Enjoy hikes within an easy reach of Mount Dora, a popular destination for antique shopping and the arts. Mount Dora spills down a rolling hill to the edge of Lake Dora, with a very walkable historic downtown district. Home to a grand old Florida railroad hotel, the Lakeside Inn, and nearly a dozen B&Bs, Mount Dora is great for a romantic getaway.
Clearwater Lake Loop
Most hikers headed for Clearwater Lake in the Ocala National Forest are looking for the Florida Trail, which starts its northbound journey of 70 unbroken miles just north of SR 42 in Paisley. But the original segment of the Florida Trail blazed by Florida Trail Association founder Jim Kern and his first work crew in [...]
Hidden Waters Preserve
From an aerial view, it’s obvious the region around Eustis and Mount Dora is pockmarked with sinkholes. Hidden Waters Preserve is managed by the Lake County Water Authority to protect and utilize a massive sinkhole— the Eichelberger Sink. When you’re descending into it along the Lake Alfred Trail, the slope is especially steep. The Ravine [...]
Palm Island Park
A stay at the Lakeside Inn jogged my memory of when I first discovered Palm Island Park. I was in the thick of researching a travel guide, and had walked down to the Dora Lighthouse to take some photos. I noticed people out on a boardwalk on the distant shoreline, and thought it was interesting [...]
Trimble Park
At the end of a 71-acre peninsula – once an isthmus – between Lake Beauclair and Lake Carlton in the Harris chain of lakes, Trimble Park is an under-the-radar beauty spot of which Orange County should be quite proud. Ancient oaks line both shorelines and are the main feature in the primary part of the [...]
