LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida is known for being flat.
Most of the state’s lookout points are man-made.
But there is one spot in Central Florida that will take viewers hundreds of feet up in the air to enjoy a beautiful vista.
It’s called Sugarloaf Mountain and is located in Lake County near Clermont.
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It is 312 feet tall and provides a sweeping view of the surrounding area.
So in a state that is so flat, what caused such a high elevation?
Professor Emeritus of Planetary Sciences Dr. Joseph Donoghue with the University of Central Florida said what we now see as hills are part of the Lake Wales Ridge.
He said the 100-mile formation used to be under water and the highest points would poke their heads up like Florida’s present-day barrier islands.
“If you were standing where you are... at the top of Sugarloaf Mountain 8 million years ago and you were looking north... you would actually see water, you would see part of the Atlantic Ocean, because most of Florida would be underwater, but Sugarloaf Mountain would still be 180 feet above sea level,” said Donoghue.
Today, Sugarloaf Mountain is just shy of the state’s highest natural point of 345 feet tall.
Bicyclists can often be seen pedaling up-and-down the summit and enjoying the view.
While it may not compete with some of the peaks of other mountains that are thousands of feet tall, Sugarloaf Mountain is one of the closest options in Central Florida.
To learn more about Sugarloaf Mountain and how it was formed, check out Talk to Tom. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts and watch it anytime on News 6+.
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