This 5,067 acre park nestled within the Green Swamp Wilderness Area and named after one of the tributaries that flows through the property was opened to the public on January 20, 2007.
[1] Composed mainly of pine flatwoods, cypress domes and open pasture land, this piece of pristine wilderness is home to many animal species including the American bald eagle, Southern fox squirrel, gopher tortoise, white-tailed deer, wild turkey and bobcat.
The park offers over 15 miles of beautiful, multi-use trails which make for great horse-back riding, hiking and biking opportunities.
Other recreational opportunities include picnic pavilions, ranger-led programs and primitive and full-facility camping options.
Before 1940 the land was owned by John Keen and was used for industrial operations including harvesting resin from pine trees, which could later be processed into turpentine.
[2] The Overstreet family purchased the property in 1940 and used the land for beef cattle production, silviculture, hunting and limestone mining operations.
The land plays an important role within the floodplain of the Green Swamp region since the water that flows off the property eventually makes its way to four of Florida's major rivers - Withlacochee, Hillsborough, Peace and Ocklawaha.
Many natural wetlands exist in the park, including cypress domes, depression marshes and floodplain forests.
The overall health of the park's ecosystem is important to the quality of water that eventually makes its way into the Floridan Aquifer and several of Florida's major rivers.
The park's habitat consist primarily of mesic flatwoods co-dominated by cypress domes, hardwood hammocks and wetlands.
Longleaf pine habitat is fire-dependent, meaning it relies on occasional fires to clear groundcover overgrowth, recycle nutrients into the soil and germinate certain kinds of seeds.
[5] The mesic hammocks consist of a closed canopy of Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana), cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto) and American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) trees with an understory of saw palmetto, American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) and muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia).
The park's cypress domes mainly consist of bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) interspersed with the occasional water oak (Quercus nigra) and laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia) and are found in areas of lower terrain where water coalesces easily.
Cypress domes provide habitat for wood storks (Mycteria americana), cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus) and Florida black bears (Ursus americanus floridanus).
The canopy is mostly closed and the soil is moist due to drainage from the creeks and low levels of sunlight penetrating to the forest floor.
After the operation was abandoned, the pits eventually filled with water and are now natural-looking lakes, which provide additional habitat for numerous species of aquatic plants and animals.
A bathymetric survey conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission determined the deepest point of Mac Lake to be 50' deep.
Commonly observed animals include white-tailed deer, bobcat, marsh rabbit, diamondback rattlesnake, cottonmouth and gopher tortoise.
The park was designated part of the Great Florida Birding Trail after a year-long survey conducted by the Lake Region Audubon Society.
Some species at Colt Creek State Park that have received designation include the Catesby's lily (Lilium catesbaei), the gopher tortoise, Cooper's hawk, Limpkin, Florida sandhill crane, and the Southern fox squirrel.
The former owners protected large portions of the land, which survive until today and are excellent representations of ecosystems native to this area.
Some areas of mesic flatwood were converted to pasture or pine plantations, mined or heavily impacted by altered fire regimes.
The process of a controlling the location, size and spread of the fire benefits the health of fire-dependent ecosystems while greatly reducing the likelihood of uncontrolled wildfires.
The park offers over 15 miles of beautiful, multi-use trails which make for great horse-back riding, hiking and biking opportunities.
The park's trail system can be accessed about a half a mile walk or drive from the Mac Lake area.
Each site has a 30 and 50 amp electric hookup, potable water spigot, picnic table, grill and fire ring.
The primitive campground has a community restroom (no running water) and trash cans, three fire rings and picnic tables.
The organization is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established to provide support for the park via volunteerism, financial contributions and by raising awareness.
The Friends of Colt Creek State Park were founded in March 2014 and are governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.
Notable support by the Friends of Colt Creek State Park include the installation of an attractive lakeside gazebo, the purchase of a customized tram, the construction of a pavilion in the equestrian campground and organizing annual family-oriented events.