Lake Eaton Loop Trail

Across the road from the Lake Eaton Sinkhole Trail begins the Lake Eaton Loop Trail. This trail wanders through several plant communities down to the lake itself, where an observation deck takes you out to the water’s edge. A little more than 2 miles of walking takes hikers through the fire-dependent sand pine scrub down to the hardwoods found along Lake Eaton’s shore. In mature sand pine scrub, the lower story contains scrub oaks, including sand live oak, myrtle oak and Chapman’s oak. Also found under the sand pine are rusty lyonia, known as crooked wood, and silk bay. Small balls of deer moss can also be found dotting the ground’s surface. In contrast to the sand pine scrub, red maples, cypress, water oak, loblolly bay and laurel oak flourish in the area surrounding the lake. Wax myrtle and button bush are among the many shrubs that live in the under story of these hardwoods.