This is the best "ecological" park we have seen with nine 1-4 mile long hiking trail loops and an 8-mile long bike trail. It is easy to bike from one to another along the paved loop drive through the dense 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." Highlands Hammock State Park preserves a piece of Florida that has been untouched since the Europeans landed. Better still, it encompasses all the major Florida Plant Eco-systems, except the Coastal systems. These include:
- Virgin Hardwood Forest
- Cypress Swamp
- Sand Pine Scrub
- Pine Flatwoods
- Scrubby Flatwoods
- Bayheads
- Marsh
The sharp-eyed wildlife observer can catch a glimpse of white-tailed deer and alligators almost every day from one of nine nature trails. Three of these trails are ramped boardwalks bordering cypress swamps and hardwood forest. The other six trails are packed dirt that meander through all of the plant communities found in Highlands Hammock State Park. Otters and Florida scrub jays also make frequent appearances, while bears and the rare Florida panther are seen on occasion.
Facilities:The campground has 112 RV sites with water and electric hookups, picnic tables, and grills. Twenty-six sites for tents, with water only, are set aside from the RVs. On the premises are rest rooms, showers, a dump station, laundry, grills, a convenience store, a recreation room, a playground, nature trails, horseshoes, shuffleboard, bicycle rentals, and mountain bike trails. The Park has a museum and camp store.
Reservations, fees: Reservations are recommended and there is a nightly charge for camping sites. Major credit cards are accepted. Stays are restricted to two weeks
The RV site is spacious with easy access and pine shading. Located in the middle of the state, halfway between Sarasota and Vero Beach, it is an easy drive between either along a State Road, which is straight and had little traffic when we drove it.
Map
More Information
Brockway's Photo Tour Allan Brockway's Walking Tour. Superb photographs.
Birds of Highlands Hammock On Mary Scott's "Birding America" Web Site. Also, click on "Florida Links" on this page for other Florida Birding Web Sites.
Highlands Hammock - 20 fun things to do Story from the local paper.
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