• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida Hikes logo

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

  • Trails
  • Maps
  • Guidebooks
  • Search
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
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.

May 31, 2020    Sandra Friend & John Keatley

114 shares

One of the great joys of fall in Central Florida is the explosion of swamp sunflowers – primarily Helianthus angustifolius – that appear along the edges of Lake Jesup, Puzzle Lake, Lake Harney and certain other slow-moving segments of the St. Johns River to the northeast of Orlando.

Motorists notice them in abundance as they cross over Lake Jesup on SR 417 headed from Oviedo towards Sanford. What they don’t know, because it’s not obvious from the highway, is that you can hike to these sunflower fields.

Best Sunflower Hikes in Orlando

These natural fields of sunflowers rim the marshes of the St. Johns from September through October. The intensity and density of the blooms vary according to rainfall and river levels during the summer season. Some years they are eye-popping and head-turning, other years they are just a haze of yellow against the lakeshore.

Here's where you can walk up close to these fields of blooms (and in some places, into) along existing hiking trails. Any and all of these trails may be wet depending on river levels at the time of your visit.

Lake Jesup Wilderness

By far the best place to see sunflowers. Very accessible and popular due to its boat ramp, this wilderness area at the end of Sanford Ave has a trail that goes through the floodplain – and masses of sunflowers – before it gets to higher ground on a berm overlooking the flower-filled prairie.

The trail also leads to the west side of the 417 but is missing a connector or two between berms which means some serious wading when water levels are high. Best views are closest to the parking area and down to the right within the first half mile if you make it to the berm.

Lake Jesup Cameron Tract

Easy to get to – just off Lake Mary Blvd by the Sanford International Airport – and a short hike out to the prairie edge of Lake Jesup, with expansive views. The best sunflowers will likely be a bushwhack off trail to get closer to the lake, so bring your GPS.

Lake Jesup Marl Bed Flats

The loop trail at this little-known site leads right out to the edge of the lake with expansive views, showing you the mirror image of what you see from the 417, except from land. You can follow the lakeshore all the way to the 417 by going west, off the marked trail. Trails here are not well marked and the road leading in is a one-lane narrow road with steep dropoffs into canals on both sides. The parking area is tiny, too.

Lake Harney Wilderness Area

There are two trails at this wilderness area in Geneva. You’ll want to take the loop trail leaving the far end of the parking area to get to the expansive views of the lake and its wildflower-studded rim, or follow the boardwalk up to the tower for an overview of the panorama. The sunflowers don’t tend to be as thick here as along Lake Jesup.

Puzzle Lake, Seminole Ranch

We’ve also seen showy sunflowers from our car along Puzzle Lake in Seminole Ranch Conservation Area, mainly while driving along SR 46.

They concentrate between the Kilbee Trailhead and the bridge over the St. Johns adjoining the Jolly Gator Fish Camp. In our reconnaissance of the Kilbee trails, we could not find any that led to the sunflowers.

Paddlers putting in by the bridge can explore the shoreline where the flowers concentrate near where the Econlockhatchee River flows into the St. Johns. They look most vibrant along the river to the south.

Kilbee marshes St Johns
Kilbee marshes along the St. Johns River

Category: Articles, HikingTag: Lake Jesup Conservation Area, Orlando, Sanford, Wildflowers

Reader Interactions

Have an update? Contact us.

Primary Sidebar

CENTRAL FLORIDA

CENTRAL FLORIDA OVERVIEW
East Coast Greenway. Florida Trail

Brooksville. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. Kissimmee. Lakeland. Leesburg. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Orlando. Sanford. St. Petersburg. Tampa.

Our Newest Books

The Florida Trail Guide

The Florida Trail GuideOur definitive guidebook to planning backpacking trips on the Florida National Scenic Trail, now in its fourth edition. Full data charts and maps. B&W, 356 pages. $19.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail Hikes 2nd edition coverFifty of the best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Discovering the Florida Trail

Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock
A visual journey the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.
Order Now


50 Hikes in Central Florida 3rd edition
Five Star Trails Orlando guidebook
Explorer's Guide North Florida & The Panhandle guidebook

Florida Trail Apps

Farout GuidesFarout Guides Comprehensive logistics and offline maps for the
Florida National Scenic Trail (1,500 miles), the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (108 miles), and the ECT Florida Connector (92 miles).

Explore More

Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Freshwater lake at Kings Park

Kings Park

Kings Park
Picnic table under a live oak

McIntosh Preserve

McIntosh Preserve
Trail tunnel between sand live oaks

Big Bay Trail

Big Bay Trail
Red blaze with sign and trail in scrub

St. Sebastian River Preserve Red Trail

St. Sebastian River Preserve Red Trail

Footer

FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Gardens
  • Springs
  • Ecotours
  • Attractions
©2006-2022, Sandra Friend & John Keatley | Disclosure | Site Index | Work with Us | Advertise with Us
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy | Florida Hikes PO Box 93 Mims FL 32754| Contact