Everything Changes

Passing through the portal

At 4.4 miles, the trail passes through a massive divided oak, where each trunk is at least ten feet around. It’s a portal into a new array of habitats. The prairie becomes more visible, until finally, the trail leaves the shade of the live oaks and heads straight into a patch of scrub, part of the Lake Wales Ridge. Short scrub live oak and myrtle oak trees characterize this scrub habitat, with only scattered lonely slash pines. Florida rosemary grows in small clearings between the saw palmettos. Dark earth gives way to white sand as the elevation increases slightly, bringing you into a sand pine scrub.

After 6.1 miles, the trail enters the vast prairie at the heart of Buster Island. Looking off to the left, you can see the sweep of treeline in the distance, your route through the oak hammock and pine flatwoods. You reach the beginning of the white trail loop at 6.5 miles. Turn right, retracing your steps back to the parking area along the blue-blazed trail.