A long time ago, I discovered that the Lake Wales – Frostproof area in southern Polk County was one of the most hiking-rich areas in the state. Given the mix of state parks, county natural lands, wildlife management areas and state forests – plus The Nature Conservancy’s grand Tiger Creek Preserve – and it’s no wonder that protection of this biologically fragile region means plenty of places to explore.
Catfish Creek Preserve State Park
Hang on for one wild walk! Allan David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park isn’t just “a perfect example of Lake Wales Ridge Scrub,” it’s a landscape unlike any other you’ll find in Florida. The Lake Wales Ridge is a long, slender ridge of ancient sand that stretches from around Clermont most of the way [...]
Crooked Lake Prairie
In a region where development has started to spread, Crooked Lake Prairie is a refreshing excursion into habitats found on the high hills of the Lake Wales Ridge. The network of interlinking loop trails includes the orange-blazed 1.3 mile Scrub Trail, the 0.3-mile purple blazed Lookout Trail, the 1.5 mile blue blazed Pine Woods Trail, [...]
Fort Drum Marsh
It’s the birthplace of the St. Johns River, a mosaic of wet prairies, cypress swamps, and hardwood hammocks in the wide open spaces between Yeehaw Junction and Vero Beach—waiting for you to explore. Zipping along SR 60 between Florida’s Turnpike and Vero Beach, you just don’t think about hiking. Orange groves, perhaps, or prairies or [...]
Hickory Lake Scrub
Nestled along the eastern shore of Hickory Lake, this 57-acre preserve showcases some of the unusual plants you can only find on the Lake Wales Ridge. When the rest of Florida was under a few feet of water, long, thin dune-capped islands stood well above the waves. As a result, the ridge has one of [...]
Lake Kissimmee State Park – Buster Island Loop
Comprised of wet prairies, pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, and scrub, Buster Island in Lake Kissimmee State Park is indeed an island, surrounded by three lakes and waterways that flow into them. The trail loops through a succession of varied habitats along the Lake Wales Ridge, making this a particularly interesting hike. The beauty of Buster [...]
Lake Kissimmee State Park – North Loop & Gobbler Ridge
Most visitors to Lake Kissimmee State Park never see the lake. Certainly, they see the marina, and the Zipprer Canal that connects Lake Rosalie and Lake Kissimmee. Alligators sun on the canal banks, and you can hear airboats buzzing in the distance. But even from the very top of the observation tower, Lake Kissimmee is [...]
SUMICA
The prairies of Central Florida are fascinating places, rich with wildlife. Here, you’ll see flocks of wild turkeys and sandhill cranes, and that unusual looking falcon, the caracara. Protecting more than 4,000 acres of this habitat and purchased in 1997 as part of the Polk County Environmental Lands Program, SUMICA opened just a few years [...]
Tiger Creek Preserve – Jenkins Trail
Starting at a small trailhead off a side road off Wakeford Rd, the Jenkins Trail leads you to a cool tannic stream slicing through the desert-like scrub of the Lake Wales Ridge: Tiger Creek, for which this preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy is named. This is the northernmost trail in the preserve. Resources Overview [...]
