Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park - State park in Haines City - 4335 Firetower Rd, USA

This hike is kind of the in the middle of nowhere as far as Florida is concerned. The access road is narrow and about 2 miles down and you have to drive a few miles from that road to get back to any sort of main road. There is no restroom or trash on site. You pack it in and pack it out. The trail itself is very well marked. You will not get lost if you take one is the maps from the mailbox. Make sure you return it before you leave and make sure the box is closed tight. We didn’t see another soul on this hike. It’s challenging with the loose sand and hills. Full sun as well so be prepared for that. Lots and lots of raccoon and deer prints. Only saw one deer and 3 scrub jays. Not a lot to visible wildlife and it wasn’t hot or cold out. Weather was a perfect 73.

GUNSHOTS sounds. I think there is a private property very close where they were practicing. We heard the gunshots sound the whole trail we did, not very pleasant when you want to just hear nature. Also, the sounds make you feel nervous. The sugar sand makes the trail a brutal workout if that's what you are looking for. I didn't enjoy it at all. Only at the end there is a short trail easy to walk. At least we saw a deer.

I’ve done this one a few times and always enjoyed it. It's one of the few trails in Florida with hills, and I mean a lot lol. There also isn't much shade so I recommend bringing extra water, also be ready to take some sand out your shoes before getting in your vehicle.

My friend and I were pretty disappointed by the near complete lack of wildlife in this park. Also, add us to the list of people who did not realize that we would be hiking in deep sand. We can confirm quite a bit of climbing, which was also not expected. An intense workout, yes, but we did not go to this park for an intense workout. Hopefully, we just caught the wrong season.

Sandy, hilly, and oodles of animals tracks. Loved walking around here! It is very exposed so would strongly advise long sleeves, hat & bug spray in the summer months (we were there in the 80s and sweated our backsides off climbing these hills!!). Lovely scenery around the hike and the drive to the area is beautiful too - really nice to see some rustic Florida! If following the GPS, it will try to take you past the 1st parking area, but this is where the trail head is & its earlier than you think (it's more north). Definitely will be back!

I have been here several times. The trails are nice and the scenery is great. I would have to say that the trails are all sand with the exception of a section on the eastern side that winds through the pine forest. This, combined with the hills, makes the trails rather difficult for longer trips. There is also little to no shade so be prepared with sun protection and plenty of water. Also note that there are numerous small ponds and lakes that I have seen overflow onto the trails during the rainy season making them impassible. Bring a map with you so you don't get lost. You can find one to print out on the parks website.

Awesome trails, however the entire trail had steep hills, and sugar sand so be prepared! Campsite was wonderful, and if you can make the hike it's well worth the views and silence!

Omg. The trails are all loose sugar sand! I camped at the primitive site. The site itself was fine, but it was such a hassle to get there! The person we booked with (can only do via phone/email; not the park site — that’s only for regular campsites) didn’t know where the actual campsite was nor informed how far the campsite was from parking lot. Imagine my surprise traversing 1.5 miles in loose sand up hills and curves.... plus, the first day, we walked for almost 2.5 miles because the actual location of the site does NOT match the site’s location on the park’s posted map! They’re on different trails! So we had to backtrack. As others have said.... the super loose sand makes lengthy trips increasingly difficult. Tack on carrying pounds of camping gear, trail colors that don’t match the maps, etc.... I would only visit again for hikes into the unmarked paths (which are packed sand and plants — much easier to walk in). On a positive note, the ranger, Patrick, was super nice and helpful. Also, Diane (office manager?) was super helpful as well. We had to call for assistance in finding the site (due to the aforementioned map issues). I would Mark this as 3 stars but will give 4 for service. Also, I at least always had 1-2 bars of cell phone service consistently (AT&T/cricket network).