Primeval day-hiking paradise awaits at Tiger Creek Preserve

As the heat of summer approaches and my attention shifts to Florida’s springs and beaches, perhaps my biggest regret from the spring and winter is having not yet hiked this year at my favorite day-hiking destination in Central Florida, the Nature Conservancy’s treasure trove of trails at Tiger Creek Preserve. This is a must-do trail for anyone looking for immersion into the Central Florida wilderness that existed before Europeans arrived.

Tiger Creek Preserve is a 5,000-acre slice of heaven located not far from the Bok Tower Gardens, off U.S. 27 less than one hour south of I-4. Located on the Lake Wales Ridge, its sand dunes were among the first landmasses in peninsular Florida to rise above the sea, And because it’s operated by the Nature Conservancy, you won’t have to worry about hunters in the fall.

Tiger Creek Preserve is an oasis of primeval Florida far from cars and tourists with that most precious of commodities in Florida—elevation change, dare I say hills (by Central Florida standards). Its trails climb through multiple habitats including sandhills, oak hammocks, scrubby flatwoods and ridges, grassy swales, and fields of palmetto. It is home to more than 15 species of endangered plants and animals, many of which can only be found in the Lake Wales Ridge. It contains three connected loops—the 4.5-mile Highlands Loop, the 1.6-mile Creek Bluffs Loop, and the 1.2-mile Heron Pond Loop—as well as two one-way trails, the 1.9-mile Pfundstein Trail and the 0.5-mile Wakeford Trail, connecting the loops to trailheads bearing the same names.

A highlight of the Creeks Bluff Loop is a dense ridge of palm looking down on the blackwater Tiger Creek for which the preserve is named. Well-maintained benches can also be found at perfect locations overlooking the creek and throughout the Preserve. Perhaps the best is Tricia’s Peak, a covered shelter on the Highlands Loop with two large benches atop one of the highest scrub ridges in the Preserve with panoramic views of the grassy swales and prairie below. This is my favorite place to have lunch in all of Florida.

The trails can be connected to suit whatever distance you’re looking for. For example, if you’d like to hike 11 miles, you can park at the Pfundstein Trailhead, take the Pfundstein Trail to the Highlands Loop, connect to the Creeks Bluff Loop halfway around the Highlands Loop, then finish the Highlands Loop, return on the Pfundstein Trail, and detour on the way back for the Heron Pond Loop. Or by starting at the Wakeford Trailhead, you can hike 7.1 miles by connecting through the Wakeford Trail to the Creeks Bluff and Highlands Loops, or you can cut out the Highlands Loop for 2.6 miles.

The experience of hiking there is best described as serene and secluded. Far from the hustle and bustle of any metropolitan areas, Tiger Creek Preserve is the definition of tranquility. Having now been there 5 times, I still have yet to hear a car or even an airplane, and I’ve rarely seen more than a handful of other hikers there. The hikers-only trails are also dry, well-maintained, well-blazed, and almost never on roads. The hiking surfaces are compact and free from sugar sand through most of the year (except the sandy Wakeford Trail), though I did find more sugar sand than usual when I hiked there late last August.

There is also plenty of wildlife. I regularly see deer, hogs, eagles, osprey, and woodpeckers, and I even found a small eastern diamondback rattlesnake lying across the Pfundstein Trail last October. (It graciously slithered into the bushes shortly after I took its picture.)

The Pfundstein Trailhead in the southwest corner of the Preserve is the easier of the two trailheads to reach. Both trailheads have grassy parking areas with room for several cars, each located just off paved roads. The preserve is free to access and can be hiked during daylight hours. Each trailhead also has paper maps and informative signage. No pets, bikes, drones, or camping are allowed.

Portions of this article were borrowed from an article of mine in the October-November 2024 issue of The Footpath Newsletter published by the Central Florida chapter of the Florida Trail Association.