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The Trail’s Beginnings
The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) began as the Okeechobee
Segment of the Florida Trail. The hiking trail was planned and
made popular by its parent organization, the Florida Trail
Association. In 1993, the Okeechobee Segment of the Florida
Trail was dedicated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service as a segment of the FNST.
The Existing Trail
Today, as a segment of the nationally recognized Florida National
Scenic Trail, the LOST trail boasts 110 miles of hiking trail
on the USACE service road atop the 35 foot tall Herbert Hoover
Dike. The USACE maintains the dike and service road, and provides
several primitive camping sites and covered shelters along the trail.
Future Roles and Responsibilities
In the mid-1990’s, the FDOT began a series of public meetings to
discuss local interest in an improved trail surface that would
be suitable for all recreational user groups. In December of 1999,
representatives of FDOT, USACE, FDEP and SFWMD met to define agency
roles for implementing what was then called the Lake Okeechobee
Segment of the Florida National Scenic Trail.
Making “Circumnavigation” Possible
SFWMD is coordinating with the FDOT to allow safe passage across or
around the many water control structures managed by the SFWMD.
Currently, trail users can only “circumnavigate” the lake by using
FNST maps, which reroute trail traffic to public roads, past the water
control structure, and back onto the dike.
A Rose by Any Other Name
As time went on, the popular name for the trail became the “LOST”
trail. Some folks are still looking for a more noble or elegant name.
Others like the romantic notion of getting LOST for the weekend on
the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail.
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