Highlands Hammock State Park
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Would you visit this swamp in the rain? This is Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring, Florida. It opened in 1931 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places! The park has trails, boardwalks, a tram, scenic driving loop, and campground. Plus, you may see gators, white tailed deer, bobcats, tortoises, and more! #floridastateparks #highlandshammockstatepark #floridaparks #floridawildlife #floridaoutdoors #floridaadventures
harborsandhavensharborsandhavens
51212
This is a truly wonderful Florida State Park, in the original sense of a place, person, or event that inspires wonder. At its heart is the lush subtropical jungle that low lying land, known as a hammock, makes possible by cupping water in a depression in the soil. The trees are an unusual mix of palm and live oak, all jumbled together in a competition for light. Coming from the East, after stopping at the ranger station, are camping areas on the right, and on the left a store and a museum dedicated to the Civilian Conservation Corps that helped build roads in the area back in the Depression Era of the 1930s. The museum is small but it is very well done and it is worth the visit. Proceeding further West you reach an intersection which heralds a loop that connects a multitude of short trails piercing the heart of the forest, some of them elevated walkways over water. Be sure to try some of these trails. Proceeding around the loop road you retrace your path, heading East towards Sebring and US Route 27. The 9,000 acre park boasts an array of wildlife, which the park protects, including the Florida Panther, Black Bear, the Gopher Tortoise, and a multitude of birds. All in all, I feel that my visit to Highlands Hammock State Park was a fine way to spend an afternoon. You won’t be disappointed by a trip to this family oriented attraction which is jam packed with activity and recreation.
James AdamsJames Adams
30
I recently visited this state park and overall had a wonderful experience. The trails were well maintained and offered great views of the landscape. One of the highlights for me was the trees, some of the largest I've ever seen in Florida. The park also has a great variety of birds, I even saw an intense territorial dispute between a hawk and an owl. I also had the opportunity to spot a bear and a few gators. However, my main issue was the length of the trails. They were relatively short, and although some trails were connected by the main road, this was a bit disappointing for me, as I was hoping for more extensive hiking opportunities. During my visit, I also noticed that some repairs were underway (as of June 10th, 2023). It's great that they are maintaining and improving the park, but it did affect the overall experience to some extent. Despite these minor drawbacks, I would still highly recommend this state park, especially if you are in the area or passing by. The stunning scenery, impressive trees, abundant birdlife, and occasional wildlife sightings make it a worthwhile visit. Just keep in mind the relatively short trails and potential road connections when planning your trip. I came from Orlando, and probably wouldn’t make the drive if only coming to the park but absolutely worth veering off course to make the stop.
James PenaJames Pena
40
I love this park!! The trail system can be short or as long as you want. The wind in and out and around from the main park road and also connect to more primitive longer trails outside the main park road. Biking is also fun on the main park road and connects to the county road for longer rides. The primitive campground is great and mostly private and well spaced with great views of the scrub landscape. The sites have the best sunset and sunrise views than most state park campgrounds. Some sites are more private than others. I don't like the full hookup sites because they pike in the RVs and there are no views other than your neighbor's giant RV. If you're looking for quiet and privacy go for primitive. You can use the showers and bathrooms in the full hookup sites but they are about a mile away. The primitive sites do provide a large port-o-let. The park is well kept, clean and manicured. I love this park and will come back here over and over. Keep in mind it does get pretty packed on the weekends. If you're like me and like to get away from humans, visit during the week.
Hebe DenisHebe Denis
100
5 stars for the park itself. 3 stars for the campground. The park is SO gorgeous. There are so many easy and family friendly trails. We saw lots of deer, gator and birds. The park staff were all great. We did the tram and it was so educational and fun. The camp store was also great and was one of the best camp stores in the state parks we have seen. Lots of extras from food to supplies and gifts. The campground was okay. There was zero privacy between sites. We were there on a holiday weekend so it was very crowded and very noisy. Thankfully everyone was pretty friendly, but I would like more privacy at least. The campground was fun for the kids though... there were a few playgrounds, a place to play horseshoes. Lots of area to ride bikes and just run around and play. The bathrooms kept running out of toilet paper but were generally clean (though outdated- but that doesn't matter to me as long as they are clean). We had issues at our campsite with fire ants. We got eaten alive and they infested our fire ring. The fire ring was practically useless it was so deteriorated.
Nicole FretwellNicole Fretwell
70
We enjoy visiting the Florida State Parks and have never been disappointed so this time was no different. The park itself is very nice, generally well taken care of, and the area is beautiful. We visited the CCC museum and had a nice talk given by the enthusiastic curator, Dennis I believe was his name. The trails are all short but we knew that before we went. The main disappointment is that the catwalk portion of the Cypress Swamp Trail is still closed, several years after it was damaged by a hurricane. The website does note this, but unfortunately the FSP websites are not always up to date, so we hoped that it might be open again. Too bad though because it looks really fun. We live in Tampa so the drive there was just under two hours and back was a little over due to traffic. I don't think that I would return simply because we have similar scenery much closer to Tampa, but if I were in the area or in Orlando, I would probably recommend coming down. The giftshop/ camp store has really great local ice-cream- we tried the orange, lime and chocolate- all were great.
Michael YorkMichael York
00
Nearby Attractions Of Highlands Hammock State Park
Highlands Hammock State Park Campground
Highlands Hammock State Park Campground
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Address
5931 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872
Map
Phone
(863) 386-6094
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Website
floridastateparks.org
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Reviews
Overview
4.7
(1.6K reviews)
Ratings & Description
outdoor
adventure
family friendly
pet friendly
Description
Highlands Hammock State Park is a 9,000-acre park 4 miles west of Sebring in Highlands County, Florida, off U.S. 27. The park opened in 1931, four years before the Florida state park system was created. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
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