Whenever you plan your next outdoor outing, a new updated guided to some of the hiking trails in the area could be a good way to help you plan your trip.
The book titled Hiking Central Florida: 30 Great Walking and Hiking Adventures by award-winning outdoors writer Tim O’Keefe includes some trails around here as well as some farther afield that you might be persuaded to visit after reading the book,
The 30 trails the book describes range from brief morning outings to more ambitious treks.
The entries contain not just the standard trail maps and driving directions, but also good descriptions of the trails, including seasonal issues with some sections of some trails, the cultural and environmental history of many of the locations and some wildlife visitors may encounter.
O’Keefe also includes separate articles om topics ranging from sinkholes to armadillos.
The guide appears to be aimed in part toward Florida visitors and beginners who don’t know what chiggers are and who have never encountered an alligator in the wild.
There is ample information on safe hiking practices, potential hazards to avoid and some necessary gear you might want to pack.
The only local outdoors venues included in this book are Disney Wilderness Preserve near Poinciana, Lake Kissimmee State Park east of Lake Wales and Tiger Creek Preserve south of Lake Wales.
Those accounts seem to be pretty current except for a reference to Whooping Cranes at Lake Kissimmee State Park. There was an experimental program several years ago to attempt to establish a non-migratory flock of these endangered birds in Central Florida It was unsuccessful and most the birds are no longer present. None of the survivors have been reported at the park.