Murals reflecting Okeechobee’s history are found throughout town, and on your way south to the lake detour a few blocks to 610 S.W. After turning west onto Highway 80, again drive to the top of the levee. It would be. Several cars came to visit the lock, but did not take the dike path. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail: Designated in 1993 as part of the Florida National Scenic Trail, the 110 mile Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) is located on top of the Herbert Hoover Dike which circles Lake Okeechobee. We use cookies on our website to enhance your experience. But when you reach the junction of 441 and Lake Avenue, turn right and cross the levee to the lakeshore. Photos by Gary McKechnie for VISIT FLORIDA. Drive south to Canal Point, Pahokee where you would swear you were in a lost city oas you merge onto CR 715 to SR 80 West to US 27 t head back south. After this, lush vegetation, elegant royal palms, and clusters of banana trees mark the final few miles to Pahokee. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, for an Old Florida lodging experience you can’t ask for anything more authentic – especially when you retreat to the inn’s Everglades Lounge. The west side of the lake is shallow and marshy. The lake lies about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of West Palm Beach at the northern edge of the Everglades. If it’s too late to complete the tour, consider staying the night. The trail began as the 'Okeechobee Segment of the Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST), and is part of a 1,000 mile trail between Miami and Pensacola. There’s little to see aside from the Paul Reardin Park (about 10 miles south of Pahokee) and, a few miles later, the town of Belle Glade (“Her Soil Is Her Fortune”) where the modern design of Palm Beach State College stands out in this rural region. In case you wanted to park your car and stop in for one of many Okeechobee's famous festivals, here's some information on when to get there and what to do. The … Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Everyone has to come from somewhere, and Pahokee happens to be that somewhere for more than a dozen current and former NFL players as well as country music legend Mel Tillis, who was raised here. Sitting roughly at the southernmost point of Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston also has the lake’s southernmost feel. As you reach the intersection of CR 78 & CR 15 you can turn North to the City of Okeechobee or continue on CR 15 around the Eastern Lake where the roads merge into CR 76 and US 441. The Lake Okeechobee scenic drive between Okeechobee and Pahokee is roughly 40 miles, and in that distance are myriad places to pull over and marvel at the scale of the lake. Sunrises and sunsets are especially gorgeous across the marshes and open waters. The section between Harney Pond Canal and the Kissimmee River remains blissfully pavement-free, and is one of the most remote portions of the trail. You’re headed toward Lake Okeechobee at this point, so stay on Belle Glade Road until you get there. Stick to the road on the east side of the canal and shoot north for the next 30 miles, enjoying sawgrass and sugar cane vistas, big clouds and multitudinous bird life. But here, on the western edge of the lake, the water is often out of sight, the land between reserved for farming. View our privacy policy. There’s Flagler Park where a tank, helicopter, torpedo, and WWII-era 40mm gun are on display and, bordering the park, a long row of independent businesses: bookstores, boutiques, appliance shops, furniture stores, and restaurants. The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) loops around the lake on a 10 meter (35’) high raised dike, called the Herbert Hoover Dike; that means 177 KM of scenic paved and gravel trails. more, Recommended experiences in and around Florida. Photo by:sigwaldo Wild Camping on the Dyke. We entered at Port Mayaca. Although the tavern doesn’t serve food, it doesn’t matter to motorcyclists who’ve made this a popular weekend destination. Read more. By the clubhouse, Pahokee Mo’s Bar & Grille is highlighted by a wall-to-wall floor-to-ceiling bay window that frames the most lake perfectly. Fast approaching the start/finish line, you re-enter Okeechobee County and arrive in the well-tended Buckhead Ridge, a community comprised of small homes perched on canals accessing the lake. Florida National Scenic Trail Lake Okeechobee East Section: How to Get There: You can get to the Lake Okeechobee East section via several access points (Refer to the map). It is not for everybody. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, Florida: See 21 reviews, articles, and 26 photos of Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, ranked No.3,792 on Tripadvisor among 6,488 attractions in Florida. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without the written permission of the publisher. Florida’s blessed with some great lakes, but none are so impressive as the greatest of all: Lake Okeechobee – Seminole for ‘Big Water.’. At each pullout you’ll cross the 109-mile paved recreational path encircling Lake Okeechobee that is enjoyed by hikers, joggers, and bicyclists alike. Oct 9, 2016 - Florida’s blessed with some great lakes, but none are so impressive as the greatest of all. Dam and lock for boats to pass was there. The best were the boat launches. These first few miles are memorable for vintage scenes repeated again and again. Lake Okeechobee, lake in southeastern Florida, U.S., and the third largest freshwater lake wholly within the country (after Lake Michigan and Iliamna Lake, Alaska). Photo submitted by: khrysinwythe. very hot otherwise, but it was perfect weather for us. Every Thanksgiving Week it’s the venue for “Hike the Big O,” a nine-day expedition that does on foot what you’re doing on wheels. I Pitched a spot on the SE section of the dyke for one night in February 2014 as I rode the entire Perimeter, leaving Okeechobee and heading Southwest. The trail is located atop the Herbert Hoover Dike, which surrounds the lake for flood protection, built in the 1930s. Only saw one other biker. Photographers, look around! Made a few stops to get some pictures of the lake. On your right, restaurants and marinas re-appear along with one of the rare attractions, Eaglebay Airboat Rides, which can show you the lake from an entirely different perspective. First hiked in the 1960s and developed as a loop in the Florida National Scenic Trail in the 1980s, the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail offers spectacular views from the top of the 35-foot-tall Herbert Hoover Dike, built for flood control between the 1930s and 1960s. This ride from Okeechobee to Ocala is a backroad honey hole and includes portions of three designated Scenic Byways; The Ridge is at the start, The Green Mountain winds along Lake Apopka, and the Florida Black Bear takes you through the Ocala National Forest. Lake Okeechobee (US: / oʊ k i ˈ tʃ oʊ b i /), also known as Florida's Inland Sea, is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida. We were able to ride on the dike with a nice view of the lake. A lot of plant life in the water around the shores that extended pretty far out into the lake where we were At by the pier. 2nd Avenue. Now, drive around that bad boy. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail; Search. Encircled by five counties (Okeechobee, Martin, Palm Beach, Hendry, and Glades), a protective levee, and bordered by quiet, two-lane roads, a Lake Okeechobee scenic drive day trip that begins and ends on the north shore takes you to seldom-seen communities and a glimpse of the era known as Old Florida. is a 109-mile-long route for hikers, equestrians and bicycle riders. Then there are charming small towns like Lakeport (home of February’s Sour Orange Festival) and trailer parks like the Aruba RV Resort and Tiki Grill. Having just completed a literal “round trip,” here’s one way to approach the drive, starting in the pleasant town of…. The two and a half hour drive might not be the shortest route, but it's scenic and will take you past the Placid Lakes. By Gary McKechnie Storm surges are held in check, and the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (L.O.S.T.) Just over the Palm Beach County border, the community of Canal Point is a speck of a place highlighted by an historical marker noting this was where Conner’s Toll Highway, a 52-mile road built atop what had been muck land, was completed in just eight months in 1924-25. From Port Mayaca you cross 451,000 acre Lake Okeechobee by either a direct route to Clewiston, or a longer route along the south edge of the lake called the "rim route". The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) is a 109-mile multi-use path around Lake Okeechobee, the seventh largest lake in the United States and the largest in the state of Florida. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail ("LOST"), part of the Florida National Scenic Trail, circles Lake Okeechobee - the second largest freshwater lake in the U.S. - on top of the Herbert Hoover Dike, built for flood control in the 1930's. Drive it with care -- sharp turns, deep canals, and an absence of guardrails pose a constant risk (an alternative: stick with Highway 27). Growing up in South Florida, the radio jingle for … At 730 square miles, Lake Okeechobee is the seventh-largest freshwater lake in America. Includes an interactive map for the motorcycle route, photos, rider comments, gps files, turn by turn directions, and more. Have to agree with others about all of the restoration but some locations offered great views. If you're heading to Lake Okeechobee from Tampa, motor across the state on highway 70. On the main drag, the facades of a shuttered Art Deco theater and general store are as silent as the town itself. Uploaded: 12/9/2014. A kind of Mayberry feeling. Sorry, there are no tours or activities available to book online for the date(s) you selected. You’ll cross Taylor Creek (named for Seminole enemy/future president Zachary Taylor) before reaching the curiously named community of Up the Grove Beach. We enjoyed the beauty and peacefulness of this place. The content for this web site has been provided both by professional travel writers and by individual consumers. The trail is used for biking, hiking, fishing, and bird watching. Only a few locations where you can actually view the lake. For travelers searching for a unique off-the-beaten-path excursion, a circle tour of the 'Big O' delivers. Stand here on the north bank of the great Lake Okeechobee and look across the water. … The eastern reach of the waterway starts in the St. Lucie River, passes through the St Lucie lock and dam, and enters Lake Okeechobee through a lock at Port Mayaca. Palm and banana trees are gradually replaced by fields of sugar cane and trailers stacked with harvested stalks. Before you is the picturesque Pahokee Marina & Campground where anglers are actively casting for bass, crappie, and bluegill. We visited Lake Okeechobee while in Okeechobee FL the lake is 40 miles long and 30 miles wide. Wide flat paved trail with no shade surrounding the lake on top of the dike. It was low 70's with a light breeze. The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, a bicycle path running atop the dike, was dedicated in 1993. Overlooking the lake and neighboring South Bay Campground, from here you can look far to the north and try to spot the town of Okeechobee, the starting point of your journey. The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail—which also goes by the unfortunately named acronym LOST—is a designated segment of the Florida National Scenic Trail. Periodically, points of interest such as boat launch sites like the one on Fisheating Creek pop up. Lake Okeechobee's Scenic Trail signs point toward the levee where, from the summit, you’ll often find massive gates that regulate water levels and, in some cases, locks ushering boats in and out of the lake. ... A great place to take a drive to and see how grand this beautiful lake is and bring a picnic! 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