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Ferns along the Fern Garden Trail

Fern Garden Trail

A reminder of the botanical garden planned for what is now Highlands Hammock State Park, the Fern Garden Trail loops a fern-edged swamp on boardwalks and footpath

Highlands Hammock State Park  |  Sebring
( 27.4703, -81.5432 )      0.3 miles

One of our favorite hikes at Highlands Hammock State Park, the Fern Garden Trail leads you around and through the swampy heart of the hammock.

There are hints that this was part of the area planned and cultivated in the 1930s to be the Florida Botanical Garden and Arboretum, which quickly pivoted to plans for one of Florida’s first state parks.

Sword ferns, not native to Florida, were obviously carefully cultivated along sections of the footpath, and now densely swarm through the forest.

A series of stepping stones also lead across a marshy pond, just like you’d expect to see in a garden.

Stepping stones in a swamp The stepping stones through a pond in the swamp


Resources

South Florida Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in South Florida book cover Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.


Overview

Location: Sebring
Length: 0.3 mile loop
Trailhead: 27.4703, -81.5432
Address: 5931 Hammock Rd, Sebring
Fees: $6 per vehicle
Restroom: At the picnic area and concession
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 863-386-6094

Open 8 AM to sunset. No bicycles or pets, please. Boardwalks may be slippery. Mosquito repellent is a must.

Other than difficulty in crossing a short stretch of gravel from the parking area which can be rough to traverse, the boardwalk portion of the trail is accessible.

The trail can also be accessed via the Hickory Trail or the Richard Lieber Memorial Trail in addition to its own trailhead, and is a short walk down the park road from the Ancient Hammock Trail.

A riot of green vegetation


Directions

 
Follow US 27 south from Avon Park or north from Lake Placid to Hammock Rd (CR 634) in Sebring, at a traffic light with prominent signage. Turn west and follow the road into the park. The entrance station is on the passenger’s side, and a bike path parallels the road to the park.
 
Once inside the gates, keep going and you’ll reach the one-way counterclockwise driving loop. The Fern Garden Trail is a little over three-quarters around the three mile drive, on the left not far past the Ancient Hammock Trail.

Hike

Start your hike at the Fern Garden trailhead, where the boardwalk begins its traverse of the swamp. A bench is built into it here, but you won’t want to linger without bug spray.

Shaded by black gum, sweetgum, and red maple, the swamp glows. Royal ferns grow along its edge, while various patches of aquatic plants, including lizardtail and spadeweed, form dense patches.

Bench along the Fern Garden Trail boardwalk A bench on the edge of the swamp near the trailhead


Tiny water spangles, an aquatic fern, cover the dark surface of the swamp. The taller plants are giant leather ferns, looking just like they sound, and alligator flag, which is reminiscent of banana leaves.

With all these shades of green, the swamp emanates an eerie green glow, with the yellow blooms of primrose willow and the purple blossoms of pickerelweed adding color contrast.

Textures of plants in the marsh Textures in the marsh


A large amount of alligator flag under the tree canopy signals deeper water as the trail circles the edge of a flag pond.

You quickly reach the junction with the Hickory Trail, with a bench built into the boardwalk just beyond it. Continue straight ahead past it.

Junction in boardwalk Junction of the Fern Garden Trail with the Hickory Trail


The swamp becomes shallower, so more lizardtail and ferns rise from the water. Trees grow more densely together in the floodplain forest.

As the boardwalk ends, it drops you off on a narrow path flanked with sword ferns, winding between the cabbage palms.

Ferns along the Fern Garden Trail
Ferns along the Fern Garden Trail

Before you reach the bridge, turn left. The other side of the bridge is the interconnection point with the Richard Lieber Memorial Trail, which you can add on to this hike.

The narrow fern-lined path burrows deeply into the hammock, where wild citrus grows among the cabbage palms and live oaks.

Ferns in the swamp forest Ferns are a major feature of this trail


At the next fork, check out your options before you make a choice. To the left, the trail crosses a wetland on stepping stones. To the right, it sticks to the high ground to pass in front of a bench.

An alligator and her offspring call this swamp home, so look over the water carefully if you decide to use the stepping stones.

Both sections of trail come back together, and you skirt a large swamp covered in water spangles before emerging back at the Fern Garden Trail trailhead along Hammock Drive, finishing this 0.3 mile hike.

Boardwalk through the lush swamp forest Boardwalk through the lush swamp forest


Trail Map

Highlands Hammock State Park Trail Map Hiking Trails at Highlands Hammock


Explore More!

Learn more about Highlands Hammock State Park

Narrow boardwalk through swamp forest

Highlands Hammock State Park

One of Florida’s oldest state parks, Highlands Hammock protects an old-growth forest while enabling you to explore it on a network of fascinating interpretive nature trails

Slideshow

See our photos of the Fern Garden Trail


Nearby Adventures

More trails to explore in this park

Boardwalk through ferns

Highlands Hammock Nature Trails

Three interconnected nature trails on the east side of Highlands Hammock – Wild Orange Grove, Big Oak, and Hickory – provide a gentle introduction to this wild place

Fern lined trail in palm hammock

Richard Lieber Memorial Trail

Burrowing deeper into the swamps than the adjoining Fern Garden Trail, the Richard Lieber Memorial Trail spans from an enormous oak to a wonderland of wet

Hiking trail through pine forest with saw palmetto

Young Hammock Trail

Walk beneath immense oaks and pines on the Young Hammock Trail at Highlands Hammock State Park, a half-mile nature trail that showcases the succession of habitats

Cypress Trail

Cypress Boardwalk

Teeter-tottering above a swamp, experience a stretch of old-time catwalk through the cypress swamp on the Cypress Boardwalk at Highlands Hammock State Park

Ancient Hammock Trail

Ancient Hammock Trail

At Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring, the Ancient Hammock Trail shows off the glory of towering cabbage palms and live oaks centuries old

Pine cone resting on leaves

Allen Altvater Trail

A walk in the uplands of Highlands Hammock State Park, this 0.6-mile nature trail features dry habitat succession from flatwoods to scrub

Park Map (PDF) Reserve Campsite Official Website

Category: Hikes, Loop Hikes, Nature TrailsTag: Accessible, Birding, Boardwalks, Botanical, Family-Friendly, Highlands Hammock State Park, Scenic Hikes, Sebring

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