Ready for a hike? Then head on over to the Circle Bar B Reserve in Lakeland. This county run reserve is located on Winter Lake Rd. near the intersection of US 98 and the Polk Parkway. The park has several different trails, and each are marked with their difficulty and their length. We opted for the Shady Oak, Alligator Alley, and Heron Hideout.
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| Shady Oak Trail |
The trails were very well taken care of and we were able to view plenty of wildlife on them.
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| A crane that we saw on the Alligator Alley trail. |
I would not suggest the Alligator Alley and Heron Hideout trail for those with a stroller or unsteady walkers. The trail was rather bumpy with exposed tree roots. I would also suggest bringing sunscreen and bug spray. We used deep woods Off and did not have any issues, but I did notice several others on the trail smacking bugs. The trails we picked were rather shady, but there were spots where the trail was not covered and lets face it, the Florida sun is brutal.
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| Alligator in the lake that we spotted on the Alligator Alley trail |
There were plenty of place in the parking lot to picnic, with several covered areas with tables and a grill. There is also a discovery center onsite that teaches kids and adults about the local wildlife and environment. The kids really enjoyed the tree house and fox den that they could crawl in. There was also a video running that discussed ways to help conserve our natural resources.
The park allows for horseback riding, bikes, and of course hiking. There is no playground, but the indoors discovery center makes up for it. They offer several different events through out the year, so be sure to check it out if you are ever in the area. I know we will be back soon to try some of the other trails.
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| A turtle sunning itself on Alligator Alley trail. |
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