We are on the move again this time to Highlands Hammock State Park which is 4 miles west of Sebring FL. We arrived early yesterday and thankfully our site was vacant so we just pulled in. Highlands Hammock is one of the oldest state parks in Florida. Slated to become a national park in 1930 but was considered to be too small, a private group purchased the land to create the park.
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| Entrance to park with it's bike friendly roads |
The view from the back window while I'm drinking my coffee in the morning. Our campsite is across from the bathrooms and of course everyone cuts through the site. Tell me if I'm wrong but were we not taught as kids not to cut through others campsite. Well that doesn't seem to apply anymore. For that reason I didn't take a picture of the campsite #130.
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| Primitive campsites maybe I should have opted for this site |
Florida's only Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC) Museum offers a glimpse into the life of the CCC camps.
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| A statue outside the CCC museum dedicated to the memory of the CCC enrollees who were injured, disabled, or lost in the performance of their duties. |
Across from the museum is the Hammock Inn Restaurant which was just reopened. The restaurant provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is also a small supply of camping needs.
One of the many reasons we came to Highlands Hammock State Park is their trail system.The park has nine nature trails averaging from one-half mile long to three miles long. I was able to walk most of the trails capturing pictures of wildlife and the fauna.The park is also linked to the town of Sebring via a paved multi-use path.
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| Extensive hiking trail system |
The one trail that I continued to walk each day and sometimes twice a day was the Cypress Swamp Trail because of the shear beauty and diversity of fauna.
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| The trail starts with a nice handicap accessible boardwalk |
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| Continues along a narrow "catwalk" |
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Cypress knees
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These distinctive structures called cypress knees form above the roots of a cypress tree. Their function is unknown but it is thought they help in oxygenation of the tree's roots or they assist in anchoring the tree in the soft muddy soil.
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Look closely we called this the
octopus |
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A nice seat in the middle of the
forest |
Another trail, the Alexander Blair Big Oak Trail has an oak tree that measures 36 feet around and is said to be approximately 1000 years old.
In the earlier part of the 20th century arboreal experts claimed to preserve trees from further disease and rot , the use of concrete could extend the life of a rotten tree significantly. Once the decay was removed concrete was packed into the cavity and the exposed surface was troweled smooth.
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| Note the cement closure lower right |
For $5 one of the feature of the park is to take a one hour tram ride through the back country of the park. Not the most comfortable thing I've done but it was exciting. The tram starts at the CCC museum and travels around the park with a ranger narrating the history of the park. She also pointed out some things that I missed while biking the same route numerous times.
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| Golden Silk Spider about 3-4 inches |
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| Type of swamp plant |
The highlight of the tram tour was watching a Bobcat walk down the trail in front of us. The ranger allowed me to jump off the tram to get a little closer.
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| Bobcat |
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| Not sure if I was his next meal or he was just curious |
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| Penisula Cooter enjoying the sun |
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| Small gators sunning themselves |
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| Gopher Tortoise |
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| Black-and-white Warbler |
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| These guys were everywhere |
Taking pictures of birds and wildlife up close while on the river is wonderful. They don't seem to be afraid, maybe because hundreds of boats pass them every day. As the morning progressed pelicans were sitting on the navigation posts everywhere. Herons were in the mangrove while cormorants were sunning themselves on tiny islands in the river.
