Florida Highlands?

I’ve been to Florida many times and always considered it to be incredibly flat. It’s one of the flattest of all states with a mean elevation of only 100 feet (30 metres). Only Delaware edges it out. It definitely represents the smallest elevation span within its borders, extending from sea level to only 345 ft (105 m). Nonetheless it seemed to display some pride in whatever diminutive elevation it had. So it puffed it up like it was much more spectacular that the actual situation deserved.


Florida Highpoint

Britton Hill @ Lakewood Park. Photo by Jimmy Emerson, DVM; (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

I’ll begin with that most inconsequential state highpoint, Britton Hill (map). I know many Twelve Mile Circle readers have experienced Britton Hill in person. Unfortunately I’ve not been able to visit that underwhelming elevation yet.

It’s my kind of highpoint though, one that any “climber” could conquer easily enough by automobile. It’s also accessible from an adjacent parking lot collocated in Lakewood Park. Some states with considerably more remarkable highpoint summits did less to mark their magic spots so congratulations to Florida for making an effort to recognize it puny promontory. The mountaineering website Summit Post did its best to keep a straight face. It attempted to craft a justification to stop by for a visit.

“Some may ask why anyone would want to travel to this remote area and walk in the relatively flat Florida panhandle forest. Britton Hill certainly does not provide the best Florida has to offer, but highpointing takes you places you would never think of going – like a unique tour of America that few get to experience.”

In truth, nobody would consider this as a particularly remarkable place if it wasn’t a state highpoint. No other reason could possibly justifies a visit. Nonetheless someday I’ll strap on my crampons, prepare my ropes and tame the mighty summit of Britton Hill. Yes, I’m fairly certain that even I could accomplish that.


Highlands County

Britton Hill didn’t actually start my train of thought on this subject. Rather, the ridiculously named Highlands County, Florida piqued my curiosity first. I’ve been to the Highlands of Scotland a couple of times. Certainly, it bore little resemblance to anything in Florida. I felt it was more than a bit presumptuous to attach Highlands to a state know for its flatness. And yet, there it appeared.

Highlands became a county in 1921 and several sources stated emphatically that it was due to the surrounding terrain. However its highest elevation never exceeds 210 ft. (64 m.) so how much variation could there be?

A fascinating facility known as the the Archbold Biological Station held several highpoints with the same maximum elevation within its 5,200 acre (21 km2) natural preserve (map). That makes it particularly easy for county highpointers.

Richard Archibold created the research institute in 1941. This happened because he had to curtail his original research in New Guinea because of the Second World War. So he positioned his Florida station at the headwaters of the Everglades in a distinctive habitat known as the Florida Scrub. They’ve done some great fieldwork there over the years.


What’s up with Hillsborough County?

Tampa Night. Photo by Matthew Paulson; (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Hillsborough County — which includes the city of Tampa — contained an inordinate amount of formally designated Highlands. In fact, fully half of Florida’s populated Highlands listed in the Geographic Names Information System fell within the confines of Hillsborough. I wondered if it might actually be hilly. After all they named it HILLSborough.

It turned out to have nothing to do with the terrain. The name came from the Earl of Hillsboroughwho served as British Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1768 to 1772.” I found it odd that they named it in 1834, a long time after American independence, adding more to the mystery.

Curiously, not only did Hillsborough lack any meaningful hills, it had an indeterminate highpoint even though the climbing site Peakbagger attempted to affix one (map) at an elevation of approximately 160 ft. (49 m.). The County Highpointers Association basically threw its hands into the air declaring, “This is a mess. The entire area has been strip-mined for phosphates.”

Given that, why did Hillsborough have Auburn Highlands, Claonia Highlands, Hiawatha Highlands, Hickory Highlands, Highlands Oaks, Hillsborough Highlands, Mill Highlands, River Highlands, Sidney Highlands, Stephen Foster Highlands, Temple Highlands, Terrace Highlands, Valrico Highlands, West Highlands, and Wilma Highlands? I can only guess that local developers simply had a penchant for using the term independent of its actual meaning. Maybe it simply sounded good.

Comments

5 responses to “Florida Highlands?”

  1. Steve Avatar

    I knew my wife loved me when she agreed to a one-day drive from a family Disney vacation in Orlando to Britton Hill and back.

    1. Twelve Mile Circle Avatar

      Wow, that’s a lot of love! Google says it’s an 800 mile round trip taking 11 hours!

  2. Andy Avatar

    I visited Britton Hill in late September on my vacation to Florida. Unremarkable? Too easy? Well, what most people don’t know is that the actual highest ground (determined by LiDAR) is located in the woods about 500 feet southwest of the “official” marker — about four feet higher in elevation. Still too easy? I criss-crossed my way through those woods for 20 minutes in a torrential Floridian downpour, in order to make sure I hit the highest spot. No one’s ever said highpointers aren’t dedicated to the craft.

    Joking aside, while the high ground is somewhat indeterminate (it’s rather flat), it’s not hard to get to in drier conditions. Several trails lead from the parking area into the woods, crossing very close to the area of interest.

    I had the Archbold station on my agenda as well, but had to cut that out due to time constraints. One CoHP trip report author noted it was one of the most interesting landscapes they’d seen in Florida, so I hope to return to the area some time down the road!

    As for Hillsborough County? I once tried to do a LiDAR elevation analysis of the leftover high ground. Tried is the key word — I was completely unsuccessful. Probably won’t ever be possible to find it for sure, and there are several Florida counties like that.

  3. Steve Spivey Avatar
    Steve Spivey

    Wait!

    Are you saying there are states that are higher than 345 feet above sea level?

    Impossible.

    I have heard of these imaginary places called “mountains”, but I’m pretty sure it is just Hollywood CGI.

  4. Gary Lucas Avatar

    I can vouch for the flatness of Florida. If one drives Interstate 4 from end to end (Tampa to Daytona Beach), it is roughly 135 miles. There are only three noticeable hills on the entire road – one between Tampa and Disneyworld in Polk County, one near the Orange-Seminole County line and one in Volusia County. Nor far down the road from my house here in Seminole County is a road that goes arrow-straight and level for like 2 or 3 miles. No hills, no turns, nothing at all.

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