Nature's Theme Parks: Central Florida Nature

Standing in the middle of one of the Orlando theme parks or trying to cross the street on International Drive in the heart of Orlando's tourist area, it may be hard to believe that there is anything natural about central Florida. But you need not go far from Orlando's theme park hub to find tranquility and experience the Florida of yesteryear.

Not far from Orlando's manmade glitz and glitter, there are many places that stand relatively untouched by people -- places where birds and other wildlife abound, where trees and native vegetation thrive, and where man is kept at arm's length. While they may not be as well known as the theme parks, these natural attractions provide residents and visitors a respite from the clamor of the nation's number 1 tourist destination.

State Lands

Florida consists of a wide variety of natural communities and resources. The Florida State Park system helps protect those resources while offering facilities and programs to help visitors enjoy what the parks have to offer.

Florida has one of the largest -- and most heavily used -- state park systems in the nation. More than 20 state parks are within an easy drive of downtown Orlando. (Please note that the mileage given is from the center of Orlando.)

Wekiwa Springs State Park (16 miles), with about 8,000 acres and located in Apopka, hasn't changed much since the Timucuan Indians lived on its land. If you're lucky, you might see deer, gray foxes, bobcats, raccoons, opossums and black bears within the park. The Wekiwa River, fed by the springs (the main spring pumps about 42 million gallons of water each day) is home to alligators, turtles, river otters, limpkins, white ibises and belted kingfishers. Bald eagles and ospreys are common birds of prey seen in the park.

Little Big Econ State Forest (25 miles) just east of Orlando is a river lover's dream. Please see more about this 5,000-acre forest on page 2.

The 28,000-acre Tosohatchee State Reserve (27 miles), located off State Road 50 on Taylor Creek Road in Christmas, has freshwater marshes, swamps, pine flatwoods and hardwood hammocks and borders 19 miles of the St. Johns River. The marshes are feeding areas for wading birds and host migrating waterfowl during the winter. The area is also home to white-tailed deer, bobcats, fox squirrels, bald eagles, gray foxes, turkeys, hawks, owls and songbirds, plus rare and endangered species of orchids and hand ferns.

The 17,650-acre Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park (33 miles), 9 miles west of Sanford, borders more than 6 miles of the St. Johns River and 4 miles of the Wekiva River and Blackwater Creek. The preserve has diverse ecosystems that range from dry sandhills and sand pine scrub to river swamp. Blackwater streams and wetlands provide habitat for Florida black bears, river otters, American alligators, wood storks, sandhill cranes and indigo snakes.

Blue Spring State Park (35 miles), in Orange City, was acquired in 1972 and was the first major step in the effort to protect and preserve the endangered West Indian manatee. During the winter, the spring, with its constant 72-degree temperature, attracts manatees from the colder St. Johns River adjacent to park lands.

Seminole State Forest (38 miles) is another Wekiva River valley land. In fact, the river is the forest's eastern boundary. Trails are open for hikers (including a portion of the Florida National Scenic Trail), off-road bicyclists and horseback riders. If you're really eager to get away from the buzz of traffic and chatter in Orlando, try the primitive camping here.

Hontoon Island State Park (45 miles), located 6 miles west of DeLand in the middle of the St. Johns River, is accessible only by private boat or a passenger ferry service. The island features a 3-mile round-trip self-guided trail through native vegetation and is one of the few state parks where you can stay in a cabin.

Lake Griffin State Park (48 miles), located 2 miles north of Leesburg, has more than 460 acres of woodlands and freshwater swamp. You'll need a boat or canoe (pedestrian access is not provided) to observe a variety of wildlife in their natural setting. Visitors can often spot ospreys, bald eagles, blue herons, anhingas, ibises, American alligators and river otters in the park.

DeLeon Springs State Park and Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge in DeLeon Springs (about 48 miles) are so close that you must see them together. With a natural spring in the state park, which flows into the St. Johns River, which flows into the wetlands of the Lake Woodruff refuge, these areas give you plenty of room to paddle and hike. Please see more on them in the summer 2001 issue of EcoFlorida.

South of Kissimmee, wet prairies, pine flatwoods, scrub and natural lakes form Lake Kissimmee State Park (70 miles) near Lake Wales. Florida's third largest lake, Lake Kissimmee offers canoeing, fishing and wildlife watching, while the park itself offers access to the lake (including a guided boat tour), 13 miles of hiking trails, camping facilities and a wildlife observation tower. The park's 5,930 acres, are abundant with plant and animal life that includes bobcats and more than 200 species of birds, including bald eagles, wild turkeys, northern bobwhites and sandhill cranes.

Highlands Hammock State Park (about 88 miles away), in Sebring, is one of Florida's original 4 state parks. It has preserved a virgin hardwood hammock, cypress swamp, scrubby flatwoods, pine flatwoods, sand pine scrub, bayheads and marsh that are home to white-tailed deer, wild turkey, bobcats, pileated woodpeckers and red-shouldered hawks. Nine nature trails -- 3 ramped boardwalks and 6 packed-dirt walkways -- wander through all of the park's diverse plant communities.

Federal Lands

There are 3 national forests in Florida that cover about 1.25 million acres of land. The Ocala National Forest (45 miles), located northwest of Orlando, is the most visited national forest in the state. Home to the world's largest continuous sand pine scrub ecosystem, it offers a variety of plant, animal and bird life, plus springs, numerous trails, canoe runs and other areas for recreational activities.

Hiking trails include Salt Springs Trail (2.1 miles), Lake Eaton Loop Trail (1.84 miles), Lake Eaton Sinkhole Trail (2.2 miles) and St. Francis Trail (5.9 miles). A portion of the Florida National Scenic Trail also winds through the Ocala.

Canoe runs provide a tranquil glimpse of the area's plant and animal life:

• Lower Oklawaha River -- dark, slow-moving, twisting river with little fluctuation in water level
  
  
• Juniper Creek -- lush tropical forest with palms, cypress and many kinds of southern hardwoods
  
  
• Farles Prairie Sellers Lake -- shallow lakes with fluctuating water levels, with the best water conditions being from June through October
  
  
• Alexander Spring Creek -- a broad, clear, slow-moving stream transitioning to a narrow, winding stream, then back to a broad and slow-moving stream
  
  
• Salt Springs Run -- slow-moving current
  
  
• Upper Oklawaha River -- twisting, dark-water river
  
  
• Eaton Creek -- slow current

Travel east from Orlando, and you'll find 72 miles of beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Florida's Space Coast has more than 250 acres of protected wildlife areas. Along the Canaveral National Seashore (77 miles), dunes protect miles of wide, undeveloped beach and, on the horizon, you can see the Kennedy Space Center Space Shuttle launch pads.

The seashore offers a number of trails, including:

• Turtle Mound -- with panoramic views of the park and Mosquito Lagoon
  
  
• Castle Windy -- the only trail in the park where visitors can walk from the ocean, through a coastal hammock, past an ancient Indian middens mound to the Mosquito Lagoon
  
  
• Eldora -- a coastal hammock on the shore of Mosquito Lagoon
  
  
• Eldora Hammock Trail -- a coastal hammock
  
  
• Canoe Trail -- winds around mangrove islands

Nearby, you will find the 140,000-acre Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (42 miles). Located on the Kennedy Space Center, the refuge is home to more threatened and endangered species than any other refuge in the United States. It consists of brackish estuaries and marshes with coastal dunes, scrub oaks, pine forests and flatwoods, and palm and oak hammocks.

The refuge's Visitor Information Center offers displays that describe the wildlife and habitats of the refuge and introduces visitors to the refuge. It's open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekends. The center is closed Sundays from April to October and on all federal holidays.

Not far from the visitor center, Black Point Wildlife Drive is a 7-mile, one-way, self-guided tour through saltwater and freshwater marshes. (Although it's called a "drive," you can bike or hike the dirt road, too.) The drive offers several numbered stops that are described in a brochure that you can pick up at the visitor center or the entrance to the drive. You can spot wading birds, shorebirds, raptors, waterfowl, alligators, otters and other wildlife along the drive. The Cruickshank Trail, which leads to a photo blind, and an observation tower are located at stop #8 and offer a view of the surrounding marshes.

Walking trails at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge include:

• Oak Hammock Trail -- (3/4 mile) a subtropical forest
  
  
• Palm Hammock Trail -- (2 miles) with a hardwood forest, cabbage palm hammocks and open marsh
  
  
• Cruickshank Trail -- (5 miles) a shallow-water marsh
  
  
• Visitor Center Boardwalk -- (1/4 mile) freshwater ponds, an immature hammock and a marsh overlook

The refuge also has a manatee observation deck off State Road 3 at Haulover Canal; please refer to refuge guide maps available at the visitor center, or the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge article in the summer 2000 issue of EcoFlorida.

Private Lands

A 12,000-acre sanctuary in Kissimmee in the shadow Walt Disney World is an unusual partnership. The Disney Wilderness Preserve (35 miles) was developed by the Walt Disney Company, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, The Nature Conservancy and several public agencies. Established in 1992, the preserve works to repair drained wetlands, reintroduce natural fire cycles, replace non-native plants with native plants and study, monitor and protect endangered and threatened species. The Nature Conservancy owns the preserve and manages it for the partners.

Visitors can hike, take tours and view exhibits. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except for major holidays, the preserve charges $2 for adults and $1 for students. Kids under 6 are admitted free.

All of these natural places are 2 hours' (or less!) travel time away from Orlando ... it just seems that you are light years away.

Written By

Edith Stull is a writer and editor in central Florida who produces the site Orlando for Visitors, which provides original articles about the area. This is her 4th article for EcoFlorida. (Photo copyright Edith Stull.)