Calling all photographers and outdoor enthusiasts. Come enjoy Central Florida great outdoors and capture all of its beauty with over 20 miles of hiking trails at the adjacent Lake Kissimmee State Park, take an exhilarating air boat tour of the lakes with Alligator Cove Nature Tours for some breathtaking landscapes and wildlife images, or join one of our upcoming Outpost Photo Academies to learn tips on how to become a better photographer. If you are interested in photography and the great outdoors, we have you covered!
Photo Adventures
LAKE KISSIMMEE STATE PARK
ALLIFATOR COVE AIRBOAT TOURS
OUTPOST PHOTO ACADEMY
OUR TOP PHOTO SPOTS
The Kissimmee Chain of lakes is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, which runs from Pensacola to the Monroe county comprising of over 800 miles and features over 500 wildlife viewing sites. The park has over 13 miles of hiking and biking trails and hosts excellent opportunities for birders and photographers. It has an abundance of water, wetlands and numerous different habitats offers birders views of different water fowl and birds of prey. The scrub habitat throughout the park is home to the Florida scrub jay. The Park is open 365 day a year from 7:00 a.m. to sundown. Fee for the park is $5.00 per vehicle limited to 8 people per vehicle or $4.00 for single occupant vehicle and $2.00 for pedestrians, bicyclist, and extra passengers in a vehicle with a holder of an Annual Individual Entrance Pass.
Camp Mack Duck Blind
For all the self-guided photographers, we have created a duck blind on Lake Kissimmee so you can wait for that perfect moment to catch wildlife and the perfect setting. Photographer can see deer, bobcats, bald eagles, armadillos and more!
Observation Tour
Lake Kissimmee State Park offers a three-story (30-foot) observation tower that overlooks the marsh plain and Lake Kissimmee, offering fantastic views of the landscape and wildlife and perfect for the sunset landscapes.
Cow Camp
As you meander down the short trail to the Cow Camp, you will travel back in time to 1876. At the end of the trail, you will find a Florida cow hunter in a frontier camp along the route of a cattle drive. He will be cooking, making coffee, tending to the cattle or just resting up until the next roundup or cattle drive. The cow hunter will be happy to share stories about what his life is like and the challenges he faces. Pack up a picnic lunch and bring the whole family out to Lake Kissimmee State Park to enjoy this little bit of …the Real Florida.
Guided Canoe & Hiking Trips
LEARN MORERated #1 TripAdvisor tour in Lake Wales, Alligator Air Boat Tours is a fantastic way to get close to nature and see areas of the lake only accessible to airboats as you travel back and capture what Florida was like in the yesteryears. Alligator Airboat Tour is located on site at Camp Mack offering nature, alligator, and bird tours. Tours last approximately 2 hours with an hour and half time on the water. We do suggest arriving 30 minutes prior to tour leaving.
Alligator Tour – The marshland gator tour allows visitors to see alligators both big and small. Nests with babies are often found on our gator tours, and the big guys love to lie out to bask in the sunshine on COOL DAYS, making good photo moments. By taking one of our airboat rides in Florida, you’ll be certain to see some pretty amazing things. If you want to only go and look for alligators and take extra time photographing them just let Alligator Airboat Tours know when booking and they can accommodate you.
BEST TEMPS for viewing gators, happens when nights are cold and days are cool to a low warm with sunshine. This brings them out to shorelines to get their bodies heated up. The best months for viewing gators on our Florida swamp tours; are typically December – March and typically weekdays when there is less boat traffic on the lakes.
Birding Tour – Early morning tours are the best time for birding. Birds are found in abundance, including Great Blue herons, tricolored and Little Blue Herons, The Great White Egrets and smaller Cattle and Snowy Egrets, along with Ibis and Wood Storks, Caracars and Bald Eagles, just to name a few, present daily shows. The Snail Kite on the endangered species list also something that can be found on the ride hovering over plant life in search of lunch.
Join us for one of our Outpost Photo Academies led by members of the Guy Harvey Outpost Pro Team at Camp Mack. Our pro guides will guide you through a photo adventure of Old Florida and all the beauty of Central Florida’s great outdoor offering instruction, tips, and techniques on creating professional quality images and helping you become a better photographer.
Photos by Guy Harvey Outpost Pro Mark Krancer
Historic Bok Tower Gardens, a national historic landmark, features two hiking trails, 50 acres of gardens, the 20-room Pinewood Estate and the 205-foot art deco and neo-Gothic Singing Tower carillon. Bok Tower Gardens has fascinated millions of Florida visitors since it’s opening in 1929.
Enjoy unparalleled opportunities for artistic, cultural, personal and spiritual enrichment when you tour the lush landscapes of the Olmsted gardens and hear the music of the Singing Tower carillon.
Bok Tower Gardens is truly a place of historic beauty and serenity. Among the rolling hills of citrus in Lake Wales, Bok Tower Gardens continues to be one of the most remarkable and awe-inspiring attractions in Central Florida.
Photos by Guy Harvey Outpost Pro Ron Modra
River Ranch Rodeo is great for capturing Old Florida and action shots as professional cowboys and cowgirls compete in trick riding, barrel racing and bull riding. The kids in the audience can even take part in the rodeo’s calf scramble and win a prize. The Rodeo is open only on Saturdays.
Photos by Guy Harvey Outpost Pro Ron Modra
From February to June photographers and birding enthusiasts have the unique opportunity to enter the park at 7:00am on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and stay until dusk on every Friday and Saturday with the purchase of the Annual Photographers Pass or check with the park directly for single day passes.
The famous Gatorland Bird Rookery was created in 1991 as an alligator breeding marsh. This unique habitat has grown into one of the large and most accessible wading bird rookeries in Florida. Today this area provided protected nesting, foraging, and roosting area to over 20 different species, many of which are listed as Endangered or Species of Special Concern.
The Gatorland Boardwalk provides birders and photographers with the close access to these incredible birds with the safety of observing them and capturing stunning photographs.
For more information on the photographers pass at Gatorland
Photos by Guy Harvey Outpost Pro Mark Krancer
Photos by Guy Harvey Outpost Pro Mark Krancer
Photos by Guy Harvey Outpost Pro Mark Krancer