An unexpected slice of wilderness in an urban setting, Lake Lotus Park preserves one hundred acres of a floodplain habitat fed by the Little Wekiva River.

Lake Lotus Park

In the most improbable of places, surrounded by highways, apartments, and shopping centers where Altamonte Springs and Maitland meet, Lake Lotus Park was my secret getaway when I lived far too close to I-4 and discovered this woodland retreat within a couple of miles of home.

Follow the park entrance road back to the playground / picnic pavilion / restrooms area at the end of the loop. Start your hike at the boardwalk leading directly out of that small parking lot towards the lake. You’re soon paralleling the clear waters of the Little Wekiva River, which forms Lake Lotus on its way to meet the Wekiva River. The boardwalk extends out over the lake, which indeed has its namesakes floating on the surface. Look for alligators, too, and osprey nests in the trees. At the first intersection, turn right. Stop at the “Window on the Lake,” an octagonal structure with picture windows for birdwatching.

At 0.5 mile, the trail takes a jog to the left to follow the edge of a lotus-choked channel connecting two segments of the lake. Meandering away from the lake, it enters a tangled jumble of vines and young trees. A grove of bald cypresses sway around you, tall and gray-barked. At the next trail junction, turn right. Notice the laurel oak on the left with deep cypress-like folds in the base of its trunk.