Description:
Ocala National Forest features the world's most extensive scrub community, in addition to longleaf pine-turkey oak sandhills, several hundred lakes, and the forest's major springs - Salt Springs, Silver Glen, Alexander, and Juniper Run. There are visitor centers, nature trails, and a section of the Florida Trail. There are also several wilderness areas for visitors seeking primitive conditions and solitude.
Watchable wildlife:
Bald eagles are particularly common around Lake George. Hopkins Prairie is reputed to be good for observing scrub jays and sandhill cranes. Near the springs, look for Acadian flycatchers, prothonotary warblers, American swallow-tailed kites, limpkins, and summer tanagers from April through August. There are many black bears in the forest as well.
Ownership:
USDA Forest Service Contact:
(352) 625-2520
Directions:
From Ocala, take Florida Highway 40 east to the Visitor Center.
Related Sites:
Other Central Florida Wildlife Sites
Florida State Parks | |
