is not open after dark.

We’ve almost reached Disney’s Old Key West. In the photo below, one of the resort’s pink buildings is sitting near the river.

You won’t have to worry about missing the bridge. The path dead ends at Old Key West.

This trail is called the Conch Flats Trail. If you’re walking from Old Key West to Disney Springs, you’ll stay on the right side of the river.

The Conch Flats Trail begins and ends between buildings 54 and 55 in the resort’s South Point Road section.

Okay, so here are the stats for the walk between Disney Springs and Old Key West:

• The Distance: 1.06 Miles
• Duration: approximately 25 minutes
• Steps: approximately 2700

Note that I walk at a fairly average pace, but I often stop for photos. Here is a map of the walk from the app I use to track my distances.

Overall, I enjoy this walk for the sake of being outside and upping my step count. However, I would not make this walk if I were going to Disney Springs for a dining reservation or similar. It’s a long walk in mostly direct sunlight.

Guests of Old Key West have the option of taking a bus or boat (when available) to Old Key West. You will also want to consider the weather before making this walk. If a storm or rain shower pops up, there is no good place to shelter on the path. Of course, that’s the case with most walking paths. But sometimes rain showers tend to pop up quickly in this area.

We hope you found the details for this walking path helpful. For more information on the resort, try our Disney’s Old Key West Guide. For more walking paths at Disney, you might enjoy:

• Walking from Disney’s Contemporary to Magic Kingdom
• Walking from Disney’s Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom
• Walking from Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Epcot via the Boardwalk
• Walking Between Kidani Village and Jambo House

You might also enjoy our Resorts Gal Routes series, which shares some of our favorite routes to popular Walt Disney World destinations.

In the Comments

Have you ever walked the path between Old Key West and Disney Springs? Would you consider it? Leave us a comment below and let us know your thoughts or if you found this article helpful.