3. Marshall Hampton Reserve (28.007846, -81.821038). Less than 4 miles away via FL 540, this sister preserve to Circle B Bar sits along the northeast shore of Lake Hancock and offers 12 miles of multi-use trails from a trailhead off Thornhill Road, with the new Panther Point Trail along the lake being the most popular destination.
CAMPING AND LODGING
Saddle Creek Campground, 3716 Morgan Combee Road, Lakeland, FL 33801 (863-413-2399, polk-county.net)
Best Western Auburndale Inn & Suites, 1008 US 92 W, Auburndale, FL 33823 (863-551-3400, bestwestern.com)
Lakeland Highlands Scrub
total distance: 2.8-mile perimeter loop with shorter options available
Hiking time: 1.5–2 hours
Difficulty: Easy to difficult
Usage: Free. Open 6 AM–6:30 PM during standard time, 5:30 AM–8 PM during daylight savings time. Leashed pets welcome. Bicycles permitted but not recommended.
Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 27.9367, -81.9235
Contact Information: Lakeland Highlands Scrub, 6998 Lakeland Highlands Road, Lakeland, FL 33813 (863-534-7377, polknature.com/explore/lakeland-highlands-scrub)
One of the original Polk County Environmental Lands, Lakeland Highlands Scrub offers a close-up look at a scrub ridge in the Central Highlands. Parallel to the Lake Wales Ridge but shorter and much farther west, the Lakeland Ridge boasts some serious elevation for the Florida peninsula, with portions of this 551-acre preserve sitting around 230 feet above sea level. An island of natural habitats surrounded by shuttered phosphate mines and subdivisions, it offers a boardwalk across a large flatwoods pond as a delightful surprise amid its otherwise dry habitats.
GETTING THERE
From downtown Lakeland, follow US 98 south towards Bartow for 2.5 miles. Turn right onto E Edgewood Drive. Continue for 0.7 mile and make a left onto Lakeland Highlands Road (CR 37B). Drive straight south on this road for 5.2 miles. It ends at the preserve. As the parking area is sandwiched between a fenced-off, water-filled, abandoned phosphate pit and a nondescript wall around a compound of nicer homes, it’s not a very appealing entrance. But once you park and walk over to the preserve itself, you’re in a different world.
THE HIKE
Leaving the parking area, walk through the pass-through stile in the wooden fence to enter Lakeland Highlands Scrub. Passing the entrance to the Scrub Flatwoods Trail—where you’ll exit when you complete this clockwise loop around the perimeter of the preserve—walk to the kiosk by the picnic shelter to take a look at the map of Florida’s ancient islands. Pick up a map of the trails in the BROCHURES box. Beyond the kiosk is the SHADY OAK TRAIL sign. The trail immediately leads you into a xeric hammock, an evergreen forest on well-drained sandy soils. Before these rolling hills between Lakeland and Mulberry became ranches, phosphate mines, and subdivisions, islands of sandhill forest rich with longleaf pine and wiregrass sat among ancient scrubs and prairies, much like what is seen in the Ocala National Forest today. But a century’s worth of human activity means this habitat has been isolated. A climax forest of oak hammock has taken over. Sand live oaks thrive in scrub habitats. They also provide shady tunnels for the trail to lead you through.
As the forest floor is covered in oak leaves, the footpath can be indistinct. Look for trail markers and be cautious of where fallen trees might block the path and send you in an incorrect direction as you walk beneath the curving, lichen-studded limbs of the sand live oaks. Scattered saw palmetto grow throughout the understory. In one open spot, you see a clue as to the sandhill habitat that’s no longer dominant: tufts of wiregrass and prickly pear cactus.
After 0.3 mile, you reach the junction with the Lichen Loop Trail. Turn left to follow this fascinating loop. It crosses a grassy path that was an old railroad line before it enters deep shade under the moss-draped sand live oaks. Beyond a stand of pines, the trail bisects dense beds of lichens adapted to the harshness of this fine-grained sand, including Cladonia evansii, the red-tipped lichen known as reindeer lichen or “British soldiers.” Among them are clusters of slender green fingers of sand spike-moss, a fascinating lichen that reproduces by spores. The trail continues as a narrow tunnel beneath a low canopy of sand live oaks, with cushion-like mats of deep green Leucobryum albidum padding the edges of the footpath.
Leaving the shade of the oaks, the trail pops into an area with a panoramic sweep of sky over a dense understory of saw palmetto and other scrub shrubs like shiny lyonia. Follow the signs and watch the footpath so as not to lose your way in this open space with its nice views of the scrub forest. Zigzagging towards a cluster of oaks thickly draped in Spanish moss, the trail turns sharply left to cross the old railroad grade again. In this spot, the trail sits on a bed of the bright white sand you’ve started to see underfoot.
Dense bed of lichens along the Lichen Loop
Reaching the end of the Lichen Loop Trail after 0.6 mile, turn left to resume the Shady Oak Trail, which continues under a low canopy of oaks, the understory open except for clusters of saw palmetto. Taller oaks form the canopy and pines tower overhead as the trail meets a junction with the Scrub Flatwoods Trail. Turn left and join the old railroad grade at a four-way intersection. You see the start of the boardwalk nearby. The boardwalk leads across a large open basin in the scrub, a flatwoods pond, and the wet prairie that surrounds its edges. It provides scenic views across the water as it guides you towards a covered observation deck. Take a break on the benches and listen to the frogs croaking; watch ibis wheel across the sky and land in formation. This is an oasis in a dry landscape, the observation deck ideal for wildlife watching.
Flatwoods pond at dusk
Leaving the boardwalk, you’ve completed the easy part of this hike. If you’re wondering why we rated such a broad spectrum of difficulty for this trail, you may not be familiar with walking across Florida’s ancient sands. Just beyond the boardwalk, a mile into your hike, you’ll note a distinct cutoff between soil and sand. Once you step across it, footing becomes uneven and sand sneaks into your shoes from every direction. You may even break through a crust on the top. Walking through what we call “sugar sand” is quite strenuous, especially when you add in the lack of shade in the open scrub. The scrub is Florida’s desert. Rainfall quickly soaks into the ground, and the sun reflects brightly back at you from underfoot. It’s easy to get dehydrated in this open habitat, so keep drinking your water regularly as you walk. The dense oak scrub is short and does not cast shade across the trail. Prairie grasses wave in the sun.
Patches of scrub mint grow atop the bright white sand, looking like cushions. After you pass a bench at 1.2 miles, look closely at the lichens growing on the white sand. Cladonia prostrata is a crispy-looking, silvery lichen. When this lichen becomes damp, the crispy edges unfurl like a miniature staghorn fern, exposing a greenish interior. The rounded puffy lichens are lumped under the colloquial name of deer moss. Like the smaller lichens, these plants become brittle when dry, and soft and spongy when wet. Cladonia perforata, or perforate reindeer lichen, is a rare species only found in the ancient scrubs like the one that this preserve protects. You’ll need to look closely at the lichen patches along this section of the trail to identify it: look for natural holes (perforations) in the stems. There are many thick beds of lichens in this area.
While the trail primarily stays to the broad sandy patches between the hammocks, it passes through an island of pines in the scrub at 1.4 miles. The change to pine needles and leaves underfoot makes for much easier walking, and there are patches of shade. As the trail makes a sharp turn, it emerges into another stretch of deep, soft ancient sands. Watch for trail markers. Oak scrub presses in from both sides before the landscape opens again. The divots of thousands of footprints in the bright sand look like suncups on a snowy slope.
Bright white sands of the Lakeland Ridge
Don’t be surprised to see a flash of blue as a Florida scrub-jay settles into the top of a myrtle oak. Found only in Florida, these curious birds live in family groups, so
when you see or hear one, others may appear. They keep their distance as they scurry beneath the diminutive oaks in search of acorns. This is one of the better places in the region to see them. Notice how the pines are draped in Spanish moss? It’s not uncommon to see a scrub-jay perched on one of the lower limbs. A warning shrweep from this lookout sends the others for cover.
At 1.7 miles, the landscape opens into a prairie. A bench provides a rare break in a patch of shade. The soft white sand vanishes as low grasses swarm across the footpath. Note a slow transition of habitat back to xeric hammock, as the oaks are taller and the increased number of leaves on the ground decay into soil. Crossing the old grass-covered railroad line once again after 2 miles, the trail curves right to parallel it. As the trail draws close to the fence line of the preserve, you catch glimpses of homes and paddocks. The habitat is shifting again, this time into pine flatwoods. Passing a bench beneath a pine, the trail continues down a straightaway under the pines. A mowed area with prairie grasses can become soggy after a rain. As the footpath becomes grassy, settle in for a comfortable stretch between the scattered pines.
Passing the corner of the property line at 2.4 miles, the trail curves through an oak hammock to emerge into another prairie area where rangers’ vehicles often leave deep ruts because of the soft earth underneath. Water collects in this area at times, draining off the prairie to the low spots. Saw palmetto competes with the grasses to create an impenetrable understory. Reaching the next SCRUB FLATWOODS TRAIL sign, the trail merges in with the Shady Oak Trail. Turn left to walk through the last stretch of oak hammock to the trailhead. By the time you get to the parking area, you’ve completed a 2.8-mile hike.
OTHER HIKING OPTIONS
1. Shady Oak Trail. Sticking to the Shady Oak Trail, walk an easy 0.7-mile circuit beneath the oak hammocks closest to the park entrance. Simply skip the turnoff for the Lichen Loop Trail and turn right when you reach the T intersection with the Scrub Flatwoods Loop.
2. Shady Lichen & Wetlands. For a scenic and easy walk, follow the first portion of our hike route around the Shady Oak Trail and Lichen Loop and to the Flatwoods Pond boardwalk. Enjoy the view from the observation deck. Use this as your turnaround point and head back towards the trailhead on the remainder of the Shady Oak Trail for a 1.3-mile hike.
3. Wetlands Walk. If your focus is birding, head straight to the Flatwoods Pond boardwalk. Do so by following the Scrub Flatwoods Trail backward to the Shady Oak Trail, then over to the Scrub Flatwoods Trail to get to the boardwalk. A round-trip from the parking area to the observation deck and back is 1 mile. Add an extra ramble into the scrub beyond the boardwalk if you’re looking for Florida scrub-jays.
CAMPING AND LODGING
Saddle Creek Campground, 3716 Morgan Combee Road, Lakeland, FL 33801 (863-413-2399, polk-county.net)
Holiday Inn Express Bartow, 1565 N Broadway Avenue, Bartow, FL 33830 (863-533-8070, ihg.com)
Boardwalk over needlerush marsh, Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park
II.
NATURE
COAST
Johnson Pond Trail
Total distance: 2.7-mile loop that crosses and briefly joins trails shared with equestrians and cyclists
Hiking time: 1–1.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Usage: Free. Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed pets welcome.
Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 29.005133, -82.384067
Contact Information: Withlacoochee State Forest/Two Mile Prairie Tract, 3033 E Withlacoochee Trail, Dunnellon, FL 34434 (352-797-4140, freshfromflorida.com or www.swfwmd.state.fl.us)
Flowing north towards the Gulf of Mexico, the Withlacoochee River defines the boundary between Citrus and Marion counties. Just south of the river lies the Two Mile Prairie Tract of Withlacoochee State Forest, where the Johnson Pond Trail provides a walk through sandhills and oak scrub, touching on prairies along the way. The most notable stop is the trail’s namesake, Johnson Pond, a birder’s delight. Watch for the yellow flash of the palm warbler; listen for the languid warble of the warbling vireo. Great blue herons step gracefully through the shallow waters of Johnson Pond, and bluebirds are encouraged to nest nearby.
GETTING THERE
From I-75, take exit 350, Ocala (southbound) or exit 341, Belleview (northbound) and go west on either FL 200 or CR 484 for about 10 miles, where the two roads intersect. From the intersection, follow FL 200 west for 6.2 miles to the Withlacoochee River bridge, turning right onto CR 39, between the two gas stations. Drive 2.6 miles to the trailhead on the left side of the road, which has the sign JOHNSON POND RECREATIONAL TRAILHEAD. The trail starts at a kiosk with a map of the trail.
THE HIKE
From the trailhead kiosk, pass through the split-rail fence. Follow the trail as it swings left onto a forest road into the sandhill habitat, where young longleaf pines rise to touch the sky. Eruptions of orange sand along the trail mark the underground paths of pocket gophers. Loblolly and sand pines intersperse with the longleaf pines; the scent of pine rises from the path on a damp day. Clumps of soft seafoam-colored deer moss hide beneath the turkey oaks. The yellow blazes are oversized and frequent and prove to be somewhat distracting along some parts of the hike.
Johnson Pond, at the heart of its prairie
After 0.5 mile, the trail makes a sharp right past a bench. Thickets of saw palmetto cluster under the turkey oaks. Watch for the first of many gopher tortoise burrows. Sandhills are prime gopher tortoise habitat, and the scattered gopher apple and prickly pear cactus provide fuel for the tortoise’s wanderings. Turning left, the trail passes through a stand of gnarled sand live oaks, past a prairie edged by longleaf pines. This is one of the few remaining spots along the trail with a mat of Cladonia lichens, commonly called reindeer lichen. By 0.7 mile, you reach Johnson Pond, a broad, marshy flatwoods pond. Lily pads float across the open water; pond cypresses crowd the edge of the marsh. An observation platform lets you watch for colorful wading birds that frequent the pond—the purple gallinule, the green heron, and the great blue heron. The trail continues along the edge of the lake past a set of picnic benches. Songbirds flit across the trail, small blurs in motion.
Watch for the markers for the next right turn onto a forest road. Follow it beneath the arch of sand live oaks. A blue-blazed trail intersects from the left at 1.2 miles—one of the horse trails from the southern extreme of Two Mile Prairie. It shares the hiking trail for the next 0.2 mile, so expect the footpath to be rough, especially if it’s deeply rutted by fat-tire enthusiasts. In the soft sand along both sides of the road, look for sand pine whitlow-wort. These endangered wildflowers grow only in a limited region of Florida’s sand pine scrub, and have dense square flower clusters of pale pink or white, blooming through the summer and into October.
Florida rosemary in the scrubby flatwoods
After you pass a barbed-wire fence, the hiking trail turns away from the horse trail. It makes a sharp right and descends through a live oak hammock to what once was a rosemary scrub. Perhaps prescribed burns caused its demise, or a change in how water flows across the landscape. Only a couple of Florida rosemary plants remain in this once-thriving spot, and the dense carpet of deer moss found beneath the oaks has vanished entirely.
The trail parallels a dry streambed, then veers left into the slash pines before rising into an oak hammock. Bright pink red blanket lichen livens up the live oak trunks. Southern red cedars are scattered amid the oaks. An American holly shades a small limestone outcrop at 1.9 miles. A shaded bench sits at the upper end of a steep karst valley; the trail swings right, climbing up between live oaks to work its way back into the sandhills. Turkey oak and longleaf pine dominate the canopy. The grassy understory hosts a parade of fall wildflowers—blazing star, deer’s tongue, and yellow buttons.
The pines show burn scars as you climb a long uphill through turkey oaks, which in fall are dressed in crimson and brown. More than any other Florida habitat, the sandhill shows the change of the season. Winged sumacs turn
a deep, dark crimson, while the wiregrass fades to straw. Swinging left around a short stand of wax myrtle, the trail plunges downhill under the longleaf pines to complete the loop. Continue straight ahead to return to the parking area, completing the 2.7-mile loop.
OTHER HIKING OPTIONS
1. Short Loop. After you pass the pavilion beyond the observation platform on Johnson Pond, look for an obvious forest road on the right. It’s not blazed at first, but it quickly connects you with the other side of the loop. Continue straight ahead along the blazes to make a 2-mile loop.
2. Oxbow Nature Trail (29.005623, -82.387915). North about 0.25 mile along CR 39 is a separate 1.2-mile loop within Withlacoochee State Forest. This trail tunnels through oak scrub similar to what you see on the Johnson Pond Trail, but also follows the banks of the Withlacoochee River for a short stretch.
3. Bear Head Hammock (28.966384, -82.401349). At the south end of Two Mile Prairie, a trailhead off CR 491 provides access to the 8.3-mile equestrian loop inside the forest, which intersects with the Johnson Pond Trail.
CAMPING AND LODGING
Ross Prairie Campground, 10660 SW SR 200, Dunnellon, FL 34432 (1-800-326-3521, floridastateparks.reserveamerica.com)
50 Hikes in Central Florida Page 7