.....................................................................................Outdoor Adventures
Parks
Loyce Harpe Park
(formerly known as Carter Road Park)
A true off-road experience with trails, mountain biking and bank fishing.
Home to DiOGi Dog Park.
Directions: From SR 37 turn east on West Carter Rd.
Contact: 863-534-4340, www.polk-county.net and click on
Parks & Recreation. Map grid C-7
Mosiac Peace River Park
A boardwalk takes visitors through mature cypress and oak hammocks
Directions: From U.S. 17 east of Homeland, turn east on C.R. 640.
Entrance is on the left.
Contact: 863-534-4340, www.polk-county.net and click on
Parks & Recreation. Map grid E-8
Patterson Park
Paved trail winds around scenic lakes
Directions: West side of U.S. 17/98 (Charleston Avenue) in historic Fort Meade.
Contact: 863-285-1110, www/cityoffortmeade.com/departments/leisure
Map grid E-9
Pine Ridge Nature Preserve – Bok Tower Gardens
Roughly 50 acres of native habitat adjacent to Bok Tower Gardens
Directions: From U.S. 27, turn east on Chalet-Suzanne Road, south on
S.R. 17, east on Burns Avenue.
Contact: 863-676-1408, www.boktowergardens.org. Map grid G-7
Saddle Creek Park
Boating, fishing and canoeing on more than 500 acres of lakes
Directions: From U.S. 92 (East Memorial Boulevard) in Lakeland, turn north
on Saddle Creek Park Road.
Contact: 863-534-4340, www.polk-county.net and click on
Parks & Recreation. Map grid D-6
Street Audubon Center
Lake Region Audubon Society
Short trails and a visitor center welcome guests
Directions: From Winter Haven, travel east on C.R. 540 (Cypress Gardens
Boulevard). Turn left onto Cypress Gardens Road, follow the curve, then turn
left onto Lameraux Road.
Contact: 863-324-7304, www.lakeregion.net. Map grid F-7
Florida Scrub Jay
Add To Your Life List
Birders come from all over to add birds to their
official “life list.” Just a few of the more than 300 bird
species that have been recorded in Polk County are:
American Avocet
Limpkin
American White Pelican
Mottled Duck
Anhinga
Pine Warbler
Bald Eagle
Purple Gallinule
Black-Bellied Whistling Duck
Roseate Spoonbill
Black-Necked Stilt
Sandhill Crane
Crested Caracara
Snail Kite
Eastern Bluebird
Swallow-Tailed Kite
Florida Scrub-Jay
Wood Stork
Polk’s Nature Discovery Center on the
Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland features indoor
and outdoor classrooms and exhibits providing a
wonderful opportunity to discover Polk County’s
water, wilderness and wildlife. Open Tues. - Sat.
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
www.visitcentralflorida.org | 37