Some features of Spring Hammock Preserve, like the towering cypress trees that date back centuries, have stood the test of time. Other manmade features, like the boardwalks, have had trouble weathering hurricanes and fallen trees.
That’s why Seminole County installed a brand new 1,400-foot boardwalk leading out to Lake Jesup as part of a $2 million improvement project that also included paving the Osprey Trail and installing footbridges over Soldiers Creek.
Accessibility was front of mind when planning the upgrades to the natural outdoor space.
A new 8-foot-wide asphalt path on the Osprey Trail is part of recently installed improvements with accessibility in mind at Spring Hammock Preserve in Longwood. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
“One of the things that we focused on was making sure we were ADA accessible. The new Spring Hammock trail is accessible from the ADA parking we just put in all the way to the end of the boardwalk,” said Daniel Heacock, a project manager for Seminole County. “There’s very few trails like it all the way around. It starts out with the highlands and the hammocks and then rolls all the way through swamp right out to the lake.”
An 8-foot-wide asphalt trail now stretches from the accessible parking spots to the boardwalk with ancient cypress trees along the way. The approximately 2-mile round trip takes about one hour of hiking at a normal pace, though it’s worth seeing the sights along the way.
New bridges were installed for foot traffic to cross Soldiers Creek at Spring Hammock Preserve in Longwood. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
There are several points of interest during the trek, including one new boardwalk about halfway through the paved trail that takes visitors to an ancient cypress tree with nearby benches.
It’s trees like that towering cypress that helped Spring Hammock Preserve join the Old-Growth Forest Network, a national nonprofit aiming to designate one native, protected forest in every U.S. county that can sustain one. The public land is Central Florida’s first forest to receive such a designation; the next closest forest is Highlands Hammock State Park near Sebring.
“One of the focuses of that big 1,400-foot boardwalk is to actually move through the swamp and highlight as many of the big trees as they could find,” Heacock said. “It’s a wide area of ancient forest in the middle of the city.”
A new boardwalk ventures out to the ancient cypress tree at Spring Hammock Preserve in Longwood. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
Spring Hammock Preserve is also a place of many memories for schoolchildren who grew up in Seminole County Public Schools. Fifth graders get to participate in a “mud walk” at the preserve and field trips to study bugs and fish. New footbridges and steps down to Soldiers Creek help make these trips possible.
“They literally walk them through a swamp. It was really entertaining while we were building around them,” Heacock said. “We got to watch a lot of the groups. And it’s nothing but smiles.”
Central Floridians have noticed and appreciated the changes to one of the more popular hiking trails in Seminole County, which has been branded as “Florida’s Natural Choice.”
New stairs descend from the trail down to Soldiers Creek at Spring Hammock Preserve in Longwood. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
“I’ve spent a lot of time out there while we did this, almost a year from start of build to finish. It has been well received,” Heacock said. “It’s been nothing but rave reviews.”
The project was funded in part by Seminole County’s Penny Sales Tax, which helped the county in matching a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior and Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Spring Hammock Preserve is part of a 1,500-acre property that includes Soldiers Creek Park and Big Tree Park, as well as portions of the Cross Seminole Trail and Florida National Scenic Trail.
A boardwalk at Spring Hammock Preserve takes hikers and trail users out to Lake Jesup. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
Heacock said the trail improvements help expand access for trail users of all abilities.
“This is an opportunity that a lot of people would never get because of mobility issues. This is an ADA-accessible trail, and that’s not an opportunity you see all over the place,” he said. “You can take your mobility scooter all the way up to Lake Jesup. Where else can you do that?”
Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
If you go
Spring Hammock Preserve is open daily from dawn until dusk at 2985 Osprey Trail in Longwood. The trail is open to hiking, cycling, bird watching, fishing, photography and picnicking. Pets on a leash are allowed. More information: seminolecountyfl.gov
