Great trails and a nice boardwalk over a marsh. Some trails have more tree cover than others, so pick wisely especially during the summer.

Good place to walk and get in touch with nature, dogs are allowed. Just be aware that there is not a lot of shade and there is a lot of sugar sand that can be difficult to walk through. That being said, we enjoy walking here and our dog loves it.

Beautiful walk thru some paved some boardwalk trails. Lots of wildlife. Very well kept. Dogs welcome. Also good for those with disabilities.

Its a beautiful respite in the city. A place to escape, relax, explore, and discover.Its also one of my favorite places to sit and paint on lovely days!

Great spot to just go for a nature walk. Not a ton to see other than the boardwalk over the dried up lake. Its very peaceful though.

A great place to experience nature with a variety of wildlife.Marked trails that are accessible to bikes along with a boardwalk that offers a pavilion to observe aquatic wildlife.....Pet owners are encouraged to leash their pets

I had a very positive experience. Looking out from the boardwalk was inspirational. There are trails for everyone, from packed dirt, to sandy. The trails were well marked. I especially enjoyed the narrow trails. Im asking Santa for a better camera.

What a beautiful walk through the woods! The area is extremely pretty with many types of birds, a spoonbill, a bald eagles nest, turtles, & frogs. Nature @ its best. After walking through a wooded area on a dirt pathway, we arrived @ a boardwalk built across a swampy area. Absolutely gorgeous. There are benches in a covered area on the boardwalk. Definitely a 5 star walk. We would highly recommend this park.

Its a beautiful place to enjoy some shady outdoor exercise.

Excellent hiking trails. Not paved but flat and easy to walk. Some sandy areas. The broadwalk is outstanding. Has moved area with benches. Paved parking lot. Two covered pinic areas at trailhead. Recommended water and sun screen. During training season the trail may have wet spots. Highly recommended for leisurely hikes.

A great place to walk and enjoy being outdoors.

Love this park. Its dog friendly, fairly large and has a very nice boardwalk that streatches across a marsh.

Great little place for a hike. Keep your eyes peeled for gopher tortoises.

Great trail with a multitude of wildlife to see.

Hidden gem in Lakeland. Great trails. Boardwalk is nice. Two pavilions when you first enter the gate.

Great place for a Walk/hike. Trails are between a mile and 5 miles. Most of the trails have decent shade so even on a hot day you can enjoy that hike. Great place to take your dog!

I love this place. Its great to have a place near town that you can escape to for a quick hike. Its a great place to try out new hiking gear as well.The trails are well maintained. The picnic area and the park in general were very clean.

We love hiking here and its only 10 mins from our home. Its so important to preserve Floridas scrub habitats. This Reserve is located on the Lakeland Highlands Ridge. A short trail winds through an oak hammock. The longer trail goes through the scrub habitat. Theres also a boardwalk with a covered hut with benches that crosses a small pond/wetlands area. Some of the wildlife we have seen here includes the endangered Gopher Tortoise, rabbits, snakes (including a small coral snake), bull frogs, small gators in the pond, a bobcat, and 2 Great-Horned owls. There used to be a colony of endangered Florida Scrub Jays there, but sadly they are no longer there. Give yourself a couple hours at least to enjoy the longer trail. Theres a small parking lot and one or two handicapped spots. Two covered picnic tables are at the trial-head, as well as a Porta-potty. There are no other facilities. It is a minimally maintained Fl State Reserve, and kept as natural as possible. Dogs are welcome on a leash.

Its a very nice trail however we did see a snake on the trail

Highlands scrub is a very pleasant nature park despite being surrounded by suburbia, golf courses and Mosaic. I even managed to find an Eastern Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum flagellum) on a herping trip.

This was such a peaceful walk

Beautiful, well maintained trails. A great place for a walk in nature. Be sure to visit the boardwalk over the pond.

No welcome center. A lily pad lake with gazebo. Canopy pine forest trails, and white sand sunny trails. Great for dog walks and relief from city settings. Covered picnic tables at entrance.

Great place to walk or run. Good trials and awesome scenery. Ample parking and a bathroom!

Beautiful paths, huge boardwalk through a marsh. I counted 7 cars at the entrance but I only ran across two people because its so spread out. I saw rabbits, tortoises and of course, lizards

Be careful when you go there, a lot of wildlife and I have seen a venomous snake out there. But the sights are beautiful and its a very enjoyable walk with shaded and non shaded areas. Its best to go when its sunny outside.

Pretty fun hike, I spotted a couple of rabbits and turtles

Great place for structured hiking (plenty of clearly delineated trails) and lots of forest-type privacy if you like to get away...

Very peaceful Serene and full of the nature we are losing fast due to development

Nice place to hike and see Florida wildlife. Bring water!

Incredible trail. Beautiful boardwalk.

Mosquitoes are extremely bad at this time. Bringing some bug spray is a must if hiking the trails. Other than that this place is beautiful.

Great place to get out in nature and see frogs and birds

Nice place to come and let the dogs run.

I’ve only been to the Pokestop. Will update rating when I go in... one day.

Love going pet friendly.

Lakeland Highlands Scrub is a 551-acre conservation area that is like no other in Polk County. Located in south Lakeland, it is home to one of the largest undeveloped scrub properties on the Lakeland Ridge, one of a series of elevated sandy ridges along the backbone of an area known as peninsular Florida. This area used to be surrounded by water, but now, the Lakeland Highlands Scrub rises more than 230 feet above sea level.The Polk County Environmental Lands Program and the Florida Communities Trust Preservation 2000 Program jointly provided funding to acquire the Lakeland Highlands Scrub, a 551-acre publicly owned conservation area. The main purpose of this purchase was to protect the important natural resources on the site. The site was left relatively natural by the previous landowners.From the web site.

Great place for a nature hike with the family and pets

Great for a hike with or without kids!

Very nice nature trail. It had rained the day prior and none of the surfaces on the trail were slick or slippery. Well kept and maintained, lots of shade.

Nice place, worth a visit if you live in the Lakeland area.

Very nice trail. Some shaded area, some out in open, easy walking. My dog loved it, too!

Are you guys back open yet?

Love taking my dog out for runs here. Nice long trails. Love the board walk and the new seven wetlands addition to the park. Great park with beautiful views of nature .

Great place to hike and see wildlife. Nice Boardwalk with Gazebo.

This is hands-down my favorite place to hike in Lakeland. There are miles of trails here covering multiple types of terrain and biomes. A large boardwalk cuts across a large swamp, which is flooded during the summer months. The boardwalk sits between a large forested area with many unique scrub oaks and a scrub area covered with saw palmettos, white beach sand and cacti. You can literally go from feeling like youre in a different world just by hiking a mile or two.

Course was Beautiful but tuff, lost a few balls.

Very pretty, its a nice walk I would suggest going there on a cool day or bring a hat!

Went geocaching out here and had a great day. A very unique place. Some may find the sandy parts more difficult. Well worth the effort though!

A simple trail but an enjoyable one. Outer trail was about 2.4 miles.

This is a pretty large preserve with a couple of different habitats to investigate: oak forests and scrub. The trails are well maintained, however there are many low spots that create unavoidable puddles when it rains a lot. Theres a boardwalk and an observation gazebo. You can see some interesting wildlife if your a bit lucky. Once in a while Ive visited and have seen next to no wildlife, however its out there. Ive seen gopher tortoises, squirrels, and typical Floridian birds, but thats about it. There are no facilities except for some port-a-potties near the entrance. Its a good place to have a quiet walk.

Good walk however, signage could use distance markings!

What a wonderful time. Beautiful trails and easy walking! Well definitely go back!

My family loves going here and a great place to walk the dogs.

Didnt stay long cause it was raining bad.

Treasure this place. Most of the Florida Scrub is in private hands, meaning owned by people who could care less about it. This is a rare wonder and the more people go the longer it will last.

No flying bugs bothering me which was nice. Saw turtles, frogs, rabbits and some birds. Free admission and parking.

We were mountain biking here, just For kicks and found some of the trails were the soft and a little exhausting kind, especially when its 90 degrees. Interesting rides though. A good workout for cooler seasons.

Nice to see a piece of real Florida still left in an overdeveloped and mined wasteland.

Beautiful place not too many people great

Nice hiking, but with little shade in the summer on the wide horse tracks.

Beautiful. Well marked and plenty of places to stop and rest.

I Love Outdoors And I Got A Pic Of A Gator There

Always a nice place to hike. Raw Florida wilderness, nice boardwalk, small woodland animals and gopher turtles.

We love checking out these Polk County parks and reserves...Polk county has alot to offer if people can slow down long enough to see whats in their own backyard!!☆☆☆☆this is a awesome place for a afternoon hike and plenty of nature to see.all trails well marked and a outstanding boardwalk☆☆☆☆

An actual nature preserve

Lots of different trails and a nice board walk. Great for taking the dogs for a walk.

Beautiful park and nice hiking.

Perfect place to get away from the city life. Pack a lunch and a sheet hike to the back, find a place off the path and relax for a few hours. It really feels secluded.

Beautiful, serene and peaceful place for a hike.

Nice place for walks

Great place for trail hiking and biking but aside from sitting/picnicking areas there are no accommodations. Not a major problem but just be warned.

Love the walk on the board walk

Great trails for hiking.

Great place to walk

Amazing place.

Nice loop trail around the property. Trail real sandy west of the boardwalk.

Bring your sunscreen no shade on this trail. Part of the trail is in beach sand. Nice tranquil bridge.

Lots of wildlife here! Great hidden gem!

It was a waste of time walking through an open service road with no tree cover and a man made waterfall which was just treated waste water

A Lot of nice walking trails. Cool board walk with A Lot of views!

Turns out I do want Scrubs.

Easy to get to, portapotty present, and there are two excellent picnic pavilions. Its a short hike so you dont commit to a long day in the trail when you set out from the trailhead.

Awesome place for trail running if you need practice in soft sand trails

Nice hiking trail... just be sure to check that it isnt flooded.

Nice area for a short hike. We saw a gator, snake, turtles, frogs and lots of birds and butterflies.

Has that real natural forest feeling.

One of the best places to hike in Lakeland.

Really nice!!

Beautiful area.

Nice place for a walk

Sandy. Hard to walk. Very little to look at. No shade.

Good hiking

Beautiful nature trails

No bathrooms!!

Adequate transfer of benef