Mostly hidden amid ranchlands and swamps southeast of Sebring, Lake Istokpoga is Florida’s fifth largest lake, nearly 42 square miles of open water.
Anglers and airboats ply its expanse from private docks and from a sole public put-in at little Lake Istokpoga Park.
Lake IstokpogaProviding lake access for boaters, the channel is paralleled by a boardwalk for a half-mile accessible round trip from the parking area.
A slightly longer loop explores lakefront habitats under a lush canopy of ancient live oaks and cypresses.
The pleasant picnic grounds have both picnic tables and pavilions in deep shade. Resident squirrels are aggressively interested in your food, however.
Picnic areaResources
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Overview
Location: Lorida
Length: 0.6 miles
Trailhead: 27.443329, -81.285710
Address: 720 Istokpoga Park Access Rd, Sebring
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the picnic area
Land Manager: Highlands County
Phone: 863-402-6783
Trails open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome; pick up after your pet.
Directions
From US 27 south of Sebring follow US 98 east for 8.2 miles. Turn right on Istokpoga Park Access Rd. Continue 0.3 miles and make a left into the parking area. Boaters park closest to the start of this hike; choose a space near the picnic area.
Hike
From the picnic grounds, cross the boater parking area. A boardwalk leads into a showy stand of large cypress trees.
Emerging within sight of the boat ramps, stay behind the yellow posts defining their left edge.
Entry boardwalkReach the next boardwalk, which tops the seawall. It parallels the boater channel on this near shore, shaded by cypress overhanging the water.
A roofed shelter has benches and information about the best places to fish in Florida.
Channel from the first shelterWalk along the edge of this scenic channel, the boardwalk offering views into the floodplain forest.
Meet a junction with a boardwalk to the left at a lamppost. Pass it to continue on a round trip over the lake.
Boardwalk to leftEmerging from the shade of the cypresses, the walkway hovers over a swampy cove adjoining the channel. Primose willow grows abundantly.
A roofed shelter provides a perch for birding the marsh and a nice view back at the shoreline.
Roofed shelterPast it, the marsh becomes open water dotted with lilies. The next shelter has benches facing the open channel.
Reach a final roofed shelter, this one with a clear view of the expanse of Lake Istokpoga across its horizon.
The channel empties into the lake next to the final shelterAt a quarter mile, this is the turn-around point. When boats pass, the undulating water beneath the boardwalk can be disorienting while walking.
Make your way through the shelters and across the cove of primrose willow. Return to the shade of the cypress on the shoreline.
Return route to the shorelineTurn right at the spur boardwalk. Spanning a fern-rich understory beneath the cypress, it ends at a grassy fern-lined berm.
Leading into the dappled shade of the lakefront forest, a footpath broadens into a green swath under the trees.
Walking the bermPass a bench with a scrim of lakefront forest behind it. A split oak arches above the next bench at 0.4 miles.
Grass yields to a leafy forest floor, the footpath a slight indentation among cypresses, oaks, and magnolias.
Split oakTurn away from the lakefront to join a different boardwalk crossing a bounty of ferns within a floodplain forest.
Emerging from this beauty spot, it empties into a straightaway flanked by young cypress trees.
Final boardwalkA grassy lawn marks the east edge of the picnic area. Make a left into a corridor lined with planted oaks to return to the parking area.
Complete this 0.6 mile loop with a walk back through the grand live oaks of the picnic area.
Oak lined passageTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking Lake Istokpoga Park
Slideshow
See our photos from Lake Istokpoga Park
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