Experiences & Amenities
Experiences
A 3-mile paved loop drive through the hammock offers nature study and is ideal for bicycling beneath the beautiful shaded canopy. A 6-mile, off-road bicycle trail is also available and best suited for bikes equipped with wider tires.
Bikes are not permitted on nature trails and boardwalks. Bike racks are conveniently located at loop trailheads for visitors who wish to walk the trails. The loop is also suitable for inline skating.
Bike rentals are available at the Hammock Inn Concession.
- Helmets are highly recommended for all cyclists, and Florida law requires helmets for cyclists ages 16 and under. Helmets are available for loan at the Hammock Inn.
- Call the Hammock Inn at 863-402-0061 for bike rental fees and more information.
Highlands Hammock is a destination in the East Section of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. The park features 15 distinct natural communities in its more than 9,000 acres, with a diversity of habitat for wading birds, raptors, songbirds, migratory birds and ducks.
Wetlands such as cypress swamp and marshes and upland habitats, including pinelands and scrub, account for the many species of birds. Red-shouldered hawks, pileated woodpeckers and barred owls are seen in the hammock. Herons, ibis, egrets and other wading birds may be observed from trail boardwalks over water and on the South Canal Tram Tour. A mixed flock of vultures roost in the cypress trees at South Canal bridge. Warblers are abundant in the winter, and swallow-tailed kites signal the arrival of spring.
Visitors may view birds and wildlife from an observation pavilion located in the primitive wilderness campground. This accessible facility was constructed and donated by the Highlands County Audubon Society. Florida scrub-jays can be spotted among the scrub oaks in the primitive wilderness campground. Crested caracaras and sandhill cranes may be seen outside the park from nearby backroads.
Highlands Hammock offers good birding experiences for the beginner as well as advanced birders. For more information, call the ranger station at 863-386-6094.
The family campground offers water and electric hookups, a dump station and access to restrooms with shower facilities, plus laundry and dishwashing areas.
Wi-Fi is not available in the campground or at any location in the park.
Wi-Fi is available at the Sebring Public Library (863-402-6716) at 319 W. Center Ave. in downtown Sebring. Wi-Fi is also available at at Starbucks (863-382-3498), located at 1768 U.S. 27 N., and Panera Bread (863-402-5477), located at 1760 U.S. 27 N. Call for hours of operation and details.
Campsites have picnic tables and fire rings. Sites vary from being open and sunny to partially or fully shaded and range in length from 20 to 50 feet. Maximum RV length = 50 feet.
Three paved, American Disability Act campsites are near an ADA accessible restroom. A maximum of eight people with two tents are allowed per site. RV sites are allowed to have the RV and one tent.
The recreation hall - a park rental facility with a full kitchen, stage, large seating area, restrooms, barbecue grill and playground - is available for family reunions, weddings, parties, meetings and other events. Reservations may be booked through the ranger station up to 11 months in advance.
The campground is a short walk from the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum and the picnic area. The bike path, nature trails and playgrounds are within proximity and easily accessed. Ranger-guided programs and interpretive walks offered during the busy winter season are suspended during the summer.
- Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance. For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call 800-326-3521 or TDD 888-433-0287.
Drive-to wilderness sites located in an open pine flatwoods area have picnic tables and fire rings but no electricity or running water. A solar outhouse is located near campsite No. 8 in the center of the primitive campground.
Full-service restrooms with showers are available for primitive wilderness campers in the family campground.
- Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance. For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call 800-326-3521 or TDD 888-433-0287.
Group Camp 1 and 2 located in the primitive wilderness area are available for organized groups of six or more. Each group camp can accommodate up to 25 campers.
Group sites do not have water or electricity. They have a picnic table, campfire circle, and a solar outhouse within walking distance.
Scouts and other youth organizations can book reservations 11 months in advance of arrival date. A youth group is defined by having more than half of the members being under the age of 18. Groups must be chaperoned by at least one adult, 21 years of age or older, for each 10 youths. Adult groups can book reservations 30 days in advance of arrival date. Group camping is booked through the park.
Fees
- Fees are $1, per youth, per night and $5, per adult, per night. Call the ranger station at 863-386-6094 for reservations.
Geocaching is an outdoor game using hand-held global positioning systems (GPS) devices. It's effectively an inexpensive, interactive, high-tech treasure hunt that's a great way to learn geography. Participants use location coordinates to find caches. Some caches are easy to find; others are more difficult.
The biggest rewards are the thrill of the search and the discovery of a place where you have never been. Geocaching should have minimal impact to the environment and conscientious land-use ethics should be followed.
Highlands Hammock is known for its hiking trails, which range in distance from 975 feet to over 3,000 feet.
Eight of the nine trails are located on the loop drive, and visitors can easily extend their walks as several connect via a bridge or catwalk. Trails run through hydric hammock, cypress swamp, hardwood swamp and pine flatwoods.
Hammock means “shady place,” and Webster’s Dictionary defines hammock as "a fertile, raised area with hardwood trees in the southern U.S.” True enough. But visitors to the park know exactly what it means ... "Beautiful!"
Visitors might begin by walking the Alexander Blair Big Oak Trail. Named for the park’s chief engineer, this is a short linear trail with a length of 975 feet. Although the Big Oak died years ago, the gnarled lower trunk of this giant live oak, with a girth of 36 feet, is a must-see destination. Visitors may continue on to the Hickory Trail via a narrow catwalk. Walk deep into the woods under the expansive canopy and see giant oaks, pignut hickories and air plants.
A magnificent oak marks the entrance to Richard Lieber Memorial Trail. Amble along the boardwalk through hardwood swamp and view the colorful, scattered leaves. See autumn in Florida and observe a flock of white ibis feeding.
Discover how pineland has transitioned into hammock as a result of fire exclusion on the Young Hammock Trail. Stroll along the boardwalk over Charlie Bowlegs Creek and search the tea-colored water for alligators on Cypress Swamp Trail.
Take a journey back in time to primitive Florida on the Ancient Hammock Trail and finish the loop trails with Fern Garden Trail. Yellow-crowned night herons and alligators may be observed from the Fern Garden boardwalk that runs through marsh.
Wild Orange Trail, which connects the loop to the picnic area, is a unique blend of wild orange trees, pine flatwoods, bayhead and young hammock plant communities.
The Allen Altvater Trail runs through open, sunny pine flatwoods and provides interpretive information about Florida fire ecology. It is located east of campsite No. 115 in the family campground.
Visitors also can walk the Scrub Trail on the South Hammock property, which is located across County Road 635 from Seven Lakes.
- Late fall, winter and spring are ideal seasons for exploring the trails.
- During the summer rainy season, insects are more prevalent and portions of trails are often wet, muddy or overgrown.
- Wear sturdy footwear suitable for hiking.
- Carry water and insect repellent.
- Binoculars, cameras and field guides are recommended.
- Trail maps are available at the ranger station.
Pack a basket or cooler and enjoy a picnic in our pleasant, shaded picnic area. Grills are available. Parents will enjoy catching up with family and friends while keeping an eye on the kids as they climb on the playground and swing.
The state of Florida's Civilian Conservation Corps Museum and the Hammock Inn are located in the picnic area.
- Call the ranger station at 863-386-6094 for information.
The tram tour is a guided, narrated tour through the park where visitors may observe alligators, birds, deer and other wildlife relatively close-up. Tram tours are operated by the Hammock Inn Concession.
The tram departs from the Hammock Inn, runs along the loop through the hydric hammock, turns off into restricted areas of cypress swamp and pine flatwoods, and returns via South Canal where alligators and turtles bask in the sun, wading birds feed and otters play.
- Hammock Inn summer hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Closed Monday.
- Tram tours are suspended for the summer.
- Special tram tours may be booked, and some holiday trams may run during off season months, weather and road conditions permitting.
- Regularly scheduled tram tours will resume in the fall.
- Trams generally run daily at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. during the busy winter season. A third tram may run at 3 p.m. based on visitor demand.
- Tram tickets for adults and youth ages 13 years and older are $15 per person. Tickets for children ages 6 to 12 are $10 per person. Children ages 5 years and younger ride free.
- The tram accommodates approximately 30 people.
- Private, prearranged tram tours for groups may also be booked.
- Special group tram tours cost $250 plus tax.
- The tram is ADA accessible with advance notice.
Concession operation and tram tour operation are subject to change based on season. Tickets tend to sell out quickly, so visitors are advised to purchase tickets in advance. Ticket costs are subject to change and the prices do not include tax. Park entry fees apply.
Call the Hammock Inn at 863-402-0061 for all concession and tram tour information.
Wildlife is often seen when least expected. Early risers walking the loop may glimpse a young bobcat disappearing into the woods. A family of otters quite suddenly emerges from the creek below the ranger station.
White-tailed deer browse during the late afternoon and early evening hours in the campground, historic orange grove and other areas. Hear the cry of red-shouldered hawks hunting prey during the day, and listen for the deep resonating sounds of barred owls calling in the hours close to dusk. Bats, owls and nighthawks are on the wing in the gathering darkness, and fireflies light up the hammock in mid-March. See alligators basking in the swamps from boardwalks above the dark waters and spy a yellow rat snake slipping off the side.
Be still in the peace of Cypress Swamp as dawn turns to day and the forest awakens. Marvel over the dewy orb webs of golden silk spiders glistening in the morning sun. See songbirds as they rest during their migration through Central Florida. Hear a pileated woodpecker hammering away in search of carpenter ants. Ride the off-road paths of the bike trail through pine flatwoods and spot a gopher tortoise foraging in mid-afternoon.
Enjoy a narrated tram ride and see an abundance of alligators, turtles, wading birds and butterflies. Observe an anhinga drying its wings at the South Canal bridge. Hear cricket frogs warn of an approaching thunderstorm, and listen to the chorus of frogs calling after summer rainstorms.
Amenities
Highlands Hammock State Park is committed to providing a variety of amenities accessible to all visitors.
These amenities include:
- Civilian Conservation Corps Museum.
- Tram tours of the park.
- Recreation hall.
- Amphitheater.
- Playgrounds.
- Campsites with concrete pads, picnic tables, ground grills and nearby restroom.
- Picnic facilities with tables and grills.
- Cypress Swamp Trail: Boardwalk is ADA accessible to the first scenic vista. The historic catwalk, which continues beyond this area, is not ADA accessible. Wheelchairs are not permitted on the catwalk. Service dogs are not allowed on the catwalk for safety purposes.
- Fern Garden Trail: Boardwalk is ADA accessible.
- Parking.
- Restrooms.
Service animals are welcome in all areas of Florida State Parks.
Located off the loop drive, the amphitheater provides a secluded outdoor setting for weddings, Easter sunrise services, memorial services and other occasions in a clearing within the heart of the hammock.
Encircled by woods, the amphitheater ensures privacy, quiet and beauty in a peaceful setting.
A large number of wooden benches below an altar can accommodate substantial attendance. Parking is available in a field close to the facility. Visitors walk a short distance from the parking area down a wooded lane into the clearing.
- Amphitheater rental fee is $50 plus tax and is booked through the ranger station. Call the ranger station at 863-386-6094 for details.
Campfire circles are gathering places where campers can enjoy interpretive programs presented by park staff during the fall, winter and spring months. There are two circles in the family campground.
Saturday night campfire programs are presented by the rangers at the outdoor theater located in the woods behind the campground playground or at the campfire circle next to the shuffleboard court.
- Call the ranger station at 863-386-6094, ext. 0, and speak with a ranger for a schedule of program topics and meeting times. Program posters are also posted in park kiosks and information boards.
The family campground offers water and electric hookups, a dump station, access to restrooms with shower facilities, laundry and dishwashing areas.
Campsites have picnic tables and fire rings. Sites vary from being open and sunny to partially or fully shaded and range in length from 20 to 50 feet. Maximum RV length = 50 feet.
Three paved campsites, designated as American Disability Act sites, are near an ADA accessible restroom. A maximum of eight people with two tents are allowed per site. RV sites are allowed to have the RV and one tent.
- Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance. For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call 800-326-3521 or TDD 888-433-0287.
- WiFi is not available at the campground.
Visitors can examine the CCC statue at the museum entrance, and view the Hammock Inn Concession and other structures in the park that were constructed by the CCC.
Docents offer guided tours, run films and provide visitors with an overview of the Great Depression and the work and legacy of the CCC.
Three films are shown throughout the day, per visitor request, on the museum stage.
- “CCC: A Vacation From Poverty” is a brief 15-minute video providing an introduction to the CCC and the state of Florida CCC Museum.
- “The CCC: A Proud Chapter,” with a running time of 30 minutes, features CCC alumni interviews and a guided tour of park structures built by CCC enrollees that are still in use today.
- “The Historic Journey” is another 15-minute documentary that was made during the 2010 CCC Festival. Four men, all of whom were in their 80s and 90s, recall their lives during the Depression and in the CCC. Their stories and oral histories are preserved in this film.
Visit the museum to learn about the history of the park and the role the CCC played in building it as well as the history of the CCC in Florida and the United States. Interactive exhibits highlight the 1930 - 1940 New Deal Era.
- Pets are not permitted in the museum.
- Call the ranger station at 863-386-6094 for information.
Highlands Hammock is known for its hiking trails, which range in distance from 975 feet to over 3,000 feet.
Eight of the nine trails are located on the loop drive, and visitors can easily extend their walks as several connect via a bridge or catwalk. Trails run through hydric hammock, cypress swamp, hardwood swamp and pine flatwoods.
Pets are welcome within the campgrounds and in all outdoor areas with the exception of trail boardwalks.
Visitors are advised that alligators may be present in wetland areas of the park. Please respect this park rule and, for their safety, refrain from walking dogs on boardwalks.
- Pets are not permitted on the park’s tram tour.
- Visitors are required to keep dogs on a 6-foot, handheld leash at all times and to clean up after them.
- Plastic waste bags are available at the ranger station and at dispensers throughout the park.
- Pets are not allowed in the CCC museum.
- Service animals are welcome in all visitor use areas in the park.
- Please contact the ranger station at 863-386-6094 for specific pet restrictions or inquiries.
- View our Pet Policy.
Pack a basket or cooler and have a leisurely picnic in our pleasant, shady picnic area. The kids can climb on the playground and swing on the swings, while parents enjoy catching up with family and friends in one of six picnic pavilions.
Shelters may be reserved for the day and payment is required when booking.
- Smaller pavilions rent for $50 plus tax.
- Panther, or the big pavilion, rents for $75 plus tax.
Electricity is available at Alligator and Panther pavilions. Alligator Pavilion, Otter Pavilion, Panther Pavilion, and Bobcat Pavilion are ADA accessible.
Otter Pavilion is near the ADA accessible restroom. Barbecue grills are also available in the picnic area.
The state of Florida's Civilian Conservation Corps Museum and Hammock Inn are located in the picnic area.
Highlands Hammock State Park has three playgrounds located within a short drive or less than a 15-minute walk from each other. They are located in the picnic area, the family campground and at the recreation hall.
The largest play area is in the picnic area. This playground consists of a lower platform area with a smaller double slide and monkey bars that connect to an elevated walk-over ladder leading to the upper platform with a small rock wall, firehouse pole, climbing ladder and twisty slide. Two swings are available. (Best for ages 5 to 12.)
The medium-size playground in the family campground consists of a low double slide and curved slide connected to a crawl tunnel leading to the upper platform, which has a wavy slide and a straight slide. Two swings are available. (Best for ages 3 to 6.)
The smaller playground at the park's recreation hall is the perfect play area during birthday parties, family reunions, company picnics and more. When the building is not reserved or in use, this play area is accessible to the public. (Best for ages 3 to 6.)
- Please inquire at the ranger station at 863-386-6094 for details.
Restroom facilities are located throughout the park. The Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, Hammock Inn and picnic area restrooms are ADA accessible.
Family campground restroom No. 58 is equipped with ADA accessible restrooms.
Highlands Hammock State Park contains many historical structures and continues to upgrade visitor facilities for accessibility.
- For your convenience, please inquire at the ranger station at 863-386-6094 upon arrival for specific locations of ADA accessible facilities.
Campground sites are appropriate for RVers and tent campers.
- Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance. For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call 800-326-3521 or TDD 888-433-0287.
- WiFi is not available at the campground.