Orlando Wetlands Park
Orlando Wetlands consists of 1,220 acres of man-made
wetlands situated on 1,650 acres of land near the St. Johns River. The
wetlands is divided into 17 cells using 18 miles of earthen berms and
36 water control structures. A 75 acre lake, known as Searcy Lake, was
created in order to provide the fill dirt necessary to build the
elaborate berm construction.
Each day up to 20 million gallons of highly treated
wastewater is pumped into the Orlando Wetlands from Seminole County's
Iron Bridge Plant. The inflow can be monitored from the
observation deck located at the west end of the property near Wheeler
Road. After the nutrients are filtered out by the aquatic plants the
water is allowed to flow out of the wetlands and into the St. Johns
River.
Over 160 species of birds, deer, alligators and snakes make
their home at Orlando Wetlands.
Location
Located in east Orange County near Christmas, Florida.
Directions
From I-95 exit 79, go west on State Road 50 for about 11
miles. Turn right (north) on County Road 420 (Fort Christmas Road) and
follow road for about 2.5 miles. Turn right (east) on Wheeler
Road and drive for about 1.5 miles. Parking for Orlando Wetlands will
be on your left.
Hours
Park is open 7:00 A.M. until 1/2 hour before sunset, seven
days a week, February 1st - November 14th (closed November 15th -
January 31st).
Fees
None.
Hiking
Orlando Wetlands has over 9 miles of hiking trails. The
trailhead is located near the pavilion next to the parking lot. Make
sure you sign in and pick up the self-guided trail brochure at the
kiosk. The brochure offers descriptions of plant life and other
features located along the trail. The first mile, known as the South
Woods Branch, will take you through hardwood hammocks before ending at
the edge of Lake Searcy near a bird observation deck.
From here you follow the berm trail (a dirt road) around
Lake Searcy for about a mile before the trail leads off into the woods
again. This section of the trail is known as the North Woods Branch and
it follows some of the old logging trails through oak trees and cabbage
palms.
The trail then crosses a bridge spanning over Orlando
Wetlands outflow before connecting with the Florida National Scenic
Trail.
Camping
As of 2010 Orlando Wetlands no longer allows camping or
cooking fires on the property. However there are still two marked
campsites located just
off the hiking trails. One, called Seminole Campsite, is located only a
few minutes from the parking lot. It consists of a chickee (pictured
above) and several benches. The other campsite site,
called Orange Mound, is located in the north-eastern part of
the property. Only a campsite sign can be found at this
location.
Maps
Color infrared aerial map
of Orlando Wetlands showing hiking
trails, camp sites and roads. Aerial photo was taken in 2000.
Flowers
Bulltongue
Arrowhead, Wild
Petunia and Golden
Canna
Local Weather
Trail Reports
- 03-Sep-2001: Shown on the left is the new information
pavilion and bathrooms located near the parking lot. New shelters like
the one shown on the right are being constructed a various locations
along the berm roads.
- 13-May-2001: Trails are in good condition. No problems
seeing the white blazes. Some of the shelters (chickees) need new
thatch roofs. No brochures were available at the kiosk for the
self-guided nature trail. Mosquitoes were only bad in the low-lying
grassy areas.
Links
Last
updated on 2-Feb-2013
