A significant site for interpretation of the Seminole Wars, Paynes Creek Historic State Park is crisscrossed by a network of 4.6 miles of trails.
Tracing the flow of Paynes Creek to its confluence with the Peace River, this easy walk offers waterway views along much of its length. It’s marked with red triangles on posts.
Paynes CreekReturning on bluffs along a series of oxbow ponds, there are places to pause and take in the wildlife below.
Despite the easy access to the waterways in many places, this is not a park for swimming. There’s a reason for the many alligator warning signs.
Mama and babies in an oxbow pondResources
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Overview
Location: Bowling Green
Length: 1.1 miles
Trailhead: 27.618373, -81.807830
Address: 888 Lake Branch Rd, Bowling Green
Fees: $3 per vehicle
Restroom: At the picnic area
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 863-375-4717
Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome.
Directions
Follow US 17 south from Bartow to Bowling Green. In Bowling Green, turn left onto Main St and follow it east a quarter mile to Lake Branch Rd. Turn right and drive 1.1 miles. The park entrance is on the right. Follow the entrance road to its end at the picnic area.
Hike
The Peace River Trail starts right by the picnic area opposite the Historic Trail.
Walk a tenth of a mile from the day use parking to the signposted start of the trail adjoining an overlook above Paynes Creek.
Trailhead signFollow the sandy forest road behind the sign into a shady corridor of oaks and palms, pausing at breaks in the vegetation for views of the tannic waterway below.
Virginia willow grows profusely along one set of shallows. Passing a bench, watch for the tell-tale tea-colored ribbon of the creek through the trees.
Paynes CreekRipples are evident in the shallows near the base of an ancient cypress. At 0.3 miles, the sand road diverges in front of a Peace River Trail sign pointing right.
Take the right fork to continue paralleling Paynes Creek. Pass a grand old live oak with thick limbs enveloped by resurrection fern and laden in Spanish moss.
Loop junctionCurving gently, the two-track goes past more large oaks and enters an avenue of palms. An alligator warning sign gives a heads-up on your proximity to the creek.
Of all of the trails at this state park, this is the one where you’re most likely to see alligators sunning. Keep your distance if you spot one.
Nearing the confluenceA clump of Virginia willow calls attention to the outflow of Paynes Creek into the Peace River, a slightly broader but much deeper waterway.
A favorite of paddlers, it rises from marshes feeding Lake Hancock in Lakeland and flows south to Charlotte Harbor, broadening substantially as more streams and springs feed it.
Paynes Creek is one of its larger tributaries. Withdrawal of water for phosphate mine dewatering in uplands along its upper reaches affects water levels in the Peace River profoundly.
Where Paynes Creek meets the Peace RiverThe river entirely dries out at times. That’s when the fossil hunters come out, as the Peace River flows through what’s known as Bone Valley.
This basin contains a rich deposit of ancient fossils that drew the interest of phosphate miners over a century ago.
Sign letting paddlers know about the parkAt a half mile, the sand road makes a loop within sight of the confluence. Walk down to the bench for the best view of Paynes Creek meeting the Peace River.
Continue upriver along the sandy bluffs, making your way back to the road as it follows the river. Expect to see alligators in the river and along its sandbars or sandy banks.
The river from a bluffThe two-track diverges from the Peace River into the lush river bluff forest, coming to a pair of benches on a high point overlooking a swamp.
This is one end of a former oxbow of the river. Continue along the trail to an open view from the bluff above the oxbow pond at 0.7 miles.
Benches above the oxbow swampOn our previous visit, an observation deck extended behind the alligator warning sign.
Since then, floodwaters from Hurricane Ian lifted the deck and dropped it into the pond intact. Alligators sun on it now.
Unintentionally relocated observation platformContinue along the two-track through the woods as the surrounding habitat shifts to trees and shrubs prefering drier uplands.
Not long after passing a bench, come to a T intersection with a gate to the right.
Turn off the two track before the gateThe road beyond it is a lengthy one leading to the park’s canoe launch and landing. It’s better to drive than walk.
The Peace River Trail turns left at the T. A few moments later, finish the loop portion of this trail.
Sealing the loopTurn right, following Paynes Creek upstream the way you came. Trail’s end is at the overlook in the clearing with a path leading towards the Historic Trail.
Either tackle that trail next or turn right to exit through the picnic area, reaching the parking lot to complete this 1.1 mile hike.
Paynes Creek Historic Trail Linking the Peace River Trail and the Flatwoods Trail, a 1.9 mile hike on the Historic Trail provides interpretation of physical sites linked to the Seminole Wars.
Overlook at the trailhead signTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Paynes Creek Historic State Park
Paynes Creek Historic State Park Straddling the former treaty boundary of Seminole lands, this interpretive site along the Peace River features a network of trails tied together by a swinging footbridge. Video
Hiking the Peace River Trail at Paynes Creek
Slideshow
See our photos of the Peace River Trail
Nearby Adventures
Peace River Park On 155 acres fronting the Peace River through the rural Hardee County seat of Wauchula, Peace River Park immerses visitors in the beauty of river bottom hammocks. 
Hardee Lakes County Park A collection of former phosphate pits adjoining the floodplain of Paynes Creek provide anglers and campers with a destination west of the Peace River basin. 
Peace River Hammock Walk softly through the immersive Peace River floodplain beneath enormous trees to a scenic bluff along the river where paddlers can come ashore.
Peace River Park Greenway With river views near its ends, a graded 2.5 mile linear path in Fort Meade follows a slender strip of public land parallel to the east shore of the Peace River. 
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