South Trails, Alligator Lake Park – Florida Hikes

A set of named trails throughout a human-altered panorama, the South Trails at Alligator Lake Park delve into cypress strands and marshes.

Each edged the unique footprint of Alligator Lake south of downtown Lake Metropolis. Draining produced farmland, which was reclaimed as soon as the park opened.

The paths begin south of the open house close to the trailhead

The path map posted on the trailhead doesn’t make it plain that the “airboat crossing” on the Egret Loop Path is a break within the levee making it unattainable to loop.

Different breaks all through the path system are marked as bridged. The proposed part of the boardwalk proven has not been constructed.

Surprising finish of path

Sources

Overview

Location: Lake CityLength: As much as 4.3 milesTrailhead: 30.166803, -82.615452Address: 420 SE Alligator Glen, Lake CityFees: FreeRestroom: On the trailheadLand supervisor: Columbia CountyPhone: 386-719-7545

Closed Mon. Open Tue-Solar at 8 AM, closing 7 PM throughout Daylight Financial savings Time, 5:30 PM in any other case. Trails open to cyclists.

No canine permitted. Alligator warnings abound with good purpose; don’t let young children close to the water.

Instructions

Take Interstate 75 exit 427, Lake Metropolis. Comply with US 90 east for two.4 miles to SW Baya Drive (SR 10A). Flip proper. Comply with Baya Drive for two.6 miles, crossing US 41 and US 441 earlier than you attain the visitors mild at SE Nation Membership Street. Flip proper and drive 1.2 miles to the park entrance, on the best. Park on the second trailhead, the bigger one between the restrooms, pole barn pavilion, and fishing pond.

Hike

Dealing with the screened picnic pavilion with the lake past a ribbon of marsh, make a left. A kiosk adjoins the restrooms with an summary map.

Stroll previous the playground to the filth highway resulting in treeline, the place a Deer Path signal pointing into the woods confirms you’re on the best path.

On the subsequent junction, a proper begins down the Montgomery Path. Proceed straight forward.

South Trails junction

A grassy path traverses an open pasture-like space with scattered clusters of huge oaks and pines.

Meet the Eagle Path 0.4 miles from the parking space at a T intersection at Marker 11. Flip left.

Eagle Path

A levee with a darkish ditch paralleling it, the Eagle Path is raised above a floodplain forest that was roughed up by the 2024 hurricanes.

Cypresses emerge from each side of the leaf-strewn path, the darkish water lined in duckweed.

At a four-way junction with the Capybara Path at Marker 12, proceed onto the Willow Pond Path at 0.7 mile.

The ditch displays the bushes above, a stand of pines paralleling it.

Path junction

Turning a nook, enter an oak hammock. A bridge over the ditch results in a brief loop round Willow Pond.

Proceed beneath the oaks and pines into floodplain forest once more, with a stunning opening at Nation Membership Rd with a tough proper.

Willow Pond bridge

A culvert beneath the highway conveys Value Creek below a bridge in an open grassy space at 1.2 miles.

The Willow Pond Path wiggles alongside the southern perimeter fence of the park. Spherical a again gate earlier than returning to the floodplain.

On the junction the place the Capybara Path is available in from the best, the Willow Path ends.

Bridge over Value Creek

Fed by Value Creek, a grassy wetland stretches past the bushes on the best. Proceed straight forward because the Capybara Path turns into the outer path alongside this loop.

Broad and speckled with fallen leaves, it’s a straightaway below tall oaks, pines, and sweetgum, with noticed palmetto filling within the forest ground.

Capybara Path

By 2.1 miles, meet the Possum Trot Path. Though there may be extra mountain climbing due west of this intersection within the Rogers Dike Space, the Egret Loop Path isn’t a loop.

There’s a important hole in it for an airboat crossing, requiring backtracking on each side of the “loop.”

A round-trip to the north aspect of the hole is an actual journey. After crossing a bridge, make a proper on the T.

Bridge crossing

Don’t go north by chance alongside the levee to proposed future path to the boardwalk (as we did) however observe a levee west.

Working alongside the south fringe of an historic cypress strand, the Egret Loop turns south alongside the southern finish of Alligator Lake.

Egret Loop

Lined by cypresses with swaying Spanish moss, it ends abruptly on the lower the place airboats cross, 0.6 mile from the Possum Trot junction.

Return to to the Possum Trot junction the way in which you got here, including 1.6 miles to your total hike.

Possum Trot south junction

Make a proper right here at Marker 16, leaving the Capybara Path to go in direction of Alligator Lake. A contact of floodplain forest yields to oak hammock.

Go the west finish of the Eagle Path at Marker 10 in a tenth of a mile. The Possum Trot Path narrows considerably, rising as much as attain the Montgomery Path at 2.5 miles.

Possum Trot north junction

Flip proper to exit to the trailhead through a left on the Deer Path for a 2.7 mile hike, or 4.3 miles together with the outing into the Rogers Dike Space.

Or flip left and sort out the Montgomery Path for a 5.7 mile hike, 7.3 miles together with the round-trip alongside the Egret Loop.

Exiting in direction of the Deer Path

Path Map

Alligator Lake Park Trail Map — Pink: Montgomery Path. Inexperienced: South Trails.

Discover Extra!

Study extra about Alligator Lake Park

Cloud reflections on open water along a marsh

Alligator Lake Park Within the metropolis as soon as known as Alligator, Alligator Lake has lengthy been a gathering place. Loop it on a levee on a spectacularly showy hike beneath moss-draped cypresses.