We left the schedule behind last week and decided to try a longer trail that I had just learned of while the twins were still gone to Alabama. The Lizzie Heart Sink Loop Trail (also sometimes spelled Lizzie Hart Sink Trail) is a four mile trail with unique features. The trail includes some caves - some old and collapsed but some that you can climb in and explore. There is also an old no longer active sink hole along the trail that can be explored.
While the trail was longer than we were use to all of the kids (except Kate) felt like the extra distance was worth climbing in a small cave and exploring. Kate felt it was just too long of a walk, and I'm glad we did it on a weekend the twins were gone, because we would have had to carry them most of the way back to the car. The hike was picturesque as the wildflowers are beginning to bloom all around the countryside.
We saw several of the caves in the Dames Cave System (which is what the entire area is known as). These caves are the oldest in Florida. There are also lots of interesting rock formations to view along the trail that don't open into caves. The first cave was stopped at was the back side of Vandal's Cave. Around 1,000 years ago part of the roof of this cave collapsed leaving the two back entrances blocked, but we did enjoy climbing down to the entrances and looking around and the rocks and plant life. A portion of the roof didn't collapse however, and forms a land bridge from the backside to the front side of the cave.
As we crossed the landbridge to one side was a large open pit, and on the other side was an almost stairstep entrance into Vandal's Cave. After exploring up top for a bit we then climbed down into the cave. The name comes from the amount of graffiti that has been spray painted on the walls. Despite the discurteous mess left behind, it was a really interesting cave. There was the open room as well as a secondary room off the first. The kids were amazed to find it a good 15 to 20 degrees colder in the cave than it was on the surface. Kate was also surprised to find just how dark it was in the secondary room since no sunlight at all reaches it. Those headlamps from Christmas came in very handy!
Before heading back we stopped by Peace cave which has a very narrow opening straight down into the ground. Britt and Ruth wanted to climb in it as well, but since we didn't think we could easily fit and a portion of that cave can only be accessed by slithering through on your belly, we vetoed that. We were short on time so we didn't swing by the loop where the sinkhole was, but since this trail is right in our backyard, we might visit again another time.
We discovered after parking along the road at the old entrance on Stage Coach Road that they had blocked the path to the parking lot, apparently, we later discovered, there is a new entrance at 10533 S Lecanto Hwy, Lecanto, Florida which is a little closer to the caves, if you don't want to walk the entire loop and see the sink hole. If you want more elevation changes though you should definitely park at Stage Coach Road and take the path along a beautifully immaculate hay field and take the loop by the sink hole first on your way to the caves. All reports say that the area near the sink hole is completely unlike any other Florida hike with all the rock formations and elevation changes.
If you'd like to make a trip the address to the trail is 10533 S Lecanto Hwy, Lecanto, Florida or you can also enter the trail from 129 W Stage Coach Trail, Inverness, Florida. The recommended trail hours are from 8 to sunset daily. Entrance to the trail is free.
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