This historic 9000-acre park opened in 1931. It's considered an old growth forest and full of bald cypress trees. There are a wide variety of endemic wildlife and plants. The main feature of this wonderful park was the boardwalk that goes through the swamp forest. Some really old trees that are possibly 1000 years old, is located in this park. There are nine trails, a campground, a playground, and a picnic area. There's a 3-mile loop trail for biking and driving. Also, a museum and concession built by the Civilian Conservation Corps; they constructed many buildings, bridges, and blazed trails in Florida State Parks. We were staying nearby and decided to explore this park. I enjoyed the historic land and old trees. The boardwalk was pleasant to stroll on; I saw quite a few memorial plaques. Generations of people walking on the same paths decades ago. It's a peaceful place and I'm glad they didn't turn it into farmland back in the 1930s. read more

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This park is wonderful, plenty of trails, a cute store and just peaceful nature where you can see all kinds of birds, sometimes deer or gators and it's just a great place to visit. read more

What a gem, hiding near the town of Sebring! Florida's first ever State Park! If you want to see the beauty of it, you'll have to hike the trails or at least bike the bicycle route. So much beauty in the hammocks, centuries old live oak trees, towering sable Palms, great bald cypresses. One wonderful trail after another. So great that the people back then decided to preserve this gem. We stayed at the campground, which was a bit crowded and not what we're used to, but we were lucky to get a spot only one week beforehand. The CCC museum is also worth a visit; a lot of remarkable history right there. This park contains some of my favorite trails in Florida!! read more

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My family and I absolutely love HHSP!! Their agency trails and CCC Museum never fall short!! Aside from all there is to do at the park, a hidden gem is Geocaching!! You can find many caches at Highlands Hammock, on the curbside or on a trail!! I never feel unsafe in my surroundings and am confident I find what I'm looking for!! You can bike and hike your day away and stroll the many trails available!! Remember to stop in the CCC Museum and get a piece of history under your cap!! Seeing the animals and their left behinds makes for an exciting and unique part of your day!! Enjoy what their General Store has to offer as well as letting the little ones play on their awesome playground after enjoying an ice cream!! Don't let the park intimidate you, as it is quite large!! With many spots to park near the trailheads, you won't be physically pressed; keep an open eye on the map given to you at the Ranger Station to help guide your trip!! Enjoy the day taking in the sights amongst the amazing trails and friendly patrons!! read more

Great little park with lots of trails and wildlife. The rangers are very friendly and knowledgeable . Lots of wildlife to view if you are quite & patient read more

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We love taking the trails within the park, especially Cypress Swamp. We look forward to the catwalk being repaired in the near future.

Great place to camp. The spaces are big enough to hold two tents and a car. It's shaded and electric and water are provided. There are plenty of bathrooms and they are clean. Every time I went to Use the bathroom I was always the only one in there. They have a nice general store and lots of hiking trails. read more

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Nestled in the suburbs of Sebring off County Rd 634 aka Hammock Rd sits this beautiful and well maintained campground. We enjoyed 3 nights here on site #83 in a 30' Class A. We had one of the largest campsites in the campground. We had 2 fire pits, a picnic table and a grill in one of the fire pits. The site was level and was covered in grass and some gravel. We had electricity and water available onsite. If this campground had offered sewer hookup I would've given them 5 stars! The park was quiet and had a lot of wildlife to view! Squirrels, armadillos and deer were seen almost everyday. They also have bears and alligators which I'm glad we never saw! There are 138 campsites in 3 different sections of the park. They have a community center with a playground and 2 additional playgrounds throughout the park. There is also an outdoor theater, laundry and 3 different bathhouses. There are 11 different bike and hiking trails in this park. Across the street from the main campground is a wilderness campground and there is also a family campground. We really enjoyed our stay here and would definitely stay here again! read more

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Highly recommended, very nice place and very family oriented. It has 3 buildings were the bathrooms and showers are located. One of them is more modern. The other two can use an update. At night you may be visited with deers, armadillos. During the morning, there are a lot of squirrels hanging around. The park has several trails that can be walked. Some sites have electric and water hook ups too read more

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How cool is it to live close to one of the four original state parks of Florida! I feel so blessed to enjoy these thousands of acres of wilderness anytime I want! BTW- The deeply knowledgeable Rangers charged me a whole $4 entry fee. $6 for a carload of folks. This morning the weather was so glorious it was time for a hike. I drove around the beautiful Loop road to access the Cypress Swamp Trail. Many folks consider it the best trail in the park. Just so you know, most of the trails here are relatively short, about thirty minutes walking. Some are on land and some are on catwalks. Cypress Swamp is mostly on catwalks. Beware that the walking is easy but sometimes the catwalks switch to a very narrow version. See my pictures. You need to keep your balance, or you'll be in a gaters swimming pool! That gaters warning sign at the beginning of the trail is not kidding! This morning I saw a couple of gators, a wild hog, a bunch of deer and Oh, a water moccasin. They are hard to take pictures of because they generally run, scurry, slither, or swim away as fast as they can but it's so incredible to see them! Sure, Florida is known world-wide for all its theme parks but this side of Florida is just as pleasurable, just in a different way! read more

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This is a lovely state park that also has camping. There are many paths to hike, and geocaching if that's your thing (it is ours!). Camping is nice, but the sites are VERY close together, which is not always what you want when you're out in the wilderness. We had to move three times due to errors at the front, but that happens and didn't damper our trip. Bath houses are fine, showers had hot water, and that's always nice - and not always true at campgrounds! They have tours around the park in a tram when Covid is not an issue, and rent out bikes as well. There is also a museum, but it is also closed due to current health conditions. The little gift store is open, and full of any and everything you could need while staying at the campground. They also have some of their famous orange ice cream, as well as key lime. It was so refreshing and such a nice treat on a hot day. read more

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Beautiful green space, very nice trails. Well Maintained and dog friendly. Camping is available and the camp sites looks very nice. RV parking is well laid out. Nice way to spend the afternoon! read more

I've been coming to this state park since I was 5 and it never disappoints. Very beautiful trail and animals to see! Came here recently this past Thursday with my fiancé and my nephew and niece and we enjoyed it so much! Weather was perfect and wasn't so busy. It is $6 per vehicle. They also have bike rentals so you can bike on the road (not the trails!) asides from that it's just another beautiful state park in Florida !! You can also camp here but I do not know much about that. read more

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My parents own a home in Avon Park, FL and every time I come to visit them, we come to Highlands Hammock State Park. The employees and Rangers are genuinely helpful and the park offers tons of activities. Bike rentals are a must for riding through the naturroads. The gift shop offers rentals for bikes are $5 for the first hour then incrementally $2.50 for every additional half hour. You can also walk plenty of beautiful nature trails and catch a glimpse of some gators if you're lucky! Deer and other wildlife are out and about, we bring our binoculars to do some bird watching on the bird viewing platform. There are also pavilions for rent in you want to have a small gathering and BBQ's are available. read more

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Highlands Hammock State Park is absolutely beautiful with canopy coverings through out. If you love nature, living in the madness of South Florida and need to get away, this is a must see. Florida has plenty to offer with hidden gems that we at many times don't even realize. Visiting this state park we really felt like we were NOT in Florida but rather somewhere up north. The peace and quietness that it has to offer is priceless. We rode our bikes along a paved path (the bike path is marked) taking in the scenery and natural beauties. Bikes are not permitted on the hiking trails. Keep your eyes peeled back, you just might get lucky and see animals in their natural habitat! This is a dog friendly park but please follow the rules. Dogs MUST be kept on a leash at all times and there are certain paths that prohibit dogs. I've uploaded a current map and rules outline. Our visit was August 2022. Please respect as these rules are set in place for a reason. Would definitely recommend and pay another visit! read more

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This is a Beautiful park with many hiking trails through hammocks. We parked at the parking near the visitor center and spent the whole morning walking each trail. Our favorite was at the end of the loop. That trail is an elevated boardwalk where we able to see birds and one large alligator. Definitely exceeded our expectations. Highlands Hammock State Park is a 9,000-acre (3,640 ha) park 4 miles (6 km) 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. Highlands Hammock State Park is a 9,000-acre (3,640 ha) park 4 miles (6 km) 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. Great place to come and camp or go on trails , picnic, or go biking. read more

This park is beautiful. It's nature at its finest. Pick nick area is perfect for family gatherings the restroom are adequate, and the employees are very friendly and knowledgeable read more

Excellent walking trails among ancient oak and Cypress forests. The cypress trail was my favorite with alligators, water moccasins and deer today. The park warns of Florida bear, cougar, and raccoons. It's great the State protects a few thousand acres of authentic wilderness. Great walking trails and bike lanes. Close enough to Sebring you would bike in. Also a great drive from Orlando. read more

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Such a cool place and only $6 to get in! Walking over the swamp with just one side having a railing was a little nerve racking, but fun. You can find the trail at the larger parking lot. You drive around a huge loop, and can pull over and do each trail. We covered all of the trails, and they are all shorter trails. We even saw wild pigs!!! And piglets!! read more

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Highlands Hammock is a great park to go camping. We went with a large group of 15 or more couples and children. You can book different camp sight sizes in advance. Our reservation was for one of the larger spaces with a fire pit and wrap around bench to keep warm in front of it. We went extremely rural with out any electricity or running water, I believe other sights may have those amenities. They did however have an out house that they maintain and freshen up . The park closes at sundown just like most state parks so with your reservation upon arrival your party will receive a gate code that can be used for gate entry after hours. Everything went pretty smoothly. The kids absolutely loved this place and so did I especially the part where we woke up to red birds perched and singing on the campground. read more

The land the park sits on was first settled in 1881 by Jonathan Skipper on land that was known as Hooker's Hammock. Jonathan and his wife built a home and planted an orange grove. Jonathan and his family went on to raise cattle that they shipped to Cuba. By the 1920's Jonathan's son Chesley A. Skipper owned several hundred acres of the hammock. Donald Roebling was in the area to purchase a plane from the son of George Sebring whose father founded the town. Donald heard of the beautiful plants in the hammocks and he flew his parents in to view them. Impressed with what she saw Donalds mother who was the widow of the builder of the Brooklyn Bridge purchased 500 acres for $25,000 in order to preserve it. A corporation formed in 1930 when local citizens who were concerned about plans to turn the hammock into farmland bought the property in order to protect it. Chesley A. Skipper donated 320 acres to form the park. Roads and bridges were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the park opened to the public in 1931. They corporation had hoped to make it a national park but when Florida's state park system was created four years later in 1935 and Highlands Hammock became one of four original state parks. The Civilian Conservation Corps built a camp there as a base for development. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. Thanks to a group of nature conservationists in the 1930's you can visit the park today and see the way Florida looked before it was developed. Admission is $4 for a single occupant car and $6 if you have more than one person. It is such a small price to enjoy all the park has to offer. You can visit the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum which shows a 10 minute film that highlights their contributions to the park. The park also offers a $10 tram ride. It was closed when I visited but I want to come back for it because it takes you to parts of the park that you can't otherwise access. Other park activities include camping, biking, picnicking, and nature watching. Snacks can be purchased at the park store. My favorite part of the park is the hiking trails. There are 9 of them off of a 3 mile paved loop road. Along the trails you can see ancient trees and a variety of wildlife. At one point I ran in straight into a wild hog that is a descendant of the ones introduced into Florida by the Spanish explorers. I don't know who was more startled but he quickly ran off. My favorite hiking trail was the Cypress Swamp Trail that has a catwalk that gets you up close to the swamp. I wish I had planned for more time for the park but I tried to squeeze too much into one day. You can easily spend an entire day here. I can't wait to come back and next time it will be in the winter. After just a few of the trails I was drenched in sweat. This is a state park you don't want to miss. read more

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The park is a great place to get out and explore and adventure hidden areas. I didn't know about the park when I moved here until a friend told me about it's numerous paths and features. I love going out on the weekend and walking the dogs and getting close to nature!! read more

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We revisited Highlands Hammock State Park in Feb 2019 for a one night stay in our RV ... this was our second visit and we're scheduled to a return visit in March ... this is a huge, beautiful State Park wile miles of hiking trails ... like all Florida State Parks, it's awesome ... The camp site area is a little tight an crowded, but we were luck to have site 058 which is large and offered more privacy than some of the others ... The hiking trails are a good way from the camping area ... we had our golf cart, so not a problem ... they have a paved loop road (~5 mile loop) that most of the trails have access from) ... the boardwalk trail through the cypress swamp was our favorite ... got to see a Banded Water Snake and raccoon ... there are also a lot of wild orange trees ... Site 058 had H2O, 30 Amp power and a fire pit ... you can view our video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqMDL94ykSg&t=495s read more

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I was just told that this campground is closing for the second half of 2023 for a "makeover ". The RUMORS are that they will remove some 45 spots and update the water and electricity. That is a step in the right direction. But if they really wanted to upgrade the campground, they could take just a few of those 9000 acres and add them to the campgrounds, instead of cramming all the camper's into just a few acres. read more

My second favorite park for tent camping! The rangers are all very nice and helpful. The camping store sells just about everything you may need for camping from ice cream to fire wood! You can also purchase tickets for the tram ride at $10/adult. The tram ride is wonderful as you learn about the history of the park and it takes you deep in the park where you can see alligators, birds, turtles, and other animals. There is a CCC museum as well which is free admission. Although it's not very big it's still entertaining and educational. There are several hiking trails with beautiful views and hundred year old oak trees. As for the camping, i usually camp on the primitive side but use the bathrooms at the other side of the park. The primitive sites can be a little close to each other but still have plenty of space. Some sides are more shaded than others though. The bathrooms are kept cleaned and there is hot water for showers! I've seen wild hogs, deers, snakes, alligators, bunnies, scrub jays. There so much to do for everyone here. I absolutely love everything about this park. read more

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They have very nice hiking trails that are covered and shaded. We just hiked there over the July 4 weekend. Even though it was 100° outside the trails were 80° inside under the trees. They have a great bike path also. read more

Highlands Hammock State Park - Parks Near Me - Sebring, Florida

Camped for two nights in the "wilderness camping "area. There is a county road that borders that camping area so you can hear cars going by but it wasn't disruptive. The camp spots in the wilderness camping area each have a picnic table and a fire pit so it was perfect for what we wanted. The park is close enough to town that we drove in to pick up a pizza for one night. We did not go onto the RV side of the park so I can't speak of that. I guess my only complaint would be that you cannot gather firewood, you must purchase a couple pieces for $7.50! Took some beautiful pictures of sunrise animal safe sunset. And my dog had a great time, too! read more

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Great place for hiking, seeing nature! Had a great time with music and a food truck at Music in the Park...

Absolutely beautiful state park with well managed habitats and accessible trails. Many interpretive resources. The only problem seen is the lack of rudimentary mask compliance among visitors read more

Highlands Hammock State Park - Parks Near Me - Sebring, Florida

Was a perfect place to camp for our Spartan race! Park rangers were super nice and camp sites were spacious and clean.

What a beautiful quiet state park. Very clean and the rangers were really helpful. Most of it is shaded so the sun isn't beating down. Oh and you have to try a slice of the Sour Orange pie! Definitely an underaged state park with so much wildlife. I'll be back just for peace and quiet plus the Sour Orange pie! read more

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Whilst in town make sure to stop by and spend a few hours to half a day here. They have an interesting museum of the history of the area. There are several trails where one can experience the Florida great outdoors. Even see some of the local deer. Make sure to bring cash at the gate about 6 dollars. read more

Highlands Hammock State Park - Trail Highlands Hammock state park Photograph by @labradax - Parks Near Me - Sebring, Florida

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Amazing park. We came camping in a big group, each brought our own pop trailer. Lots of fun, did s'mores, bbq, we fished (fresh water only). They have a bridge that you can walk for about 15-20 minutes, seeing lots of wildlife animals, take pictures and enjoy the views as you waBike riding was a blast as the park is really big. read more

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We really like the hiking and nature aspect.of rhe park. Camping here is so noisy and busy. We would.prefer quieter locations

Highlands Hammock has been my favorite state park since I was a child going on school field trips. The variety of trails is great for anyone. There are varying levels of difficulty. The catwalk over the swamp will always be my favorite. read more

Nice campground. Very informal with 30 amp and water at many sites. Some pull thrus, some tent only sites, and quite a few wilderness sites too. Check out the CCC museum while there, it's free and has some great info on the program that built so many of USA's parks. A few very short hiking trails, and one mid size sand biking trail, but if you want to do a loop, there is a 2-mile loop in their 15mph natures area that you can go around, as well as access to a paved trail that goes out and around lake Jackson for a total of about 17 miles. The east side and south side of the lake are on sidewalks, so you may want to just skip those parts, but it is a nice easy ride or walk. Campground is well tree'd and most sites are pretty level. Lots of buddy sites. Good well maintained bath houses. They do some small music events once in a while to raise funds for the park. Very nice. Bike rentals too. No pool though. All in all a nice inexpensive state park. read more

Beautiful park and the tram ride is interesting; identifying different areas of the park. We saw lots of different plants, alligators, birds et. Nice way to spend an afternoon read more

"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! read more

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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. read more

Highlands Hammock State Park - Parks Near Me - Sebring, Florida

One of the best campgrounds for familes and groups. If you've never camped before this is a great first-timers campground, especially for tent camping. We had 2 newbies on our trip and they did just fine. There is so much to do here (but no swimming which is a bummer). Bring your bikes because you can spend the whole day riding. There is a great paved loop that winds under the huge oak hammock trees and will keep you shaded. Off of the paved loop are many different trails. The best trail is the Cypress Swamp Trail - with HUGE towering cypress that hang overhead as you meander through a boardwalk over brush, water, and cypress knees (stumps/roots). When we went recently with friends we saw a 5 foot alligator, a water mocassin snake, and some turtles. This trail is so fun because it starts out as a regular-sized boardwalk but then narrows to 4 planks and is called the "Catwalk" where you must be careful and pay attention where you step as you watch the water. I remember going here as a kid and being scared out of my wits on this trail but as an adult it seems shorter and less intimidating. Other walking trails exist off the main path and then there is a 6 mile bike trail on the outer skirts of the park that is dirt and sand. The campsites are incredible. Beautifully covered by the trees and each site with it's own unique layout. We had site number 61 which I highly suggest because it's bigger than most and is on the corner so you don't have neighbors to one side (not that we're anti-social). The only thing we noticed about this site was that kids would play in the brush and it got a little noisy in the mornings and afternoons with their banter. There's a playgound with swings and a basket ball hoop towards the north side - back side - of the camp ground. The bathrooms are okay - not anything to write home about. The bathroom in the middle of the campground is cleaner than the one to the west side. There's a restaurant that sells a few supplies and necessities and was making all-you-can-eat pancakes every morning. During the day time they served Eddy's ice cream up until 4pm. Across from the restaurant is a history museum and I'm sad to say that we didn't get a chance to walk through. Keep your food stowed away in your car and your coolers secured with bungee cords because racoons are smarter than they look. There's no hanging ropes or hammocks in trees (we learned that the hard way). Even though it doesn't explicitly state it, you're not supposed to have more than 2 tents per site - which we got really angry about b/c we had 4 set up on our big site and they made us move 2 to our other site. (We had a group of 8 people). Usually you're allowed to have campfires as long as there hasn't been a long drought - check with the ranger station before you reserve because this could really put a damper on s'more fixin'. You can easily reserve your campsite at www.ReserveAmerica.com read more

Highlands Hammock State Park - The Catwalk on the Cypress Swamp Trail at Highlands Hammock S.P. - Parks Near Me - Sebring, Florida