We’ve passed by Lake Okeechobee on a number of occasions as we’ve transited central Florida, but have never taken the time to stop until this last time. The reason we hadn’t seen the lake before is that it is almost completely surrounded by a 30 foot earthen dike, preventing views of the lake from the roadway, but keeping the water where it belongs.
The only way to actually see the lake is at one of the access points to the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Even in the few towns around the lake there is no actual ‘lakefront.’ There is a large roadside park at the Port Mayaca Lock and Dam on the east side of the lake about 30 miles south of the town of Okeechobee. We stopped there on our way to Okeechobee, where we spent the night before heading out to St. Augustine.
We only spent about an hour at this stop, but it looks like a place with a lot of photographic opportunities depending on weather conditions. If you don’t mind man-made objects like dams and pilings in your photos they might really add some interest to a nice morning or evening sky. We had a few clouds around for our time there, but it was a little early in the evening for really nice light. It had already been a long enough day, so we went on to our day’s destination. We’ll see about returning for longer on a future trip!
It does look like a wonderful photo opportunity, lush and green with lots of sky. I had to check out where it was and it is a Huge lake! And, that trail you talk about is 110 miles long, Sheesh! I guess you will have to make another trip down there and this time put it into the schedule for a longer stay. I am also impressed with the bridge and it’s gentle rise over the lake. And, if you were a fisherman looks and sounds like a haven.
You’re correct that it is a huge lake, but it is surprisingly shallow. I didn’t read it in my research for this post, but I seem to recall hearing when we were in the Everglades that the lake is a major source of water flowing through the Everglades to the Gulf of Mexico. There are numerous RV parks surrounding the lake and several mobile home communities. Neighbors of ours had a place there until recently. We’ve been looking out for (relatively) inexpensive places to visit in the winter months, and that may be a candidate. Might even convince me to dust off my bike and ride that trail. 😉