Knight Trail Park

Knight Trail Park is a Sarasota County park in Nokomis, FL, with an outdoor shooting range for pistols and rifles, sporting clays courses and archery. Reviewers describe a well organized, closely watched operation, and one notes that because every distance shares a single firing line, the range runs with a bit more regimentation than that reviewer was used to.

Distances run from a 7-yard pistol line to a 100-yard rifle range, with a 12-yard pistol position in between, and several reviewers note that 100 yards is the maximum. Reviewers explain that the line alternates 20-minute hot sessions, when shooters fire at targets already placed, with short cold periods for going downrange to set new ones, and one notes that a buzzer signals when the range goes hot. The shooting stations sit under cover in the shade, with fans and comfortable benches, and one visitor mentions screens between the fairly close-set lanes to cut the risk of ejected brass hitting you. Steel targets require frangible ammunition, and one reviewer adds that baffles make the range a bit louder than many.

Range officers keep a close eye on the line. One reviewer describes them correcting minor errors, escalating if an error is not fixed, and moving shooters who are not hitting to targets set closer, and first-time visitors describe an orientation and safety instructions that are simple to follow. Reviews of the officers are mostly warm, with many calling them friendly, helpful and safety-focused, though a few describe them as rude or overly aggressive, and one finds the county rules too strict. Targets, earplugs and other accessories are sold on site.

Away from the firing line, reviewers praise the sporting clays, with one pointing to a variety of courses for different skill levels, and one parent says archery was a huge hit with their kids. One visitor also points to a paved bike trail and multiple off-road trails in the park. For sporting clays near Nokomis or a 100-yard outdoor rifle range in Nokomis, Florida, Knight Trail Park keeps both in one county park.