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

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Orange trees

Lake Wales

Sitting atop the ancient dunes of the Lake Wales Ridge, Lake Wales is rich with outdoor recreation opportunities with panoramic views

INTERACTIVE MAP

Lake Kissimmee State Park

View from the observation tower at Lake Kissimmee State Park

Lake Wales      ( 27.972226,-81.378925 )      16.0 miles

Discover the beauty of the land between the lakes east of Lake Wales while exploring the vast prairies and fern-laden hammocks of Lake Kissimmee State Park

Lake Wales Ridge

Lake Wales Ridge above Crooked Lake

South of Lake Apopka, the Lake Wales Ridge is a significant landform down the middle of the Florida peninsula, with its highest hills and oldest biological communities.

Lake Wales Ridge State Forest

View of prairie beyond trail post

Frostproof      ( 27.761688, -81.48929 )      37.0 miles

Atop the ancient sands of the Lake Wales Ridge, this massive state forest offers provides hikers and equestrians an expansive network of trails.

North Loop

Trail leading to ancient live oak trees

Lake Kissimmee State Park  |  Lake Wales
( 27.9441, -81.3559 )      6.8 miles

Crossing the Lake Kissimmee State Park park drive multiple times, the 6.8-mile North Loop is the easiest trail to access within the park, offering excellent birding

On Iron Mountain

View from Iron Mountain

April 21, 2008    Sandra Friend

Atop one of the highest points in Florida stands a monument to an immigrant who lived the American Dream and decided that his legacy would be to preserve this high point: Bok Tower Gardens

Scrub Jay Loop

Tunnel through trees

Lake Wales Ridge State Forest  |  Frostproof
( 27.762533, -81.453035 )      2.5 miles

An easy loop trail traverses scattered prairie ponds within a dry ecosystem suitable for one of the state’s most endangered birds, the Florida scrub-jay.

SUMICA

Wet prairie at SUMICA

Lake Wales      ( 27.856592, -81.375369 )      6.2 miles

With up to 6.2 miles of trails – many of them a bit wet – SUMICA is one of the natural lands in Polk County where birding is especially superb.

The new 50 Hikes in Central Florida

50 Hikes Central Florida graphic

October 5, 2018    Sandra Friend

We launched a new full-color edition of 50 Hikes in Central Florida at the National Trails Festival in Deland the first weekend of October. Take a peek inside.

Tiger Creek Preserve

Tiger Creek Preserve scrub ridge

Babson Park      ( 27.8315, -81.4566 )      6.3 miles

Edward Bok’s “Jungle,” a deeply folded landscape between Tiger Creek and Patrick Creek south of Lake Wales, is protected by The Nature Conservancy as Tiger Creek Preserve.

Tricking out a Trek

Trek Skye at KICCO

June 21, 2017    John Keatley

Offroad riding means a lot of bounce, especially on a washboarded limerock road like KICCO Grade. Adding trekking bars to John’s mountain bike made all the difference.

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