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Holly Hammock Hiking Trail

Holly Hammock Hiking Trail

A 2.4 mile loop showing off the habitat diversity of Ross Prairie State Forest, this easy hike provides scenic panoramas across the prairie on a mostly shaded trail.

Ross Prairie State Forest  |  Ocala
( 29.037983, -82.295851 )      2.4 miles

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At the Ross Prairie Trailhead of the Cross Florida Greenway, there are two loop trails you can access – and this is the shorter of the two, taking you on a journey into the quiet woods of Ross Prairie State Forest, just south of the Greenway.

The grasslands of Ross Prairie sprawl in arms and coves on both sides of SR 200, and you’ll explore their edges while keeping cool in the shady embrace of dense upland hammocks.

This easy day hike leads you through a variety of habitats, including longleaf pine forest, scrub, and oak hammocks.

In the summer, orchids dance amid the resurrection fern, and in spring and fall, the sandhills come alive with colorful wildflowers.

This 2.4 mile loop is part of the Florida State Forests Trailwalker program, and offers a primitive campsite perfect for introducing youngsters to backpacking.

Holly Hammock
Along the Holly Hammock Hiking Trail

Resources

Resources for exploring the area

Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover 50 Hikes in Central Florida Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala 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: Ocala
Length: 2.4 mile loop
Trailhead: 29.037983, -82.295851
Fees: Call 352-732-1201 for a free camping permit
Restroom: at the trailhead.

Open 8 AM to dusk unless you have a camping permit. Leashed pets welcome. Equestrians are not permitted.

The trailhead is shared with the Ross Prairie Campground and provides access to the Florida Trail via the Ross Prairie Loop.


Directions

 
Follow SR 200 south from Ocala, crossing CR 484. Look for the Ross Prairie Trailhead at the green sign 1.5 miles past CR 484 on the left. Follow the road around to park near the restrooms.

Hike

Start at the Holly Hammock Hiking Trail sign near the parking area. It’s well marked, so you shouldn’t miss the gap in the fence.

Walk along a narrow footpath through a deeply shaded oak hammock to the next fence, the boundary for Ross Prairie State Forest. The kiosk here shows the map of the trail.

Cross the firebreak and follow the blue blazes into a forest of oaks, holly, and sparkleberry.

Sandhills
Sandhills along the Holly Hammock Hiking Trail

As the trail rises into the sandhills after a quarter mile, longleaf pines tower over an open understory where colorful wildflowers peep out of the haze of wiregrass in spring and fall.

Descending, a scrub understory swarms into the sandhills, with silk bay showing off glistening leaves and sand live oak forming a low canopy.

Look in the crooks of the branches for greenfly orchids, which bloom in summer. They’re tucked in between the dense blanket of resurrection fern on the branches.

greenfly orchid
Greenfly orchid hidden among resurrection fern

Emerging into the open after a half mile, reach an arm of Ross Prairie, the slope down into it the legacy of the cattle rancher who once owned this property.

Turn right and follow this dike to the next “Hiking Trail” sign. Deer moss carpets the forest floor beneath the sand live oaks, and fingers of fungi rise through decaying leaves.

Ross Prairie
Arm of Ross Prairie

Turning sharply left, the trail zigzags between ancient oaks to pop back out along the prairie. Turn right.

Walk past a sand pine that fell over and continues growing close to the ground. Turning right again, the trail enters the cool shade of the hardwood hammock.

Ross Prairie Primitive campsite
Primitive campsite

At the “Primitive Campsite” sign, lime green blazes lead down a side trail to an open spot beneath the cover of oaks.

This is a simple camping spot, with a picnic table and fire ring and lots of flat places for pitching a tent.

Pond in Ross Prairie
Pond in Ross Prairie

Passing the campsite, light streams through the trees as the footpath leads to a panorama along Ross Prairie at 1 mile, a treeline in the distance.

Leave the marked trail to walk out into the prairie for the long view. A well-beaten path leads to a water hole where American lotuses float on the inky water. Be cautious of alligators if you approach the pond.

Back on the footpath, the trail makes a sharp turn to return to the shade of the hammock, meandering past more large oaks.

It ducks beneath thickets of sparkleberry and passes by healthy dahoon and American holly, the namesakes of this trail.

Winding through the woods beneath the sand live oaks, the trail leads you through a gateway formed by oak trunks before it emerges again at the end of an arm of Ross Prairie at 1.6 miles.

Those pink splashes you see in the grasses are pale meadow beauty. Cross a firebreak to re-enter the dense holly hammock.

As the trail continues uphill, you re-enter the forest of longleaf pines that tops it. Sprays of blazing star show off feathery pale purple blossoms in the fall.

The trail quickly descends back into the hammock. A corridor of dense saw palmetto flanks the footpath. Off to the right, open prairie is visible beyond the screen of forest.

The trail works its way out to the edge of that prairie and you see a fenceline. Turn left and you’ll see the kiosk at the beginning of the loop up ahead along the fence.

At the kiosk, turn right to exit. When you get back to the parking area, you’ve walked 2.4 miles.


Trail Map

Holly Hammock trail map


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of Holly Hammock


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

A marshy area on Ross Prairie

Ross Prairie Loop

3.5 miles. Circling the largest prairie ecosystem on the Cross Florida Greenway, the Ross Prairie Loop showcases massive oaks and panoramic views

Climb on the Florida Trail

Florida Trail, Ross Prairie to SW 49th Ave

6.5 miles. With hilly terrain to traverse past fern-covered boulders and large sinkholes beneath the pines, this is a rugged and interesting segment of the Florida Trail on the Cross Florida Greenway.

Florida Trail Pruitt switchback

Florida Trail, Pruitt to Ross Prairie

7.5 miles. With switchbacks, scrambles, and ancient oaks, the Pruitt section of the Florida Trail along the Cross Florida Greenway offers a fascinating hike into the history of the Cross Florida Ship Canal

Johnson Pond Trail

Johnson Pond Trail

Just south of the Withlacoochee River lies the Two Mile Prairie Tract of Withlacoochee State Forest, where the Johnson Pond Trail provides a walk through sandhills and oak scrub, touching on prairies along its 2.7-mile loop.

Trail Map (PDF) Official Website

Category: Central Florida, Day Hikes, Hikes, Loop Hikes, TrailsTag: Big Trees, Birding, Botanical, Cross Florida Greenway, Developed Camping, Dog-friendly, Dunnellon, Family-Friendly, Favorites, Florida State Forests, Ocala, Picnic, Primitive Camping, Ross Prairie State Forest, Scenic Hikes, Wildflowers, Wildlife Viewing

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