These unique biological islands form when the elevation rises a little bit just enough to lift the roots of hardwood trees out of the perpetual damp of the prairie.
Cabbage palms cluster together in hammocks, and live oaks grow to enormous sizes.
Two hikes in the Sebring area let you savor the hammock environment. Foxes and bobcats have been spotted along the trail, as well as deer and alligators. Nearby Highlands Hammock State Park, established in 1935 to protect a virgin hardwood forest from development, is one of Florida's original state parks. Exit and follow US 27 south 57 miles to Sebring. Turn left on Bluff Hammock Road to reach the northern trailhead.