As State Parks Go, Colt Creek State Park is Great for Longer Hikes

Anyone familiar with my book or my prior blog posts knows that I am borderline-obsessed with the Green Swamp located an hour west of Orlando. But I’m ashamed to admit that, until this weekend, I had not yet visited nearby Colt Creek State Park. I’m glad my wait is over, as Colt Creek is certainly worth a visit, particularly for anyone looking for longer hiking distances through pretty pine forest over flat terrain.

Colt Creek State Park sits on 5,000 acres of former cattle ranching land virtually surrounded by tracts of the Green Swamp—It’s bordered on its east by the Green Swamp’s Hampton Tract and on its north by the East Tract. The last leg of the Green Swamp East’s section of the Florida National Scenic Trail runs just north of the park’s northern boundary, and Colt Creek’s entrance lies on State Road 471 just south of where the Florida Trail pours out onto the 471 (just south of the bridge that thru hikers must sprint across beside speeding cars before entering the Green Swamp West Tract at the McNeil Trailhead).

Most of the trails at Colt Creek State Park lack the rolling terrain of Green Swamp West and the swamps and jungle of Green Swamp East. There are also precious few narrow, winding hikers only trails found in both. But the tradeoff is the convenience and ease of wide multi-use trails, which are off limits to four wheelers and seem to be used only by hikers and horses. And unlike many other horse-and-hiker trails I’ve found in other state parks, these trails are not torn up by horse hooves. There is little sugar sand, and the sturdy grassy hiking surfaces on these trails are easy on the ankles and legs.

Colt Creek also has a considerable amount of hiking distance for its size and a ton of wildlife. It boasts 15 miles of trails, which includes the 8.25-mile Red Loop I enjoyed on Sunday, most of it traversing through the forest of tall pines that keeps me coming back to this region. And although the pines are spaced out and provide less shade than you’ll find in the Green Swamp, the park is teeming with white tail deer. I saw at least seven deer before the rains that hid them during the last hour of my hike arrived, and I’m pretty sure I heard several other deer in the surrounding brush that fled before I could get confirmed sightings. I also saw several turkey and hawks.

The park also has several reservable campsites, including at least one primitive campsite adjacent to the Red Loop. The park also has the 1-mile Mac Lake Nature Trail, an interpretive trail through the dense terrain you’ll find in the Green Swamp, but located conveniently beside picnic pavilions and paved roads and parking. The larger loop trails also have plenty of intersecting cross trails that allow hikers to trim their loop hikes to ideal distances.

Colt Creek’s trails do have a reputation for being soggy in wet months, and the wide trails can perhaps be a bit tame for those looking for a more backcountry hiking experience. The few ponds are also former mining pits and have more of the appearance of subdivision ponds than natural bodies of water. But the tradeoff is ease of navigation, plenty of options to park near desired trailheads, and frequently mowed grassy trails that will assuage fears of ticks and snakes. So Colt Creek is ideal for trail running. Colt Creek is also a great place for an easy hike or one-night backpacking trip if you enjoy Central Florida pine forests as much as I do.