Acquired for preservation in 2002 and managed by Polk County, Sherwood Stokes Preserve protects over 220 acres in the Lake Marion watershed.
The preserve offers a simple linear trail leading from the entrance to a clearing alongside Lake Marion Creek.
Despite being fairly short, this path immerses visitors in an impressive array of landscapes filled with intriguing flora and fauna.
Lake Marion CreekResources
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Overview
Location: Haines City
Length: 1.2 miles
Trailhead: 28.117333, -81.541806
Address: 8649 Lake Marion Creek Rd.
Fees: Free
Restrooms: None.
Land manager: Polk County
Phone: 863-534-7377
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome.
Directions
From US 17 in Haines City, head east on E Johnson Ave for 3.9 miles before turning right onto Lake Marion Creek Rd. In 0.8 mile, the trailhead will be on the right side of the road.
Hike
Starting at the roadside trailhead, grab a paper map from the wooden box and walk through the fence stile.
Follow a narrow pathway through xeric hammock for a short distance before the trail emerges onto a broad access road.
Trailhead entranceOpen pine flatwoods border a contoured sandy rise topped with large scrub habitat to the west.
Turn left, following a wide pathway through the ridge. Scrub oak and hickory border the trail alongside colorful partridge peas and blazing stars.
Scrub hickoryNearing 0.2 miles, a slight dip in elevation radically changes the surrounding landscape.
Live oaks rise alongside the trail, casting shade onto a shrubby mix dotted with manyflower beardtongue, blueberries, and butterfly milkweed.
Swallowtail on a butterfly milkweedA dense canopy of mixed hardwoods and cabbage palms envelop the trail as it curves towards the floodplain at 0.3 miles.
Various airplants cling to branches overhead as clusters of ferns and wild coffee carpet the lush forest floor.
Wild coffee in the hammockWithin another tenth of a mile, the trail passes an oddly small patch of pine forest covered in narrowleaf silkgrass.
Continue following the path southward for another quarter mile, rounding one more bend before opening to a clearing dotted with tall palms.
Clearing near the creekLake Marion Creek comes into view alongside a covered picnic table. At the water’s edge, a tiny wooden dock flanked by cypress trees leads out to the grassy shoreline.
Enjoy the solitude of this quiet spot before heading back along the road, returning to the trailhead at the end of a 1.2 mile hike.
Lake Marion CreekTrail Map
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Video
Hiking Sherwood Stokes Preserve
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