This hike is a refreshing excursion into habitats found on the high hills of the Lake Wales Ridge in Frostproof.
It’s a delightful a counterpoint to residential development replacing scrub forests and orange groves on these high hills along Scenic 17.
Open prairie on the Lake Wales RidgeAt the heart of this 525-acre preserve is a pleasant immersion into a healthy scrub forest along the Scrub Trail.
Birders will delight in being able to see both wading birds like green herons and a family of Florida scrub-jays along one loop.
Sandhill cranes along the Lake View TrailThere are two primary trails in the preserve. The Lake View Trail loops over boardwalk on Crooked Lake. It was closed for repairs on our most recent visit.
Heading in the opposite direction but interconnecting with it to the west, the Scrub Trail loops through the heart of the scrub.
Bright white sands of the Lake Wales RidgeResources
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Overview
Location: Frostproof
Length: Up to 3.4 miles
Trailhead: 27.806389, -81.559343
Address: 985 Ohlinger Rd, Babson Park
Fees: Free
Restroom: Portable toilet
Land manager: Polk County
Phone: 863-534-6000
Open 6 AM to 6:30 PM Standard Time, 5:30 AM to 8 PM Daylight Savings Time. Leashed pets welcome.
Maps should be available at the trailhead. All of the trails are very open, so use sun protection: sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat.
Directions
From the junction of SR 17 and CR 630 in Frostproof, drive north 3.8 miles to Cody Villa Rd; turn left at sign for Crooked Prairie Preserve. Follow road to where it makes a sharp right; turn right and make an immediate left into the preserve. The entrance road leads through a citrus grove to the trailhead parking area.
Hike
Start at the preserve kiosk, which has brochures about the trail. An important note: our map and their map are different.
They no longer show Lake View Trail loop, so the boardwalk may not reopen. The the west side of that loop may not be maintained.
Trailhead kioskAt the oak hammock with the sign SCRUB TRAIL STRAIGHT AHEAD, duck under the oaks to follow a narrow corridor edged by saw palmetto and sand live oaks.
Pass a picnic bench tucked in the shade. The trail corridor is tricky to follow in places, so watch for both arrow signs and a worn footpath.
Arrows lead the wayPop out onto a sand road with views across a prairie. Turn left and look for the next arrow sign and hiker symbol pointing back into the shade of the oaks.
An orange arrow sign guides the path away from the preserve’s perimeter fence with a working orange grove.
Perimeter pinesMaking a right turn, cross the sand road towards a SCRUB TRAIL sign. Walk beneath the shade of sand live oaks along a well-defined path.
Entering the oak scrub, things change. There are many social trails, so keep alert for hiker symbols and arrows.
Entering the oak scrubThe trees are diminutive, with myrtle oak and Chapman oak dominating. Enter the shade of another oak hammock.
Emerge into the blinding white sand of the Lake Wales Ridge. Soft and powdery, it’s not easy to walk through. The footprints of others guide the way.
Open scrubIslands of short oaks sit amid a sea of sand, with clumps of saw palmetto breaking up the landscape.
Crossing another sand road, pass a wooden bench after a half mile. Snaking through this sandy habitat, watch for arrow markers and faded orange blazes.
Bench at a half mileTake a sharp left at the next SCRUB TRAIL sign. Keep alert for a flutter of blue wings and the “shreep” of a Florida scrub-jay.
This preserve is actively managed for the benefit of the Florida scrub-jays. Found only in Florida, their population is in decline. This is their primary habitat.
Prime scrub-jay habitatThe corridor narrows again before bursting into an open patch of sand where mounds of grass look like giant pincushions.
Slipping back into an oak scrub, the trail becomes more obvious as it twists and turns between the clusters of oaks. Arrows guide the way.
Shaded benchPass a bench in the shade of an oak at 3/4 mile and a bench in the sun soon after, with a sharp turn just past it.
A wander through a shady oak hammock is a welcome break from the sun reflecting off the white sand.
Oak hammockThe footpath soon returns to the open. A patch of gopher apple is a reminder that this is prime habitat for gopher tortoises.
Navigating through the scrub by following arrows, come to a T intersection with a VIEWING AREA sign at 1 mile.
Spur trailTurn left for a short spur through a stand of longleaf pines to where the scrub meets the shoreline of the lake.
The spur ends at a bench and a sign. Crooked Lake is a streak on the horizon. Return to the trail junction and continue straight ahead.
Lake viewThe corridor jogs left into the scrub. It’s tight between the saw palmetto and scrub oaks in some spots and broad in others.
Arrows and posts point down the path towards another line of stately longleaf pines. At 1.5 miles, reach the pines at a T at a forest road covered in pine needles.
Trail junctionThe Scrub Trail turns right. The Lake View Trail turns left. Until the boardwalk reopens, treat it as a spur trail for up to a 3/4 mile round-trip. It may not be maintained.
Meandering beneath tall pines, catch sweeping views of the central cordgrass prairie spanned by the boardwalk near its outflow.
Among the pinesWatch for a ditch and a series of oak hammocks on the right before a poorly marked turn.
The landscape opens up into barren sand punctuated by thousands of clumps of prickly pear cactus.
Cactus barrenAround 1.7 miles, the footpath leaves the forest road and tacks between oak hammocks across the ancient sands.
Join a berm along Crooked Lake leading to the closed boardwalk, which spans a lily-dotted marsh. The berm remains an excellent spot for birding.
MarshRetrace your steps to return to the junction with the Scrub Trail, making a left onto it at 2.3 miles.
Follow this sandy corridor east along the south edge of the cordgrass marsh, large tufts of grass swaying in the ever-present breeze.
Prairie at the marsh’s edgeCrossing an open scrubby landscape, close the loop for the Scrub Trail when facing the trailhead at 2.6 miles.
For another perspective on Crooked Lake, turn left for a very pretty walk along the blue blazes.
Starting the east side of the Lake View TrailThis side of the Lake View Trail alternates ducking in and out of oak hammocks and jumping on and off sand roads.
Keep alert for arrows and blazing as the path leads beneath sand live oaks heavily draped in Spanish moss.
One of the larger oaksWith a glimpse of the lake ahead, enter a shoreline hammock of large old live oaks with a picnic table in their shade.
The footpath continues on to meet the lakefront berm at 3 miles.
Picnic spotWalk it up to this side of the closed boardwalk to take in the open water views for a different perspective on Crooked Lake.
Return along the blue blazes to the trailhead to complete a 3.4 mile hike.
Crooked LakeTrail Map
Explore More!
Slideshow
See our photos from Crooked Lake Prairie
Nearby Adventures
Crooked Lake Sandhill On surprisingly steep slopes, the 0.8 mile trail at Crooked Lake Sandhill scrambles a forested ridge above Crooked Lake.
Ridge Audubon Center Atop the Lake Wales Ridge, the nature trails at the Ridge Audubon Center in Babson Park do a fabulous job of interpreting the unique flora and fauna of this island of biodiversity.
Tiger Creek Preserve Edward Bok's "Jungle," a deeply folded landscape between Tiger Creek and Patrick Creek south of Lake Wales, is protected by The Nature Conservancy as Tiger Creek Preserve. 
Lake Wales Ridge Scrub Jay Loop An easy loop trail traverses scattered prairie ponds within a dry ecosystem suitable for one of the state’s most endangered birds, the Florida scrub-jay. 
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