Wildlife Viewing on the Van Fleet State Trail

Get In Touch With Nature 

Opportunities for nature observation are everywhere at General James A. Van Fleet State Trail. Whether you are cycling, skating or walking, you are bound to see something interesting along the trail.

As you wander along the Van Fleet trail you will travel through cattle land, Richloam Wildlife Management Area and the Withlacoochee State Forest. The Van Fleet trail is located within a vast system called the Green Swamp, so there is no shortage of wildlife viewing opportunities.

The trail is home to many natural communities containing a diverse amount of plants and wildlife. Wildflowers along the trail attract an abundance of native bees and butterflies. Dragonflies, damselflies and cicada are often seen.

On the southern end of the trail in the Polk City area, there is a lot of cattle land that has beautiful open green pastures. Turkeys love to forage and roam these open fields, and occasionally many of them can be seen in the area. White-tailed deer also might be spotted along the length of the trail.

Birding is a popular activity on the Van Fleet Trail. Wetlands along the trail to the north are often full of beautiful wading birds such as snowy egret, cattle egret, great blue heron and tri-colored heron, and wood storks can be seen throughout the year.

It is common to see a red-shouldered hawk perched along the tall pine trees with its call piercing through the air. If you are lucky you might see a belted kingfisher fishing along the bodies of water along the trail.

You can see many songbirds along the trail as well, so bring your binoculars!

Alligators and turtles are often seen at one of the three concrete bridges to the north of Green Pond trail head. The trail is also home to a healthy reptilian population that includes six-lined racerunners, legless lizards (aka glass snakes) and gopher tortoises. There are many species of snakes here too, including corn snakes, scarlet kingsnakes and water moccasins.

Grab your bike, your binoculars or camera, and see if you can spot some of these amazing creatures on one of Florida’s most rural trails.

Explore the General James A. Van Fleet State Trail and experience ... the Real Florida!