Bonnet Lake or Lake Bonnet is a 268-acre (1,080,000 m2) natural freshwater lake in Highlands County, Florida. It is bounded on the north by Lake Bonnet Village, on its west by Bonnet Lake Campgrounds, on its southwest by a railroad line and on its south and southeast by Highlands Ridge. On part of its north shore is a citrus grove. To the lake's northeast is a large wooded area. Lake Bonnet Village and Bonnet Lake Campgrounds are mobile home and recreational vehicle parks for residents aged 55 and greater. Highlands Village is a retirement housing development.[1]
| Bonnet Lake | |
|---|---|
| Lake Bonnet | |
  Bonnet Lake | |
| Location | Highlands County, Florida |
| Coordinates | 27°32′37″N 81°26′31″W / 27.5436°N 81.4420°W |
| Type | freshwater lake |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 1.1-mile (1.8 km) |
| Max. width | 0.55-mile (0.89 km) |
| Surface area | 268 acres (108 ha) |
| Max. depth | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Surface elevation | 89 feet (27 m) |
| Islands | 5 |
The lake was so named for the abundance of a water flower called "bonnets".[2]
Boating and fishing information
editA boat ramp on the north side of the lake is in the middle of Lake Bonnet Village. It may be used by anyone who pays the fee collected at the Village administrative building up the hill from the lake. There are no other boat ramps that can be used by the public. There are no public swimming areas on the lake shore. Bonnet Lake may be fished. The HookandBullet.Com website says the lake contains bluegill, gar and blue catfish.[3]
Islands of lake
editMost of the small natural lakes in the area have no or very few islands in them. Bonnet Lake has five islands, none of which have structures on them. All are small or very small. Two are located just off the shore of Lake Bonnet Village. One of these islands, the lake's largest and triangular in shape, is 300 feet (91 m) west of the boat ramp. It is in front of the entrance to a canal. To enter the canal, boats must go around the island, which measures 200 feet (61 m) across its widest point. The other island off the Village is between the boat ramp and a private boat dock west of the ramp. It measures 100 feet (30 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m).[4]
Two of the islands are just off the shore of Bonnet Lake Campgrounds. One of them, at the north end of the Campgrounds, measures 45 feet (14 m) by 40 feet (12 m). The other is further south and is somewhat round, measuring 75 feet (23 m) by 75 feet (23 m). A very tiny island, 10 feet (3.0 m) by 5 feet (1.5 m), is off the northeast shore of Lake Bonnet.[5]
References
edit- ^ Lake Bonnet Village website, http://www.lakebonnetvillage.com ; Wikimapia website, http://www.wikimapia.org/ ; Bonnet Lake Campgrounds website, http://bonnetlakecampgrounds.com/ ; Florida Lakewatch website, "Bonnet Map". Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2011-11-17. ; "Lakes of Highlands County," "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) ; Fishing Works website, http://www.fishingworks.com/lakes/florida/highlands/lake-arbuckle-sw/bonnet-lake/ . - ^ Sawyer, Martha (Oct 7, 1992). "Naming Lakeland's major lakes". Lakeland Ledger. pp. 6C. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Lakes of Hihghlands County"; Wikimapia website; HookandBullet.Com website, http://www.hookandbullet.com/fishing-bonnet-lake-sebring-fl .
- ^ Lake Bonnet Village website; Wikimapia website.
- ^ Wikimapia website.