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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
