Colt Creek State Park

Colt Creek State Park covers a fairly sizable piece of the Green Swamp, headwaters to the Hillsborough, Peace, Ocklawaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers.

This low-lying area is a mosaic of wetlands and uplands, with cypress swamps and wet prairies intermingled with hardwood forests and pine flatwoods.

Once a five thousand acre cattle ranch between Dade City and Lakeland, the park is now a destination for campers, equestrians, and hikers.

Fishing pier at Mac Lake

Resources

Resources for exploring the region

Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover

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Overview

Location: Lakeland
Trailhead: 28.303776,-82.055773
Address: 16000 SR 471, Lakeland
Fees: $4 per vehicle
Restroom: At the day use area
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 863-815-6761

Open 8 AM until sunset daily. Leashed pets welcome.

Except where posted otherwise, trails may be walked, bicycled, or ridden on horseback.

Equestrians must have proof of a negative Coggins test before bringing horses into the park. The equestrian trailhead is closer to the park entrance than the day use area.

Directions

Follow US 98 north from Interstate 4 at Lakeland to reach SR 471. Turn right. Continue north to the park entrance on the right.

About the Park

We watched this park unfold from acquisition, a temporary trailhead, and its first trail to a pleasant destination with many miles of trails to follow.

At first it was all about equestrians and fishing. Many visitors bring a horse to ride the extensive network of trails and forest roads.

Equestrians unloading at Colt Creek

Then a day use area was developed along Mac Lake, with a large pavilion, pier, accessible pathway along the lake, canoe and kayak rentals, and an easy walk to a nature trail.

Birders gravitate to the ponds and marshes just the north of the Mac Lake parking area, as well as the edges of the lake itself.

Pond along the Flatwoods Trail

Add a campground and some primitive campsites for backpackers, bikepackers, and equestrians, and this has evolved into a multi-facted outdoor destination showcasing the Green Swamp.

Pavilion at the day use area

Hiking

The 10-mile Flatwoods Trail connects the day use area with both campgrounds and the two primitive campsites.

Early maps of the park showed a second 7-mile loop called the Yellow Trail around the Youth Camp. We have not explored it yet.

Trailhead for the Flatwoods Trail along the park road

Most day users will amble along the unnamed connector trail between the day use area and the Flatwoods Trail.

It provides access to the Mac Lake Nature Trail, a short interpretive arc through a hardwood hammock along a floodplain.

Sign for Mac Lake Nature Trail at trail entrance

Start of the nature trail

Connectors to the Florida Trail in the Green Swamp Wilderness Area were also promised when the park was first established, but we haven’t heard about them since.

The Western Corridor of the Florida Trail passes very close to the north boundary of the park before it crosses SR 471 to use the highway bridge to cross the Withlacoochee River.

Sunlight dappled on Florida upland forest

Mac Lake Trail

An easy excursion into a dense hardwood forest along a natural floodplain, the Mac Lake Nature Trail at Colt Creek State Park is an interpretive walk in the woods

Florida Trail, Western Corridor

241 miles. With segments linking Withlacoochee State Forest and the Cross Florida Greenway, the Western Corridor provides access to wild spaces between Tampa and Ocala

Biking

Cyclists can bike the park roads and forest roads, and also go off-road on the Flatwoods Trail.

Portions of this trail are grassy or graveled, but there are parts that can get wet at certain times of year.

Unpaved path along Mac Lake

Paddling

Bring your own kayak or rent one at the park to ply the waters of Mac Lake. Once a limerock pit, it’s a large open body of water fringed with marshes and berms.

Canoeing on Mac Lake

Camping

Follow the road past the day use area at Mac Lake to find the campground that was built in the pine flatwoods. Leashed pets are welcome here.

Spaces are large and open, optimized for RV use. Gravel pads are on 27 of the sites, which can handle rigs up to 70 feet long.

Six additional sites are set aside just for tent campers. Each site has a picnic table and grill, plus water and electric hookups.

Camping under the pines

Campers share a central bathhouse with hot showers and laundry. The bathhouse is accessible, as are two of the campsites near it.

A separate equestrian campground is near the front of the park. It has 10 sites and can handle horse trailers.

Primitive camping is also available along the backcountry trails at two designated sites. There is a youth group camp as well. Contact the park to reserve.