Banana Lake
5002 Tillery Rd off Clubhouse Rd
Lakeland 33813
Open every day 5 am to 10 pm
(only boat launching permitted after hours)
Government Owned for General Public Use - FREE
Known as Mud Lake before 1860, Banana Lake is part of the Peace River - Saddle Creek Watershed. The Gardner family homesteaded here and planted many types of fruit trees, among them bananas along the shore.
Located just 1.7 miles from Highland City, in Polk County, this lake spans 252 acres with a depth averaging 4-7 feet and links to Little Banana Lake and Lake Stahl. It also links to an unnamed former phosphate-mined lake with rows of lush islands that will have to wait for a second trip, as just paddling these three lakes resulted in more than 300 photos (narrowed down significantly for this viewing) over a 3.5-hour tour.
There is a park with shelters/tables/playground tucked behind a residential area and a nice concrete boat ramp with a staging dock, but because it is single-laned, launching a kayak can be an exercise in patience waiting for the room to load/unload. That said, there is a nook to the left of the ramp to easily put in once the boat is off the car. There is ample parking and a bathroom.
© April L. Gustetter