Highlands Hammock State Park

The park is amazing., lots of things to do and we always see deers. We visit this park at least 25 times from September to March. Highly recommend this State Park. Everyone except one person in this park is super friendly and welcoming. READ BELIW NEGATIVE.
— The only negative thing about this park is Ranger Andrew so unwelcoming and talks down to people. He obviously needs to take customer service classes. We are faithful paying customers that should be treated with respect.

«I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.» — John Burroughs
I can completely relate to that quote, because by the end of the week, I am mentally exhausted from the traffic congestion, the concrete towers, the crowds, the honking, road rage, the foul language and accidents that happen in the city every single day, and I need respite. I seek shelter in nature. The quietude, peacefulness, and beauty of the flowers and plants, the birds doing something as trivial as shaking their feathers dry after wading in a puddle. That, to me, is priceless beauty. It also teaches you patience, because sometimes you need to wait a good 10 minutes for the bird to decide to shake its feathers, or yawn! While some people disconnect by shopping in malls or going to spas, I am a very simple, low maintenance gal that is content with a $ 6 per vehicle park entrance and a day at the park, exploring.
I had read about Highlands Hammock and the catwalk that it is famous for, and wanted to come badly, but the weather, the distance (3 hours from Miami), or the timing was poor, until I had the chance to finally make it out this past Saturday. It was uncharacteristically cool, with temperatures that morning in Sebring hitting the mid-​40s, and Miami being in the mid-​60s. Perfect day for some cool hiking! My friend and I got an early start that morning and headed on out. This was not only a fun road trip because we got to see so much and fit in some exercise, but it was informative.
This park is one of the first state parks established in Florida. We watched an informative video of the CCC and their large role in building the park. The CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) consisted of young men from poverty-​stricken families given a chance to be put to work during the Great Depression, learn job skills, and earn money. In turn, they built the boardwalks and cleared out the many paths to the park. It was thanks to them, and Franklin Roosevelt, that we are now able to enjoy the park.
The park consists of campgrounds and several walking trails: a total of 9, though one was closed. Each of them is on average, a 30 minute walk. Most of the trails, with the exception of 3, allow pets. There is also the CCC museum on the grounds that contains artifacts and a video explaining the CCC. Here are the trails that run through the park, and which can be completed in 3 – 4 hours of walking:
Allen Altvater Trail — This trail takes you through the Pine Flatwoods area, east of the main campground. There are lots of pines, and the trails are mostly made up of sand and shells. Other than that, no wildlife to be seen.
Wild Orange Trail — Closed, due to dangerous conditions. This just made me want to check it out even more, but my friend was adamant.
Alexander Blair Big Oak Trail — It contains the Big Oak tree, which is nearly 1,000 years old and measures 36 feet around the trunk. Worth seeing the tree.
Hickory Trail — Pignut hickory trees and a catwalk that connects Fern Garden and Big Oak trails.
Richard Lieber Memorial Trail — One of 3 boardwalk trails. There is a 1,000 year old Live Oak at the beginning of the trail.
Young Hammock Trail — Shows a succession of Pine Flatwoods to a hammock community.
Cypress Swamp Trail — This one was my absolute favorite and my highlight of the trip. In fact, I liked it so much, I went back later in the day and completed this trail for a second time. This is also where I witnessed most of the wildlife. This popular trail is the one containing the famous «catwalk», which is a narrow walkway with handrail enclosure only on one side, leaving the other side bare for you to crouch down and look closely, without anything getting in the way. There are tall pine trees and cypress here, as well as cypress knees. It is a beautiful trail and if you cannot see any of the other ones or have to pick only one trail that you can access, then this is the crown jewel.
Ancient Hammock trail — This takes you through the oldest section of the Hammock. You will also see a bridge that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Fern Garden Trail — Touted as a great place to see alligators, unfortunately, while the cooler temperatures are great for us humans while walking, they aren’t so great for creatures that mostly inhabit the waters. More than likely, the alligators decided to dwell at the bottom of the water, rather than floating.
While walking through the trails, you will see some interesting fungi, wildlife, and tree trunks along the way. One of the highlights of my trip came toward the end, when my friend and I were driving out of the park and spotted some deer. I was able to get a couple of good shots and was surprised at how friendly and uninhibited they were. I thought they would be afraid of humans, but one actually started running toward me until something else caught its attention and it decided to graze. Lovely park, and I hope to be able to come back!

The trails are beautiful, the forest and the picnic area are amazing. Highly recommend for day use if you are in or around the area. We are very outdoorsy and love the Florida state park system.
The 2 stars is for the campground. If you like natural, wooded camping, don’t go here. It was a sea of giant RVs packed into tiny spaces with no trees between anything. It was so crowded and loud, felt like a crazy busy KOA rather than a state park. We tent camped and could barely fit into our site, which had no separation from neighbors on either side except a spray painted line. You cannot tell from the reservation site that this is how it’s set up. It was so cramped, had no privacy whatsoever and was woken up multiple times each night by neighbors, motorcycles, etc. Bathroom was constantly out of toilet paper too. The firewood they sold us was wet and barely usable for cooking let alone campfire at night. We have definitely been to better campgrounds in other state parks. Not worth the 3 hour drive for us for the weekend.