Lake Wales Ridge
The Lake Wales Ridge, sometimes referred to as the Mid-Florida Ridge, is a sand ridge running for about 100 miles south to north in Central Florida. Clearly viewable from satellite, the white sands of the ridge are located in Highlands County and Polk County, and also extend north into Osceola, Orange, and Lake Counties.| Tap on a place to explore it |
Places of Interest
Highlights include Bok Tower Gardens and El Retiro.
Bok Tower Gardens
Park
Bok Tower Gardens is a 250-acre contemplative garden and bird sanctuary located atop Iron Mountain, north of Lake Wales, Florida, United States, created by Edward Bok in the 1920s. Bok Tower Gardens is situated 1½ miles west of Lake Wales Ridge.
El Retiro
Heritage site
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0.
El Retiro is a historic site in Lake Wales, Florida. It is located at 1151 Tower Blvd, Lake Wales, FL 33853. The 12,900 square foot house was designed by architect Charles R. El Retiro is situated 2 miles west of Lake Wales Ridge.
Iron Mountain
Peak
Iron Mountain is one of the highest points in peninsular Florida, United States and a prominent point of the Lake Wales Ridge. Rising 295 feet above sea level, The mountain contains citronelle, a hematite-containing rock that oxidizes when exposed to air and is responsible for the red-brown color of the earth. Iron Mountain is situated 1½ miles west of Lake Wales Ridge.
Places in the Area
Nearby places include Lake Wales and Waverly.
Lake Wales
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Lake Wales is a small city in eastern Polk County, Florida. The city is in the middle of a long, narrow region known as the Lake Wales Ridge. The Lake Wales Ridge was the first part of the Florida Peninsula to rise above sea level, beginning as a series of small sandy islands not unlike the Florida Keys today.
Waverly
Locality
Waverly is a census-designated place in east-central Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,927 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. Waverly is situated 4½ miles northwest of Lake Wales Ridge.
Lake Wales Ridge
- Type: Ridge with an elevation of 115 feet
- Description: sand ridge running for about 100 miles south to north in Central Florida
- Category: landform
- Location: Polk County, Inland Florida, Florida, United States, North America
- View on OpenStreetMap
This page is based on GeoNames, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikipedia.
We’d love your help improving our open data sources. Thank you for contributing.
Satellite Map
Discover Lake Wales Ridge from above in high-definition satellite imagery.
In Other Languages
From Cebuano to Chinese—“Lake Wales Ridge” goes by many names.
- Cebuano: “Lake Wales Ridge”
- Chinese: “莱克威尔士岭”
- Chinese: “萊克威爾士嶺”
- Chinese: “雷克威爾斯嶺”
Localities in the Area
Explore places such as Mountain Lake Station and Lake of the Hills.
Notable Places Nearby
Highlights include Lake Wales Ridge State Forest and Lake Wales Heliport.
Polk County: Must-Visit Destinations
Delve into Lakeland, Lake Wales, Winter Haven, and Bartow.
Curious Ridges to Discover
Uncover intriguing ridges from every corner of the globe.
About Mapcarta. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, except for photos, directions, and the map. Description text is based on the Wikipedia page “Lake Wales Ridge”. Photo: Wikimedia, CC0.