Exploring Florida’s Circle B Bar Reserve

Circle B Bar Ranch in Lakeland Repurposed

The Circle B Bar Reserve is a 1,265-acre Florida nature preserve occupying land that was once the Circle B Bar Ranch in Lakeland, Florida. It is home to a large mix of wildlife and is a popular destination for hiking, biking, horseback riding, birdwatching, and fishing. Common wildlife include alligators, deer, wild turkeys, sandhill cranes, bobcats, and a wide variety of wading birds. The reserve has hiking trails, a nature and visitors center, picnic shelters, a playground.and horseback riding,

The Circle B Bar Reserve is now the home of Polk County Nature Discovery Center. The facilities at Circle B Bar Reserve were opened November 2008 and are free of charge. The Center is the information center for the park’s hiking trails, offering educational opportunities about the natural environment and recreation options, and features exhibits about the surrounding local environment in an indoor setting. Stop by the Nature Discovery Center before you hit the trails.

History Of The Circle B Bar Ranch

The shore of Lake Hancock was home to this region’s first settlers. In 1949, Al and Betty Bellotto bought a property and founded the Cattle B Bar Ranch. Their success in the citrus and cattle industries and desire to conserve open spaces expanded the ranch to more than 1200 acres. In 1994, the people of Polk County, recognizing the need to protect natural areas, funded the Polk County Environmental Lands Program with support from the Southwest Florida Management District. The property that would become the Circle B Bar Reserve was purchased from the Bellotto Family in 2000 for the enhancement and protection of the Upper Peace River Watershed.