Here’s my new favorite hike in the heart of Florida – the weird and wonderful landscape of Allan David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve. My first visit year six years ago was brief, just enough to walk through the oak hammock since the trail system looked to be all equestrian. This time, I had time to explore more thoroughly during Florida Trail Days, held at the adjacent FFA Leadership Camp, and discovered that once you walk up and over the first ridge, you’ve entered a world unlike any other in Florida.
The Lake Wales Ridge is an ancient place, and moreso than any other hike I’ve done on the ridge, this one showcases the convergence of topography and botany that defines the ridge. The landscape is by far the most difficult to traverse in Central Florida, with hillsides as white, soft, deep, and steep as ski slopes with incredible panoramic views awaiting atop each ridge. I’ve just sent the full writeup out to my Hike-A-Week subscribers and updated the information on the main website so subscribers can download the GPS track and pull mileage details. Take a look! This one’s a keeper – I’ll be adding it to the second edition of 50 Hikes in Central Florida, coming out this fall.
