Highlands Hammock State Park - Florida
1/6/2015
Highlands Hammock State Park Overview Video:
Becky and Greg visited Highland Hammock State Park Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
Beautiful small park about 2 hours North East from our home. Camp sites are fairly close together but plenty of trees providing shade. We rode our bikes around the Park and explored the CCC museum. The trials are about 20-30 min. In length, but beautiful swamp, nature, large Cypress trees, and wildlife. No gators spotted this time, but I'm sure they spotted us. After hiking 3 trails, we rode our bikes on the off road bike trails. The scenery was not as nice as the scenery on the walking trails, but good exercise.
BICYCLINGA paved loop drive through the hammock offers nature study and is ideal for cyclists as bicycles are not permitted on the nature trails. This drive is smooth and suitable for roller-blading, or skating. A six-mile "off roadway" bicycle trail is also available and is best suited for fat-tired bikes. See the results of our prescribed burn and the restoration it has created.
Bike rentals are available at the ranger station.
HIKING NATURE TRAIL
Highlands Hammock Webster defines hammock as " a fertile area in the southern U.S. and especially Florida, that is usually higher than its surroundings and that is characterized by hardwood vegetation and deep humus-rich soil." True enough. But visitors to Highlands Hammock State Park know exactly what it means -- " Beautiful!." Stroll along the elevated boardwalk over Charlie Bowlegs Creek and search the tea-colored water for alligators. Walk along the boardwalk of the Memorial Trail and view the colorful, scattered leaves. See fall in Florida, and maybe observe a flock of White Ibis feeding. Walk deep into the woods under the expansive tree canopy of the Ancient Hammock Trail. Wonder over the giant oaks and their airplant-laden branches. Lake June in Winter Scrub State Park is located 20 minutes from HHSP, and offers hiking opportunities through rare scrub habitat. Current amenities include a picnic pavilion, composting toilet, and short ¼ mile nature walk through scrubby flatwoods and bay communities along a spring-fed creek. This nature trail is a delightful oasis, providing a quiet and shady spot in this predominantly scrub and scrubby flatwoods ecosystem. Another brief walk will offer beautiful views of Lake June in Winter, a 3500-acre lake that lies west of the property. Hikers may enjoy several miles of firelanes that transverse this hot, sunny habitat. From these firelanes, you may see Gopher Tortoises, Florida Scrub Jays, Bald Eagles, Wild Turkeys, Bobcats, Florida Scrub-Lizards and more! Rare, endemic plants of the Florida Scrub can be discovered by those interested in botany. Full sun and deep sands should be expected. Be sure to bring plenty of drinking water, suitable shoes, sunblock and perhaps a cell phone. This park is remote and quiet, affording a very relaxing and peaceful wilderness experience.
The Big Oak is over 1,000 years old, 36 feet around, and still has some new growth sprouting at the top. If you look carefully, you can see the Big Oak’s tree surgery in 1930. At that time people thought you could stabilize and extend the life of a tree by filling the hollow space inside with concrete. More info about Highlands Hammock State Park is at: http://www.floridastateparks.org/Highlandshammock/default.cfm
BICYCLINGA paved loop drive through the hammock offers nature study and is ideal for cyclists as bicycles are not permitted on the nature trails. This drive is smooth and suitable for roller-blading, or skating. A six-mile "off roadway" bicycle trail is also available and is best suited for fat-tired bikes. See the results of our prescribed burn and the restoration it has created.
Bike rentals are available at the ranger station.
Highlands Hammock Webster defines hammock as " a fertile area in the southern U.S. and especially Florida, that is usually higher than its surroundings and that is characterized by hardwood vegetation and deep humus-rich soil." True enough. But visitors to Highlands Hammock State Park know exactly what it means -- " Beautiful!." Stroll along the elevated boardwalk over Charlie Bowlegs Creek and search the tea-colored water for alligators. Walk along the boardwalk of the Memorial Trail and view the colorful, scattered leaves. See fall in Florida, and maybe observe a flock of White Ibis feeding. Walk deep into the woods under the expansive tree canopy of the Ancient Hammock Trail. Wonder over the giant oaks and their airplant-laden branches. Lake June in Winter Scrub State Park is located 20 minutes from HHSP, and offers hiking opportunities through rare scrub habitat. Current amenities include a picnic pavilion, composting toilet, and short ¼ mile nature walk through scrubby flatwoods and bay communities along a spring-fed creek. This nature trail is a delightful oasis, providing a quiet and shady spot in this predominantly scrub and scrubby flatwoods ecosystem. Another brief walk will offer beautiful views of Lake June in Winter, a 3500-acre lake that lies west of the property. Hikers may enjoy several miles of firelanes that transverse this hot, sunny habitat. From these firelanes, you may see Gopher Tortoises, Florida Scrub Jays, Bald Eagles, Wild Turkeys, Bobcats, Florida Scrub-Lizards and more! Rare, endemic plants of the Florida Scrub can be discovered by those interested in botany. Full sun and deep sands should be expected. Be sure to bring plenty of drinking water, suitable shoes, sunblock and perhaps a cell phone. This park is remote and quiet, affording a very relaxing and peaceful wilderness experience.
The Big Oak is over 1,000 years old, 36 feet around, and still has some new growth sprouting at the top. If you look carefully, you can see the Big Oak’s tree surgery in 1930. At that time people thought you could stabilize and extend the life of a tree by filling the hollow space inside with concrete. More info about Highlands Hammock State Park is at: http://www.floridastateparks.org/Highlandshammock/default.cfm
WILDLIFE WATCHING
Enjoy viewing White-tailed deer up close during the early evening hours in the historic grove areas. See alligators swimming and basking along the swamps from the boardwalks over the dark waters. Hear the scream of Red Shouldered Hawks hunting prey through the hardwood hammock. Listen for the deep resonating sounds of Barred Owls calling in the hours near dusk. Be still in the peace of the Cypress Catwalk as dawn turns to daylight and the forest awakens. Glance at the flitting varieties of song birds as they rest during their migration through central Florida. See the flash of black and white as the immense Pileated Woodpeckers chase each other among the giant oaks. Marvel over the giant spanning webs of "Golden Silk Spiders" glistening like gold threads in the morning light. Bike along the fat-tire bike trail to look for lumbering Gopher Tortoises feeding in the heat of the mid-afternoon. Enjoy a Ranger narrated tram ride and exclaim over the abundance of turtles, alligators and wading birds that you see. Enjoy the deafening songs of frogs mating after the early summer rainstorms in the hammock. It is amazing!
The park's varied habitats provide excellent birding opportunities for all enthusiasts and are part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. A bird checklist is available at the ranger station.
We always enjoy getting back to nature. We enjoyed our visit.
Comments