Croom - Silver Lake Trail

Just north of Tampa straddling I-75 rests the Withloacoochee State Forest -- home to an incredible number of trails, many of which permit an amazing number of types of traffic.  Be it motorcycle, horse, bicycle, or foot, the area has an astounding number of miles with which to enjoy yourself in the shade of the pines.  For this trip, Toivo and I set out to walk the more than four miles of the high and low water sections of the Silver Lake Trail -- slightly longer than four miles.

Getting There

The parking area for this daytime use portion of the park is located just off I-75, exit 301, about 1 mile east of the interstate.  Turn left on Croom Rital Road and then right on Silver Lake Road.  Drop $2 into the envelope for each person and then walk to the bottom of the boat ramp, where you should find the orange blazes that indicate The Florida Trail.

The Trail

Turn left and head under the interstate and walk until you find the trail spur for the Silver Lake Trail, marked by blue blazes and signs indicating the high and low water trails.  Take whichever you like, but be sure to keep a pocket map with you from the trail head -- there are a lot of trails and roads that cross the path you will take, so it helps to be able to keep your bearings just in case you veer from the standard trail markers by accident.

What to Expect

The trail is soft, consisting mostly of sand, and winds around next to the river for much of the lower trail.  This, of course, means that there are plenty of areas that may be extremely muddy or underwater during the rainy season, so try to plan you arrival accordingly.  If you stick close to the river you're bound to see a lot of water birds, but the trail itself was home to fields of wildflowers and plenty of butterflies enjoying the blooms while we were out this mid October afternoon.  Once you are away from the hiss and thunder of traffic on I-75, a fair amount of peace and quiet can be found in the wooded, shady areas.

Of course, with all the low lying areas you should be prepared to spritz yourself thoroughly with a DEET-based insect repellent.  Grasses can be tall, meaning the ticks could possibly be an issue during the dry season.  Otherwise, a liter of water should suffice for the quick journey around the loop.  Campsites are available, including a river landing site near the trail marked for Canoe Camping, and their heavy use was evident from some of the trash and fire remains that were not properly cleaned up.

What You Should Beware

Well, it is Croom, and while you may be able to fully escape the din of 80mph traffic once you step far enough away from the rushing four lanes of interstate traffic, you may encounter the occasional throaty crackle of a two stroke engine zipping down one of the ATV-approved trails.  This wasn't a problem on this Saturday with beautiful weather, so I wouldn't expect it to be a serious issue to be concerned with in general.  There was no evidence that motorized vehicles venture onto the hiking paths, so it is doubtful your hike will be interrupted by anything noisier than a startled cormorant.

This is a really pleasant hike worth revisiting, if only just to see the wildflowers in bloom and all the brightly colored butterflies that were attracted to them.  I wouldn't even mind camping here someday, but will gladly wait until the mosquito population dies down a bit this winter.