Lake Kissimmee State Park: Hiking, History, and Hog Heaven

n my first book, I describe my first nine backpacking trips, six of which were at Florida state parks. One of my favorites is Lake Kissimmee State Park near Lake Wales, which introduced me for the first time to hikers-only trails.  With two hiking loops of more-than-minimal length and two gorgeous primitive campsites and tons of wildlife, Lake Kissimmee State Park remains a go-to state park for me and is a great place to learn to backpack.

A favorite destination for the RV set, Lake Kissimmee State Park sits on almost 6,000 acres of forest used for cattle grazing from the times predating Florida’s statehood until the 1970s; it is still surrounded by cattle farms today. The northeast corner of the park borders Lake Kissimmee, Florida’s third largest lake, and other parts of the park are also surrounded by the smaller Lakes Rosalie and Tiger. Fully embracing its heritage, Lake Kissimmee State Park is well known for its “cowmen” living history exhibit (don’t call them cowboys), where park rangers invite guests to experience an 1876 cattle camp and learn about how 19^th century settlers collected wild cows that descended from cattle left in Florida by 16^th century Spanish conquistadors.

Lake Kissimmee State Park is also known for its hiking trails. It has two loops of almost 7 miles each, the 6.8-mile North Loop ranging primarily through pine forest in the park’s northwestern corner, and the 6.9-mile Buster Island Loop surrounding the cattle camp, which itself is surrounded by the park’s lakes.  These hikers-only trails wind through majestic forests filled with deer, turkey, and hogs, as well as owls, hawks, osprey, and bald eagles that can be regularly heard and seen flying overhead.  The trails share a common trailhead and can be easily joined for a single 14-mile hike, and can also be linked to the 2.8-mile Gobbler Ridge Trail, the only trail that takes hikers to the shores of Lake Kissimmee.  The Gobbler Ridge Trail also passes the park’s camp store and observation tower, the latter of which affords panoramic views of the park’s lakes, prairies, and forests.

Each trail has its own attractions that make them both perfect for shorter backpacking trips. The North Loop is pine paradise, wandering through acres of tall longleaf pines whose needles blanket the forest floor and provide a cushiony surface. When I backpacked there last March, I saw more than ten deer, along with a family of hogs on a side trail less than two miles from my campsite. Further south, the Buster Island Loop spends more than half its miles winding through a live oak hammock, where giant trees with branches stretching in all directions like animated characters from Fantasia shade you from midday sun. Other portions of the Buster Island Loop stretch through prairies of palmetto and tall pines, many of which are topped with eagle and osprey nests. For a park so small, the two loop trails impart the feel of being much deeper in the wilderness (aside from the occasional hum of airboats on Lake Kissimmee).

The primitive campsites on the loop trails are also among my favorite in the Central Florida state park system, and each are set back from the loops and linked by short connector trails. Several tent spots in each campsite offer camping beneath resplendent live oaks and pines, with firepits perfectly placed in clearings for hours of peaceful stargazing after dinner. Located far from Florida’s metropolitan areas, the skies are nearly pitch black at night and are blanketed on clear nights by hundreds of stars. Owls in the nearby pines hoot all night long, to compliment the occasional mooing of the cows.  Like all primitive campsites in Florida state parks, the North and Buster Island campsites can be reserved for $5.00 per night.

If you’re looking for a pleasant natural place to backpack or hike in a state park not more than an hour’s drive from Orlando or Tampa, Lake Kissimmee State Park is a great choice.