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Lake Jesup Wilderness sunflower alley

Lake Jesup Wilderness

In this wilderness area along the shores of Lake Jesup, plunge right in for a hike through a parade of wetland wildflowers in the St. Johns River floodplain

Lake Jesup Conservation Area  |  Sanford
( 28.727200, -81.263533 )      2.9 miles

A dazzling array of swamp sunflowers await each fall at Lake Jesup Wilderness, an expansive wetland area along the northern shore of Lake Jesup in the Lake Jesup Conservation Area.

The trail system zigzags through prairies that flood during the wet season before clambering onto a berm to tunnel beneath a canopy of cabbage palms.

Scenic views across the lake and its prairies, as well as great birding, make this an interesting, if not often soggy, place to hike.

Lake Jesup Wilderness John hiking through the tall sunflowers


Resources

Orlando & Central Florida: An Explorer's Guide Exploring Florida's Botanical Wonders Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State

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: Sanford
Length: 2.9 mile round-trip with loop
Trailhead: 28.727200, -81.263533
Address: 5951 S. Sanford Ave, Sanford
Fees: Free
Restroom: None
Land manager: Seminole County
Phone: 407-665-2211

Open dawn to dusk. Leashed dogs welcome.

It can be very buggy here so bring repellent. Insects depend on season and wetness.

Trail is shared with off-road cyclists and equestrians. Lake Jesup Park is a popular launch point for boaters.

Lake Jesup Wilderness

Wading is probable in several spots along the trail system, including between breaks in the berm en route to the South Loop. The South Loop is not well maintained and can be tough to follow.


Directions

 
From Interstate 4 in Lake Mary, follow Lake Mary Blvd east past SR 417 to Sanford Ave, one block past Ronald Reagan Blvd (SR 427). Turn right on Sanford Ave and drive to the end of the road, which enters Lake Jesup Park.

Hike

Starting at the trailhead, walk out under some very large oaks to the kiosk and beyond that, into the floodplain of Lake Jesup.

There are times this can’t be hiked at all due to water levels, and times it is spectacular.

When water is low and the sunflowers are blooming (late September through mid October), it feels like walking through a fairy wonderland, with blooms towering over your head.

Lake Jesup Wilderness sunflower alley
An alley of sunflowers starts this hike if you time it for blooming season

It takes about a quarter mile of hiking through the floodplain to get to the main part of the trail.

After crossing a bridge over a small ditch, you reach a berm topped with a forest of planted cabbage palms.

Lake Jesup Wilderness This bridge crosses a muck-bottomed ditch


At this T intersection, the trail runs in both directions. It’s as linear as it gets because there is nowhere to go but the berm.

We figure the berm was built with mud dredged out to make the ditch, which in turn drained the surrounding landscape into the lake to make it better for cattle.

Lake Jesup Wilderness A tunnel of cabbage palms on the berm


This cabbage palm forest is nice and shady. If you want, you can follow the trail to the left up to a loop through the palms, adding a half mile or so to the hike, but we turned right.

That’s because the best views of the sunflowers and Lake Jesup itself are in this direction.

Lake Jesup Wilderness View across the floodplain to Lake Jesup


There are spots where the berm is washed out and you must scramble into and out of. Water levels determine how passable these are.

One of the gaps is especially wide and can be mucky underfoot. We were fortunate to find it passable to the last part of the berm.

Lake Jesup Wilderness Crossing a wide gap in the berm


The final segment of berm is headed straight for SR 417, the toll road that crosses Lake Jesup.

While you can’t see the cars, you can certainly hear them. Then the trail makes a sharp turn away from the road towards the lake.

Lake Jesup Wilderness Follow the red arrows


This is the South Loop, and we found it difficult to follow as it was very overgrown.

We don’t know how often it is maintained since it can be easily cut off from the rest of the trail by water levels.

Lake Jesup Wilderness There was a bench along the South Loop


While it was tricky to follow, keep looking for those red arrows. It eventually loops back to the berm you came in on.

Turn left and retrace your route back to the trailhead, crossing the open spots again. Enjoy the views of the sunflowers.

Lake Jesup Wilderness
The dense sunflowers at Lake Jesup Wilderness

Trail Map

Lake Jesup Wilderness Trail Map


Explore More!

Learn more about Lake Jesup Conservation Area

Lake Jesup north shore

Lake Jesup Conservation Area

Protecting large swaths of marshy shoreline, the Lake Jesup Conservation Area filters runoff from surrounding suburbia while providing places to hike along Lake Jesup

More articles about visiting Lake Jesup Wilderness

sunflowers Lake Jesup Wilderness

Exploring Lake Jesup Wilderness

September is the time to see swamp sunflowers in bloom, and there’s no better in-your-face place to see them up close in the Orlando area than Lake Jesup Wilderness in Sanford.

Lake Jesup Wilderness

Sunflower Season on the St. Johns River near Orlando

In September, swamp sunflowers put on a colorful show along the St. Johns River between Sanford and Geneva, north of Orlando. Here’s where to take a hike to find them.

Follow the Trail!

How to hike in October in Florida

October 1 marks the traditional start of Florida’s hiking season, so it’s time to start planning your outdoor adventures! October is also normally designated Florida Greenways & Trails Month, but I haven’t heard a peep about it from my usual sources. Let’s get out and celebrate anyway. Last week, the morning temperatures were in the …

swamp sunflowers

Swamp Sunflower

One of Florida’s showiest wildflowers, the swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) comes into its glory in numerous locations around the state in the fall

Slideshow

See our photos of Lake Jesup Wilderness


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Lake Jesup Marl Bed Flats

Lake Jesup Marl Bed Flats

For the broadest panorama along the south shore of Lake Jesup, follow this mile-long loop through lush oak hammocks and open prairies in a rural corner of Sanford

Lake Jesup Cameron Tract

Lake Jesup Cameron Tract

On a mile-long loop in grassy prairies along Lake Jesup, enjoy palm-framed panoramas of the open prairies along the lakeshore

Lake Jesup East Tract

Lake Jesup East Tract

Savor the bird’s-eye view of one of the largest lakes in the Orlando metro from a tall observation tower along this 2.1-mile loop hike in Oviedo

Spring Hammock Preserve Question Pond

Spring Hammock Preserve

Protecting more than 1,500 acres along Lake Jesup, Spring Hammock Preserve is home to some of Florida’s oldest and largest cypress trees

Trail Map (PDF) Official Website

Category: Central Florida, Day Hikes, Hikes, Natural Lands, Trails, Water Management AreasTag: Birding, Botanical, Lake Jesup Conservation Area, Lake Mary, Lakefront, Orlando, Oviedo, Sanford, Scenic Hikes, Wildflowers

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Trail under oaks flanked by ferns

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Cabbage palms adjoining a trail

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