Route #77 Bermont – Joshua – Placid Lakes – Childs – Hicoria

Route #77 travels through the rural heart of Florida, west of Lake Okeechobee, covering approximately 105 round-trip miles across the Florida Heartland. The journey begins in Bermont, a former timber settlement now vanished at the northern edge of Babcock Ranch, and passes through wide expanses of cattle ranches, citrus groves, and protected lands that define this agricultural region of central Florida.

Along the way, the route links former ghost towns and small communities that grew around railroads and sawmills, including Sparkman, Joshua, and Childs, as well as historic sites connected to military facilities later repurposed after the world wars. Crossing Charlotte, DeSoto, and Highlands counties, the itinerary reflects the cycles of development and decline that shaped the interior of the peninsula.

The route reaches environmentally significant areas such as Placid Lakes and the preserves associated with the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem, home to rare habitats and endemic species. Its final passage through Hicoria, once a rail and farming settlement, completes a journey that documents the cultural, natural, and historical layers of Florida’s inland landscapes.

This route can be found in Discovering Florida – Volume 4.