Ancient cypresses along the shoreline of Lake Russell
At the next trail intersection, turn left to walk down to Lake Russell. This short spur takes you to one of the major reasons to visit the preserve. The trail drops through the floodplain forest of the lake to an open clearing with picnic tables and benches. Fed by Reedy Creek, Lake Russell is truly the jewel of this preserve. Lake Russell drains south through marshes to the Kissimmee River, feeding the Everglades with its northernmost trickle of water. Pause a while to watch the alligators, ibis, and osprey.
Returning along the spur trail to the main trail, turn left to rejoin the Wilderness Trail. The trail climbs into scrubby flatwoods which stretch as far as the eye can see—longleaf pine, saw palmetto, and lopsided Indiangrass. The view is expansive; the saw palmetto short enough that you can see a mile or more in most directions. When naturalist William Bartram wandered through Florida in 1773, he wrote of vast grassy savannas with scattered trees. The dense thickets of saw palmetto we see today in pine flatwoods are not the natural understory, but the result of more than a hundred years of fire suppression in Florida. Cypress domes and strands look like mountains in the distance. For the remainder of the hike, there are only minor variations on this theme, a wraparound landscape of longleaf pine savanna.
Following the Harden Trail through prairie grasses
At 1.3 miles, turn right at the TRAIL CONTINUES sign. The footpath narrows, with tall grass along a cypress-lined pond. After a straightaway, the trail makes a sharp left at a bench, working its way around the pond. The landscape is a little elevated here, as there are no wet spots in the trail. You come to a marker for the Yellow Trail. It once followed a slightly different route but now starts on the west side of the cypress dome. It circles around a vast bayhead swamp and adds 3.6 miles to your hike, should you have the time to hike it.
On this trek, we’re sticking with the Wilderness Trail. Keep right at this junction, which is about halfway through your hike. Winding through the saw palmetto, the trail comes to a bench. Look for the next trail marker. You pop out at a T intersection where the Yellow Trail comes back in on a forest road. Turn right. You’ve walked 1.8 miles. Notice the star-shaped yellow flowers on small bushes scattered between the saw palmetto: St. John’s wort, one of the few colorful shrubs in the pine flatwoods, blooming in summer and fall.
This next segment of the trail is lower than the surrounding landscape, so water may gather in sheets across the footpath. Watch the leopard frogs bounce out of your way, and keep alert for water snakes. The savanna opens up more, and you catch a glimpse of the Conservancy Learning Center off in the distance. Meeting up with the Small Red Loop at a bench, the trail jogs left through a drainage area, where standing water is likely. Crossing the savanna, the trail beelines towards the pond, where the Harden Trail joins the route. Circling the pond, the trail meets up with the sidewalk at the kiosk marking the start of the interpretive trail. Turn left to exit, completing a 2.5-mile walk as you reach the parking lot.
OTHER HIKING OPTIONS
1. Harden Trail. This 0.5-mile loop around the pond and cypress dome behind the Conservancy Learning Center appeals to young and old, and is easily the most-used trail in the preserve. Benches provide quiet places for birders to sit and watch activity along the pond.
2. Small Red Loop. The cypress-lined shore of Lake Russell is the most compelling destination at the preserve. If you don’t wish to hike the full Wilderness Trail, backtrack to the red-blazed cross-trail after visiting Lake Russell. It rejoins the other side of the Wilderness Trail at a bench within sight of the pond along the Harden Trail, completing a 1.2-mile trek.
3. Yellow Trail. The Yellow Trail follows a good portion of the original Wilderness Trail route around a large bayhead swamp, as we shared in the first edition of this guidebook. Closed for many years, it’s reopened for the adventuresome hiker. Adding the Yellow Trail to the hike we describe above expands your loop hike to 6.1 miles.
CAMPING AND LODGING
Palm Lakefront Resort & Hostel, 4840 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee, FL 34746 (407-480-1321, hostelinorlando.com)
Paradise Island RV Park, 32000 US 27, Haines City, FL 33844 (863-439-1350, paradiseislandrvpark.com)
Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate, 1500 Masters Boulevard, Championsgate, FL 33896 (407-390-6664, omnihotels.com/hotels)
Lake Wales Ridge scrub at Crooked Lake Prairie
V.
LAKE WALES
RIDGE
Crooked River Preserve
Total distance: 1.7-mile loop along a network of shorter trails
Hiking time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Usage: Free. Open sunrise to sunset. No pets or bicycles permitted
Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 28.5079, -81.7504
Contact Information: Crooked River Preserve, Lake County Water Authority, 10272 Lake Louisa Road, Clermont, FL 34711 (352-324-6141, lcwa.org/open-preserves)
Welcome to the northernmost part of the Lake Wales Ridge, a long, slender, ancient ridge that stretches south towards Lake Okeechobee, creating the “spine” of the Florida peninsula. It’s home to some of Florida’s most ancient landscapes, as it remained an island during periodic immersions of Florida over geologic time. Crooked River Preserve provides a peek into the ancient scrub as well as a pleasant walk along the Palatlakaha River, a winding waterway that connects a chain of lakes through the region.
The high, well-drained, sandy soils of the Lake Wales Ridge were prized by citrus growers, who found them ideal for their groves. At one time, US 27—which follows the ridge, and still gives you a good taste of the hills that make up the middle of Florida’s peninsula—was known as the Orange Blossom Highway. When we were kids, riding down that highway with the car windows down meant breathing in the heavenly scent of citrus blossoms during winter and spring. That’s no longer true. Since the first edition of this guidebook, the orange groves have transformed into densely-packed subdivisions, apartments, and shopping centers. Crooked River Preserve remains an oasis.
GETTING THERE
From US 27 in Clermont, drive south from its intersection with FL 50 for 1 mile. Turn right on Lake Louisa Road and follow it for 2.7 miles to the trailhead on the left.
THE HIKE
Sign in at the kiosk at the trailhead and pick up a map before starting down the orange-blazed Cypress Trail. Under a canopy of laurel oaks in a second or third-growth forest, the trail is edged by giant mounds of grapevines; the footpath compacted sand. A line of cypresses behind the oaks defines the floodplain of the river. Interpretive markers point out specific plants and trees. In an opening with tall longleaf pines and blueberry bushes, prickly pear cactus and grapevines intermingle as scrub and oak hammock meet.
At an intersection with a yellow-tipped post, turn right on the Titi Trail. It swings closer to the river, affording a shady canopy overhead. It’s a crispy, crunchy tunnel of sand live oaks paralleled by a line of cypresses. Palatlakaha River Park is visible on the opposite shore, another public land protecting the watershed of the this little-known river. Rising from the Green Swamp, the Palatlakaha River connects a chain of 11 lakes as it flows from Lake Louisa into Lake Minnehaha, Lake Minneola, and Cherry Lake.
Palatlakaha River through Crooked River Preserve
Reaching an intersection with the Cypress Trail and the blue-blazed Sink Trail, keep right. You quickly come to another junction of the two trails. Keep right to stay close to the river, following the Fern Trail if it’s not flooded. The sparkle of water breaks through the understory as the trail gets within sight of houses on the far side of the sinuous stream.
Tannic but clear, the sand-bottomed Palatlakaha River has ripples across the bottom that make it seem tidal. It’s hard to tell, but the river flows north. At 0.5 mile, a picnic bench offers a place to watch for birds and savor the view as Lake Louisa gently pours through a gateway of cypresses into the river. Continue past the picnic bench to join the blue-blazed Sink Trail, a
straightaway beneath tall oaks well-draped in Spanish moss and resurrection fern. Bracken fern crowds the understory.
You emerge along the cypresses on the shore of Lake Louisa. The lake is large enough to sport whitecaps when the wind picks up. The far shore is pristine, protected by Lake Louisa State Park, unlike the near shores with their tightly packed lakefront homes. Along this short sandy shoreline, marvel at the oddly shaped, almost bonsai-like bald cypresses, each a short, stout sentinel with a hollow trunk, proclaiming the age and wildness of this place.
Bright white sands of the Lake Wales Ridge scrub
Return to the trail and turn right to follow the blue blazes. Southern woods fern rises tall in the shaded understory. It’s a fern that prefers dampness, and the humidity from the big lake suits it just fine. At the next junction, the trail straight ahead exits into a neighborhood. Turn left to walk into a sandhill habitat with longleaf pines and turkey oaks. Soon after, the sinkhole, significant in size, comes into view. A pond fills the bottom.
Leaving the sinkhole, turn left at the base of a tall longleaf pine tree—it has its own interpretive marker. The trail sweeps along the rim of the sinkhole. Young longleaf pines shade the path. At 1.1 miles, turn right at the next trail junction. You quickly pass another junction where the Scrub Trail comes in from the left. Keep right at this Y, and you’re back on the orange blazes, following the perimeter trail to its other highlight, the ancient scrub.
The scrub of the Lake Wales Ridge has bright, almost powder-white sand that hosts a variety of woody shrubs and lichens. It is some of the oldest land in the Florida peninsula, teeming with biodiversity and species found nowhere else on earth—which is why this little patch means so much amid the sprawl that surrounds it. In one spot, the sand is covered with sand spikemoss, looking like slender fingers rising from the sand. Notice the SCRUB OLIVE marker, indicating a native olive species that only grows in this well-drained sand. It sports small but fragrant flowers, with fruits larger than those of the wild olive found commonly in Florida.
The hill trends towards Lake Louisa Road, as does the trail, drawing close to the fence line. The sand gets softer and the walking more difficult. A line of cypresses is in the distance after the trail leaves the fence line, where there is an access gate for residents to walk in. The trail makes a sharp left into the scrub. Open patches of scrub with diminutive plants include more patches of sand spikemoss. Reaching the final trail junction at 1.6 miles, turn right to exit down the grapevine-lined corridor. Don’t forget to sign out at the trail register.
OTHER HIKING OPTIONS
1. Scrub Loop. If you’re here to see the ancient scrub atop the Lake Wales Ridge, follow the Cypress Trail along the edge of the ridge and then turn left on the Scrub Trail, a short connector that ends at a T intersection. Turn left at the intersection. Although this orange-blazed route is called the Cypress Trail, it circles the open scrub in the center of the preserve as a 0.8-mile loop.
2. Scenic Waterways. Walk out and back along the linear route paralleling the floodplain of the Palatlakaha River to see the riverbend and the shoreline of Lake Louisa on a 1.2-mile round-trip.
3. Palatlakaha River Park (28.505575, -81.750494). On the opposite shore of its namesake river at 12325 Hull Road, Clermont, this 18-acre county park has a 0.8-mile loop trail through hardwood hammock and uplands habitats, but offers little in the way of river views for hikers. Just like Crooked River Preserve, it has a launch point into the Palatlakaha Run Blueway Trail.
4. Lake Louisa Hiking Trail (28.455807, -81.723799). On the opposite shore of Lake Louisa, Lake Louisa State Park has rental cabins and a 20-mile network of hiking and equestrian trails. The most popular hiking route starts at a trailhead just past the ranger station and continues downhill through restored longleaf pine and scrub habitats to the shore of the lake, for either a 4.1-mile hike to the canoe launch parking area (28.460479, -81.747625) or an 8.2-mile round-trip.
CAMPING AND LODGING
Lake Louisa State Park, 7305 S US 27, Clermont, FL 34714 (1-800-326-3521, floridastateparks.reserveamerica.com)
Holiday Inn Express Clermont, 1810 S US 27, Clermont, FL 34711 (352-243-7878, ihg.com)
Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park
Total Distance: 3.5 miles on a loop along a network of trails. Shorter and longer loops possible.
Hiking time: 2–3 hours
Difficulty: Difficult
Usage: Free. Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed pets and equestrians welcome. Bicycles permitted but not recommended due to deep, soft sand. Primitive camping available.
Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 27.9838, -81.4969
Contact Information: Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park, 4335 Firetower Road, Haines City, FL 33844 (863-696-1112, floridastateparks.org/park/catfish-creek)
Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park isn’t just “a perfect example of Lake Wales Ridge Scrub.” Its 8,000 acres protect a landscape unlike any other you’ll find in Florida: a series of tall, steep ridges of sand that sparkles like fresh snow, featuring ascents and descents so steep you’d think you were traversing ski slopes. But this is not a chilly place. Scrub is Florida’s desert, and you’re in the very heart of it here.
This hike is a physical challenge, even on the shortest possible loop. It has very little shade and many strenuous climbs. Hiking poles are recommended due to the steep slopes and soft sand. Sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat are a must to protect you from the elements. Get out quickly if a thunderstorm approaches. Equestrian trails share portions of the hiking trails. Prescribed burns manage the diminutive scrub forests, so you may see vast areas burnt to a crisp. But the incredible sweeping views, extraordinary contrasts between “desert” and lakes, bountiful wildlife, strange plants, and physical challenge make this a fascinating destination.
GETTING THERE
From US 27 in Dundee, follow CR 542 east to Hatchineha Road. Turn right and continue 8 miles to Firetower Road. Turn right. Continue 3 miles. The park trailhead (27.983800, -81.496800) is on the left before the FFA Leadership Camp entrance. If you reach their gate, turn around and come back—Firetower Road dead-ends at the camp.
THE HIKE
From the trailhead kiosk, follow the white-tipped blaze posts. The trail is a broad forest road in deep, soft sand, as this portion is shared with horses. Anywhere the posts are tipped in red or red and white together, equestrians are allowed, and the sand tends to be churned up. A red mailbox says TRAIL MAPS. Stop and get one. Carrying a map, plus a compass or GPS is a smart idea. Markers throughout the preserve are keyed to the map, but there are so many cross-trails between major trails that it’s like a giant maze.
Looking down the sand ridge from Marker 6
Turn right at the trail map box to start walking the Medium Loop (as shown on the park map), moving counterclockwise up a moderate incline along a wall of dense scrub forest. At Marker 3, turn left. You’ll find the next climb easiest along the edge of the forest road. Passing Markers 4 and 5 in quick succession at 0.5 mile, you climb to a vantage point at Marker 6, a broad panorama of prairie and open water and a distant gash of sand indicating a trail climbing the ridge on the far side of the next valley. Descend down a very steep slope into this lush prairie. A strong breeze makes the lack of shade more tolerable on a hot day.
At the base of the hill is a T intersection with a blue-tipped post indicating a connector trail at Marker 8. Turn right to follow this connector along a broad prairie studded with interconnecting lakes. The trail follows its well-defined shoreline, with sand less-trammeled and more like a well-packed beach. Lily pads float on the surface. It’s a Florida landscape on a grandiose, Big-Sky scale. At a T intersection with a white-blazed trail at Marker 9, turn left. The shoreline swoops to a trail junction at a shady spot with a bench at 1.2 miles. Pass Marker 24 to continue your hike. A Florida scrub-jay lands atop a tall dead tree, seen in silhouette against the blue sky. It’s the sentinel of a scrub-jay family, watching
out for danger from a high post to warn the others.
At Marker 23, white blazes turn right, and the blue blazes lead straight ahead. Continue straight to ascend steeply to an overlook over a very long and slender prairie, with a shimmering pond and the crests of the ridges beyond. The trail makes a sharp left. At Marker 22, the blue-blazed trail leads left. Continue around this prairie, where you see some of the more unusual plants of the Lake Wales Ridge. The quality of the sand changes—it’s extremely white. This was one of the few parts of Florida that protruded from the sea when the state was once underwater. As a result, there’s a Noah’s Ark of plant species here found nowhere else in the world, including 21 species that are considered endangered due to their rarity. Among those found here are scrub plum (Prunus geniculata), scrub morning glory (Bonamia grandiflora), and pygmy fringe tree (Chionanthus pygmaeus).
50 Hikes in Central Florida Page 20