Increased military training activity on Eglin Air Force Base may result in sudden and sporadic closures of the Florida Trail between US 331 and RR 208.
Florida has some impressive trees, but the Land of the Giants is worth a walk in the woods not far from Orlando.
Most Floridians have heard about the Big Tree… you know, the one called the Senator, the showpiece of Big Tree Park. But here’s a little secret. The Senator, and its neighbor Lady Liberty, may get all the attention when it comes to big trees, but just up the road in Winter Springs, you’ll find a stunning array of similar sized giant cypresses in the floodplain forests along the edge of Lake Jesup… and they’re all a part of one giant-sized preserve for this land of the giants, Spring Hammock Preserve.
A Seminole County Natural Area, Spring Hammock Preserve stretches from Big Tree Park, encompassing the floodplain forests on both sides of General Hutchinson Parkway, across US 17/92 where Longwood and Winter Springs meet, up the floodplain of Soldier Creek, and then across SR 419 to protect a significant chunk of Lake Jesup waterfront between Winter Springs and Sanford. In total, it's 1,500 acres of forest in a very urbanized area.
Spring Hammock Preserve surrounds Big Tree Park and stretches out to the shore of Lake Jesup. Access to the preserve is via the Seminole County Environmental Center across from Soldiers Creek Park. On weekdays, stop in at the main office and request a trail map.
There are many footpaths through this lush and shady preserve, the most pleasant of which follow the waterways, including Soldiers Creek. Although uncleared damage dating back to Hurricane Charley makes following some of the trails a real adventure, it’s worth the hopping over mud puddles and clambering over and under fallen trees to get to the true wonders of this preserve: its giant cypresses.
Most of the cypresses are near or along Soldiers Creek, but one stands alone with its own access boardwalk from the roadway-like main trail along the floodplain forest. And all of them are true giants, standing 100 feet and more, with multiple thick limbs and obvious hollows which spared them from the woodsmen’s axe decades ago. You can even clamber atop the trunk of one fallen giant to get a sense of perspective. It’s humbling to stand amid so many ancient trees and realize our lifespans are but a wink of the eye for these silent sentinels of Florida, the giant cypresses a reminder of what our land once was and what we’ve lost to “progress” since this state was settled.
But the cypresses aren’t the only allure to Spring Hammock Preserve. This is a lush wilderness along the shores of Lake Jesup, a wild place where ferns flourish, cabbage palms grow tall, and water bubbles forth out of long-forgotten springs. What makes it all the more fun to explore is the extensive network of hiking trails. Some, like the Mud Walk, were built specifically for the children who come here for environmental education to experience—getting down and dirty in the floodplain forest swamp, where losing a shoe is part of the experience. Others are just a spaghetti tangle of footpaths through the forest. Carrying a map would be smart …carrying a GPS with a waypoint back to your car isn’t a bad idea, either.
From the parking area, start at the “Pine Woods Trail” sign to access the trail system, which provides numerous named trails to choose from to work your way down to Soldiers Creek and Lake Jesup. You’ll pass through dark palm hammocks with high bluffs above the creek, oak hammocks, pine flatwoods, and across a broad meadow under the power lines. A boardwalk creates a loop out into the floodplain forest, adjacent to the Mud Walk. A linear boardwalk follows Soldiers Creek as it empties out into Lake Jesup, and it is here you’ll find the largest cypresses. Out towards the lake, some of the cypress trees have knees that are several feet tall.
Location: Winter Springs [28.721567, -81.306900] Up to 4 miles – LOOPS – moderate
To find Spring Hammock Preserve, from US 17-92 in Winter Springs, drive east 0.6 miles on SR 419 to the park entrance on the left. Enter the gates and park on the right. Gates close at dusk.
Most Floridians have heard about the Big Tree… you know, the one called the Senator, the showpiece of 
