Circle B Bar Reserve
The Lake Trek Trail at Circle B Bar Reserve | Kimberly C. Moore, LkldNow
1-minute read

Circle B Bar Reserve is reopening Tuesday after being closed for more than a month due to damage and flooding from Hurricane Milton. Polk’s Nature Discovery Center at the nature preserve on Winter Lake Road also will reopen.

However, one of the most popular trails, Alligator Alley, will remain closed for the time being because of hurricane damage; it runs along the western shore of Lake Hancock and then jogs west between two marshes.

Marsh Rabbit Run, which extends west from Alligator Alley and runs between Heron Hideout and Wading Bird Way trails also will remain closed.

“Visitors are advised to use caution, as additional trail sections may still be flooded,” Polk County spokesman Jeff Foley wrote in a press release. “Trails may periodically be closed for management and safety reasons.”

The 1,267-acre reserve between Lakeland and Winter Haven was bought by Polk County for environmental preservation but also to absorb and hold water that overflows from Lake Hancock. It served that purpose after Lakeland saw record rainfalls during the last three months.

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Kimberly C. Moore, who grew up in Lakeland, has been a print, broadcast and multimedia journalist for more than 30 years. Before coming to LkldNow in the spring of 2022, she was a reporter for four years with The Ledger, first covering Lakeland City Hall and then Polk County schools. She is the author of “Star Crossed: The Story of Astronaut Lisa Nowak," published by University Press of Florida. Reach her at kimberly@lkldnow.com or 863-272-9250.

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