Lake Kissimmee State Park
Encyclopedia
Lake Kissimmee State Park s a 5,930 acre (24 km²) Florida State Park
located on State Road 60
, 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Lake Wales
. It contains floodplain
, forest
, prairie
, hammock
, flatwoods
and Lakes Kissimmee
, Tiger, and Rosalie. The park is home to 50 species of plants and animals that are either threatened, of special concern or endangered.
Activities include boating
, canoeing
, kayaking
and fishing
as well as camping
, hiking
, horseback riding, and nature viewing. Among the wildlife
of the park include two hundred species of birds, among them the bald eagle
, snail kite
and whooping crane
. Other animals are bobcat
, grey fox and wild turkey
, as well as white-tailed deer
, sandhill crane
, fox squirrel
and otter
.
Amenities include thirteen miles (19 km) of hiking trails and six miles (10 km) of horse trails and fishing dock
s. The park's sixty full facility campsites are located in an oak hammock. There are two primitive campsites and a youth camping area. More than 30,000 acres (120 km²) of lakes are accessible from the park. The park is open from 8:00 am till sundown year round. The cow camp is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
site that depicts an 1876 cattle camp, including Florida scrub cattle
. Local cattlemen were commonly referred to as Cracker cowboys. Cow Camp is open on weekends and holidays from October through May 1.
Florida State Parks
The Florida State Parks encompass the majority of the lands that fall under the authority of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. There are 160 such entities, including nature reserves, recreation areas, and historic sites, which can be found in every corner of the state...
located on State Road 60
State Road 60 (Florida)
State Road 60 is an east–west route transversing Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. The western terminus of SR 60 is at the Sunsets at Pier 60 in Clearwater...
, 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Lake Wales
Lake Wales, Florida
Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,194 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 11,802 . It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. It contains floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
, forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
, prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
, hammock
Hammock (ecology)
Hammocks are dense stands of hardwood trees that grow on natural rises of only a few inches higher than surrounding marshland that is otherwise too wet to support them. Hammocks are distinctive in that they are formed gradually over thousands of years rising in a wet area through the deposits of...
, flatwoods
Flatwoods
Flatwoods, Pineywoods, Longleaf Pine-Wiregrass Ecosystem refers to an ecological community in the Southeastern coastal plain of North America...
and Lakes Kissimmee
Lake Kissimmee
Lake Kissimmee is a Florida lake located about 15 miles east of Lake Wales, Florida, USA.Lake Kissimee State Park is rich with wildlife, including bald eagles, white tailed deer, bobcats, turkeys, and sandhill cranes...
, Tiger, and Rosalie. The park is home to 50 species of plants and animals that are either threatened, of special concern or endangered.
Activities include boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
, canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
, kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
as well as camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, horseback riding, and nature viewing. Among the wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
of the park include two hundred species of birds, among them the bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
, snail kite
Snail Kite
The Snail Kite is a bird of prey within the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures. Its relative, the Slender-billed Kite, is now again placed in Helicolestes, making the genus Rostrhamus monotypic...
and whooping crane
Whooping Crane
The whooping crane , the tallest North American bird, is an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound. Along with the Sandhill Crane, it is one of only two crane species found in North America. The whooping crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild...
. Other animals are bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
, grey fox and wild turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
, as well as white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, sandhill crane
Sandhill Crane
The Sandhill Crane is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills in the American Midwest...
, fox squirrel
Fox Squirrel
The fox squirrel is the largest species of tree squirrel native to North America...
and otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
.
Amenities include thirteen miles (19 km) of hiking trails and six miles (10 km) of horse trails and fishing dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
s. The park's sixty full facility campsites are located in an oak hammock. There are two primitive campsites and a youth camping area. More than 30,000 acres (120 km²) of lakes are accessible from the park. The park is open from 8:00 am till sundown year round. The cow camp is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
Cow Camp
Cow Camp is a living historyLiving history
Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to reenact a specific event in history, living history is...
site that depicts an 1876 cattle camp, including Florida scrub cattle
Pineywoods (cattle)
Pineywoods cattle are an endangered breed of landrace heritage cattle that are descended from the original Spanish stock left along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama by the Spanish explorers in the early 16th century...
. Local cattlemen were commonly referred to as Cracker cowboys. Cow Camp is open on weekends and holidays from October through May 1.