Gator Creek Reserve image

Gator Creek Reserve

Tourist attraction Nature preserve

One of the Most Reviewed Nature preserves in Polk County


Address

9725 US Hwy 98 N, Lakeland, FL 33809, United States

Website

polknature.com

Contact

+1 863-534-7377

Rating on Google Maps

4.40 (199 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Wednesday: 6 am to 6:30 pm
  • Thursday: 6 am to 6:30 pm
  • Friday: 6 am to 6:30 pm
  • Saturday: 6 am to 6:30 pm
  • Sunday: 6 am to 6:30 pm
  • Monday: 6 am to 6:30 pm
  • Tuesday: 6 am to 6:30 pm

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: trails (15) trail (8) Nice (7) nice (7) hike (7)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 4/5 Carson S M. 2 years ago on Google • 792 reviews
    Nice park with flat, well maintained trails. Pretty area, but not many points of interest. Pay close attention to the trail markers - there are many well maintained trails that are not shown on the map, so it is easy to get off track. I would recommend taking a screen shot of the park map from the website, as the paper copies are not easy to read. Also recommend bug spray and water, because Florida.
    10 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Christopher D. 2 years ago on Google • 240 reviews
    Wonderful trails through a mixed forest. It is well maintained and scenic. Great for mycophiles. 🍄
    8 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Marc C. 10 months ago on Google • 317 reviews
    Great hiking trails here. Good for a walk with the dog or for a nice hike on the longer trails.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ken -DjKinetik MidLife C. 2 years ago on Google • 16 reviews
    A great place to do some shorter hikes. AllTrails has one of the trails on their app. There are a total of 5 separate ones that intersect each other. One which is a shorter paved. Almost 80 percent shaded. Which is nice during the summer months.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Naomi G. 6 years ago on Google • 14 reviews
    Nice place to go for a long walk. Spend almost 2 hours wandering the shady trails. BUG SPRAY IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. No public restrooms, or water fountains. I only saw a couple porta potties. There is a covered area with some picnic benches but not much else. Also someone said doggy bags were provided. I did not see any along the trail. All in all, decent. Be sure to bring water, bug spray, and something to protect your skin from the sun there are some open spots in the trail were the sun could burn you. Free Parking and Entrance.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Mary Jane S. 11 months ago on Google • 14 reviews
    Our hike at Gator Creek was almost 7 miles through all the twists and turns. Very peaceful and quiet. BRING plenty of WATER AND BUG SPRAY!!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Mary D. 1 year ago on Google
    Very nice nature trails, dogs are welcome on leash
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Melissa J. 5 months ago on Google • 299 reviews
    Great place to escape hustle and bustle and enjoy a little nature! Paved walking path surrounded by Florida natural beauty.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 mathew r. 4 years ago on Google • 61 reviews
    Nice peaceful walk. Quiet and well maintained and mostly shaded. I have been here a few times and there is rarely anyone here. There is about 2.5 miles of trails. I recomend this place if you want a very quiet hike
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Jody R. 3 years ago on Google • 146 reviews
    This is lovely walk. Not as adventurous as I like, but pretty and well marked. We saw a tortoise on Tortoise trail! There is quite a bit of shade which is really nice. I wouldn't drive out of my way to go back, but if I was nearby, I'd stop.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Dmann F. 3 years ago on Google
    Wonderful trails. Well kept. Gets kinda flooded during rainy season. Finally saw a tortoise.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Andrew M. 1 year ago on Google
    Nice quiet park. Soft ground, so I wouldn't suggest riding a bicycle there.

  • 5/5 KENNY J. 1 year ago on Google
    I was disappointed the park was closed. However, i didn't know we had a tropical storm warning so It's understandable the park was closed today. Any other time I enjoy walking around the paths

  • 5/5 Jason T. 2 years ago on Google
    Nice short paved loop and a hiking loop through the woods and along side a creek, I have seen lots of wildlife here

  • 5/5 freeman G. 1 year ago on Google
    Nice trails. Great shade from the Florida sun while walking. Couple spots may be submerged but normally easy to get around. Restroom has been vandalized and needs to be replaced otherwise nice location to your miles in.

  • 4/5 Donald S. 1 year ago on Google
    For the most part of the trail it was great, very wide and easy to follow. Morning time it was all shade. Unfortunately the last quarter of the trail had about ten places that had standing water. I was able to get around all but two of them so my feet got wet

  • 5/5 Magyar I. 1 year ago on Google
    The dogs have a great time pulling us through the woods. Can hike for hours and barely see someone else. Lately we saw an owl and some deer. Looks like wild boar flip some areas upside down.

  • 5/5 Jocelyn P. 1 year ago on Google
    Wide, flat trails. It was a quiet weekday when we visited. We encountered a few bikes and other walkers. We didn't see many critters, but did spot some interesting plants. Mosquitoes aplenty near the canal, so be prepared! Nice picnic pavilion. Portalet has some interesting graffiti for the sharpie connoisseur. Would return to walk my doggo, for sure.

  • 5/5 John S. 10 months ago on Google
    My wife and I enjoy hiking here. It is a no frills, Florida hiking experience. Take insect repellent... lots of mosquitoes in the summer and watch out for the banana spider webs. Mostly shaded, multiple trail options.

  • 4/5 Eric C. 11 months ago on Google
    It's nice enough but the trails were paved with asphalt which is good if one is riding a bike but it makes for a rather clompy hike and harder on your feet than a dirt trail would be. Also traffic noise from US 98 can be clearly heard. Recommended for people on bikes and there's a picnic/BBQ area near the main parking lot.

  • 2/5 Judy C. 4 months ago on Google • 2 reviews
    We went to hike the trails today. The trails need to have the color marks to coincide with their map. We only did a small hike because of the. Confusion. ? Too bad cause I think it could be nice. Also the Porta potty was filthy


Call +1 863-534-7377 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Pets
    • ✓️ Dogs allowed
  • Activities
    • ✓️ Hiking
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

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