West Orange County was once a mix of orchards, pine plantations, farms, and pastures. The farms and citrus orchards faded away over the years, as real estate developers bought up the agricultural land and transformed the countryside into suburban neighborhoods. By the time the north half of Horizon West was built out, all of the large wildlife, such as deer and black bears, had moved south or west to find new homes.
After the construction of the SR 429 tollway, Orange County purchased several square miles of land, including about 640 acres north of Lake Hartley. Some of the smaller wildlife was able get out of the way of the bulldozers, and found a new home within the county-owned acreage.
The construction and fencing of the 4-lane Hamlin Groves Trail in 2019 divided county-owned acreage to the north from the new Horizon West Regional Park site on the south. Meanwhile, the remnants of citrus orchards gradually disappeared. Those orchards reverted to typical Florida upland scrub, dotted with a few small lakes and shallow ponds. This provides an environment in which many Florida-native plants and animals can thrive once again, if they’re given a little TLC.
On a mobile device such as a phone, the map on this page can be used as a navigation guide to the many species of wildflowers, trees, and shrubs found along the trails. It also shows the position of the many gopher tortoise burrows in the park. Each small red diamond symbol on the map is the location of an active tortoise burrow.
Although there are just under 200 active burrows in the park, some burrows have more than one entrance—and tortoises often dig a second burrow if they’re in the mood to do so. An informal estimate of the park’s gopher tortoise population is 100 to 120.
Please note that some burrows are close to trail routes. Each one is marked with a red flag or red post, to alert park visitors not to approach the entrance of the burrow. Most burrows are located in sandy soil, and the tunnels can easily be collapsed by a thoughtless step!
Navigation Map – Trails and Natural Features
Visitors can use their mobile devices to navigate the park’s trails using this map,
by tapping the fullscreen ⛶ icon at upper right after arriving in the park.
On a mobile device, your position will be indicated by a blue dot ● on the map.
If navigation doesn’t work as described above, you may need to install Google Chrome and/or the Google Maps mobile app.
To switch to “satellite” view on a mobile device, tap the “Layers” icon .
If the “Layers” icon isn’t visible, you may need to tap your “back” icon.