Highlands Hammock State Park Or Bust

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I began writing about my trip out to the 9,000+ acre Highlands Hammock State Park here in the Sebring Florida area (about 10 miles from home).

My plan for the morning at the park was set, so it was time to go !

First setback – the 11 AM tram tour was inexplicably sold out, and I didn’t want to stick around for an additional 1 PM tour. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Museum was closed until 10 AM. So my next move was to drive the 3+ mile “Loop Drive” through the park.

“Loop Drive” is a one-way counter-clockwise paved road with room for one vehicle to traverse with a bike lane running alongside it. The speed limits is 15 or 20 MPH, and you don’t want to drive any faster than that because the whole idea of the road is to see things as you drive slowly by. You also want to stay safe and not endanger any wildlife along the way, or bicyclists, or visitors walking around. Nature owns the park, so it should be respected.

Once on “Loop Drive” there are 8 walking trails where you can park your vehicle, get out, and walk on. Most are between 1,400 and 3,000 feet in length (a quarter-mile to a half-mile). Some of the trails meet each other, so you can go on a longer walk by combining adjoining trails.

I’ve been on most of the trails previously. One of the last ones along the road is the Ancient Hammock Trail – at 3,005 feet in length. It’s the longest trail in the park. It’s connected to the Sweetgum Trail (1,445 feet). It’s in the oldest part of the park, and it features towering cabbage palms and live oaks – some of which may be over 1,000 years old. There’s also an old CCC bridge near the top of the trail. I selected the trail to be the one that I would get out of my car for, and walk, and explore nature and hopefully not too much wildlife. I didn’t want to encounter any wild creatures that were bigger than me.

But that’s exactly what happened. About two-thirds of the way around the trail – out of nowhere – a large wild animal crossed in front of me from left to right – running quickly like it was being chased by an even bigger creature. It was either a Florida Panther, a coyote, or a deer. I didn’t get a good look at it since it was a blur while running, but I saw a tan color all over. That was the only excitement on the trail. Other than that – the bugs were surely out. It wasn’t too bad though. I imagine that the park is saturated with bugs during our 4-month rainy season from June through September.

I got back in my car, and I headed back to the main Camp Store / CCC Museum area. What did I see upon returning to that area ? I saw 2 big yellow Highlands County School District buses !

You know what that means. I’ll tell you all about it – next – #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.