Highlands Hammock State Park's family campground is closed for renovation beginning June 1, 2025, and the primitive area is also unavailable. The park itself remains open, protecting one of Florida's oldest wild landscapes where 15 distinct natural communities converge in a compact area. Sites typically run $6 per night and offer electric and water hookups, though visitors consistently note cramped spacing and dated infrastructure.
The park provides multiple camping options: a family campground with water and electric hookups and RV sites, a Primitive Wilderness campground (noted on the site), and group/youth camps. Note: official notices indicate the family campground and Primitive Wilderness campground have been closed for renovation effective June 1, 2025, with current camping limited to Youth Camp and Group camps for established groups.
Historical Significance
Established in 1931 and developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the New Deal. The park contains original CCC structures and houses a small museum documenting their work. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Weather and SeasonsFall brings the most comfortable conditions. Daytime highs settle in the mid-70s to upper-80s, nights cool into the 50s and 60s, and humidity drops alongside mosquito numbers. Trails, the bike loop, and wildlife viewing all improve without summer heat. Winter offers crisp, clear nights good for stargazing and mild days for hiking, though holiday weekends draw larger crowds. Spring pulls in migratory birds but also more bugs. Summer hits 95°F and brings heavy insect activity. A burn ban as of December 17, 2025 prohibits campfires due to drought.
Natural Features and SceneryThe park shelters 15 distinct natural communities, from hydric hammock and cypress swamp to pinelands and scrub. Ancient oaks draped in Spanish moss arch over boardwalks that cut through blackwater swamps, where bald cypress knees rise from dark water. Elevated trails pass air plants clinging to branches and palmetto understory thick with gopher tortoises. The 3-mile scenic loop winds through cathedral-like stands of old-growth timber. Deer wander the edges of campsites. Birders have logged 29 species here, including four types of woodpeckers and several owl species.
Geological RegionHydric hammock with cypress swamp, pinelands, scrub and other upland and wetland communities (15 distinct natural communities within the park).
Scenic ViewsScenic vistas from an elevated boardwalk through the cypress swamp and a shaded 3-mile loop drive through the hammock; multiple short trail loops provide close-up views of ancient oaks, swamp, and wildlife.