Colt Creek State Park is a Florida State Park in Central Florida, north of Lakeland off of State Road 471. This 5,067-acre park nestled within the Green Swamp Wilderness Area and named after one of the tributaries that flows through the property was opened to the public on January 20, 2007. Composed mainly of pine flatwoods, cypress domes and open pasture land, this piece of pristine wilderness is home to many animal species including the American bald eagle, Southern fox squirrel, gopher tortoise, white-tailed deer, wild turkey and bobcat.
The park offers over 15 miles of multi-use trails which make for horse-back riding, hiking and biking opportunities. These trails meander through the pine flatwoods and cypress domes, bottomland forest and past open pastures. The park offers fishing, canoeing and kayaking at one of its three lakes. Other recreational opportunities include picnic pavilions, ranger-led programs and primitive and full-facility camping options.
It is part of a series of landholdings that make up the Green Swamp Wilderness Area and managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Park Service.
History Before 1940 the land was owned by John Keen and was used for industrial operations including harvesting resin from pine trees, which could later be processed into turpentine. Collection of resin utilized the "Herty system", which involved making V-shaped cuts into the tree and allowing the resin to drain through steel gutters and into pots called "Herty pots". Trees used in this way were called "cat-face trees" because the marks left in the tree resemble a cat's face. Cat-face trees and Herty pots can still be found throughout the park.
The Overstreet family purchased the property in 1940 and used the land for beef cattle production, silviculture, hunting and limestone mining operations.
In the 1960s the Overstreet family built a modest single-room lodge called "Deadhead Lodge". The lodge was used as temporary accommodation while hunting or working on the property. The lodge still stands but is not open to the public.
The land was purchased from the Overstreet family on May 31, 2006, and opened to the public as Florida's 160th state park on January 20, 2007. The 5,067-acre parcel was a joint purchase between Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Polk County Natural Resources division, with the Florida Park Service taking the role as the lead managing agency.
The park's inaugural Unit Management Plan was approved on December 14, 2007. The plan serves as the basic statement of park policy and direction for the management of the park. The Unit Management Plan sets forth plans for the next 10 years and functions as a guide for future installation of amenities, management of resources and habitat restoration projects. Unit Management Plans are created with input from relevant professionals and with public participation.
During the first two years as a Florida State Park, the park installed a "starter kit" at the Middle Lake Parking area. This included a pavilion, restrooms, water fountain, kiosk and accessible parking spot. A portable trailer was used as an administrative office. Several miles of dirt roads once used by the Overstreet family for commercial operations were converted into hiking trails by the Florida Park Service; unused roads were allowed to re-vegetate. The park's first trailhead was installed at the Middle Lake parking area.
Beginning in 2010 and through to 2015, an extensive hydrological restoration project was conducted at Colt Creek, with the goal of restoring the creek's natural and historical water flow.
In 2012 the park expanded its amenities to include a large screened pavilion with attached restrooms and paved parking area overlooking Mac Lake. A 75' accessible fishing/observation dock was installed at Mac Lake. Two smaller pavilions and a Ranger Station were also constructed at this time. Parking and trail access was added at trail marker number 36, which can be accessed along the park's main drive.
In 2014, a small group of park enthusiast created a charitable organization to support the park. The organization was created as a Florida State Park's Citizen Support Organization and is affectionately referred to as the "Friends of Colt Creek State Park".
In 2015 the park opened a 10 campsite primitive equestrian campground, which was expanded to 20 campsites in 2017.
In 2016 a hydrological restoration project was completed at Gator Creek. The project restored adequate flow and drainage to the creek and surrounding floodplain forests.
In 2017 the park created the South parking area which includes parking for standard vehicles and vehicles towing horse trailers, as well as trail access.
In 2018 the park opened a 34 site full-facility campground.
Geology and Hydrogeology Limestone can be seen at the surface of the ground throughout the park. Limestone is a porous rock that acts as a sponge to absorb and hold water for long periods of time, which make the limestone outcroppings below the surface play an important role in water retention.
The land plays an important role within the floodplain of the Green Swamp region since the water that flows off the property eventually makes its way to four of Florida's major rivers - Withlacochee, Hillsborough, Peace and Ocklawaha.
The park has three named creeks and several smaller unnamed tributaries. The park's land slopes gradually to the northwest, toward the Withlacochee River. As a result, water from most of the park's creeks eventually merge into Gator creek, which ultimately empties into the Withlachoochee River.
The park is part of the Green Swamp Wilderness Area, which is a major recharge area for the Floridan Aquifer. The Floridan Aquifer provides drinking water to millions of Florida residents, and the aquifer flows into several springs throughout the state. The majority of the park is within the Withlachoochee River basin, though a smaller portion is within the Hillsborough River basin.
Many natural wetlands exist in the park, including cypress domes, depression marshes and floodplain forests. The overall health of the park's ecosystem is important to the quality of water that eventually makes its way into the Floridan Aquifer and several of Florida's major rivers.
Ecosystem The park's habitat consist primarily of mesic flatwoods co-dominated by cypress domes, hardwood hammocks and wetlands. Lands within the park are relatively flat, with an average elevation of 90 feet above sea level. Additionally, natural-looking lakes that formed from old lime rock mining operations are present. The park is home to many wildlife species.
Mesic Pine flatwoods The mesic flatwoods are the most widespread of the park's upland communities, consisting of an open canopy of longleaf (Pinus palustris) and slash (Pinus elliottii) pine with an understory of low shrubs, grasses, saw palmetto, gallberry (Ilex glabra) and wiregrass. Longleaf pine habitat is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Longleaf pine habitat is important for many species including the Southern Fox squirrel. Longleaf pine habitat is fire-dependent, meaning it relies on occasional fires to clear groundcover overgrowth, recycle nutrients into the soil and germinate certain kinds of seeds. The exposed outcroppings of limestone throughout the area is an unusual feature for mesic flatwoods, this uniqueness makes the protection of the park's flatwoods essential.
Mesic Hardwood Hammocks The mesic hammocks consist of a closed canopy of southern live oak (Quercus virginiana), cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto) and American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) trees with an understory of saw palmetto, American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) and muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia). Hardwood hammocks thrive in the absence of fire and the soil is generally moist due to the shade of the canopy.
Cypress Domes and wetlands The park's cypress domes mainly consist of bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) interspersed with the occasional water oak (Quercus nigra) and laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia) and are found in areas of lower terrain where water coalesces easily. The interior groundcover of the cypress domes is generally dominated by sawgrass (Cladium jamaicensis). Cypress domes are a type of freshwater forested wetland and form mainly when cypress trees grow in shallow water. The characteristic "dome" shape is the result of older larger trees growing in the center of the dome while younger shorter trees grow around the fringes. In some cases, the water in the center of a dome is a too deep for cypress to grow, causing a "donut" shape to the cypress dome. Cypress domes rely on fires to reduce encroachment by other plant species. Due to the gentle sloping elevation of the land, water from the surrounding region flows into the park and helps to maintain the park's cypress domes and wetlands, as does seasonal fluctuating rainfall. Cypress domes provide habitat for wood storks (Mycteria americana), cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus) and Florida black bears (Ursus americanus floridanus).
Depression marshes are rare in the park and are characterized as shallow depressions with herbaceous vegetation and/or small shrubs including maidencane (Panicum hemotomon), sand cordgrass (Spartina bakeri) and others.
Floodplain forests occupy some low-lying areas adjacent to tributaries, especially Gator Creek and Colt Creek. Species present in these areas include bald cypress, water oak, laurel oak, sweetgum and others. The canopy is mostly closed and the soil is moist due to drainage from the creeks and low levels of sunlight penetrating to the forest floor. Swamp areas can be found within the floodplain forests with Alligatorflag (Thalia geniculata) common within areas devoid of trees where depressions hold water yearlong.
Lakes In the 1990s the former property owners engaged in a limestone mining operation that included the digging of several large pits. After the operation was abandoned, the pits eventually filled with water and are now natural-looking lakes, which provide additional habitat for numerous species of aquatic plants and animals. Some areas of the mining operation breached the Floridan Aquifer, allowing water to escape into the lakes. At 26 acres, Mac Lake is the largest of the park's three lakes. A bathymetric survey conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission determined the deepest point of Mac Lake to be 50' deep. Cattails can be found around the shore of the lake, providing additional habitat for wildlife. Other plants such as rushes and sedges are present. Common fish observed in the lakes include catfish, largemouth bass and bluegill. Alligators, wading birds, and various species of fish and reptile have been observed at the park's lakes.
Wildlife The park is home to several types of habitat which results in a mixed bag of species. Commonly observed animals include white-tailed deer, bobcat, marsh rabbit, diamondback rattlesnake, cottonmouth and gopher tortoise. Otters, wading birds, reptiles and alligators are common in the park's lakes and creeks. The Florida black bear has been observed in the park but is an uncommon sighting.
A park survey observed 74 species of butterflies.
The park was designated part of the Great Florida Birding Trail after a year-long survey conducted by the Lake Region Audubon Society. Lake Region Audubon Society surveyors observed 150 species of bird including the American Bald Eagle, Limpkin, Great Blue Heron, Red-shouldered hawk, American Kestrel, wild turkey and swallow-tailed kite. Several species of wading bird can be observed around the lakes and wetlands. The park is host to several migratory bird species throughout the year.
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