Fort Matanzas National Monument

Fort Matanzas National Monument Entrance Sign

Nature Man brings you Fort Matanzas National Monument. Matanzas Inlet was the scene of crucial events in Spanish colonial history. The massacre of French soldiers here in 1565 was Spain's opening move in establishing a colony in Florida. The construction of Fort Matanzas in 1740 - 42 was Spain's last effort to ward off British encroachments on St. Augustine.

Location and Visitors Center
Matanzas is located 14 miles south of Saint Augustine and is reached via Florida A1A on Anastasia Island. The park is open 9 AM to 5:30 PM daily.  There is no admission fee. The park consists of almost 300 acres on Rattlesnake and Anastasia Islands. A passenger ferry carries visitors from the Visitors Center off A1A to the fort, weather permitting, from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM and is free to the pubic. Swimming for pedestrian access to beach and free parking is available in three lots: two beachside and one riverside.

History

Fort Matanzas

Since its founding in 1565, the military outpost town of St. Augustine had been the heart of Spain's coastal defenses in Florida. After Castillo de San Marcos was completed in 1695, the town had only one weakness. Matanzas Inlet, 14 miles south, allowed access to the Matanzas River, by which enemy vessels could attack the town from the rear--out of range of the Castillo's cannon. Spain had a good reason to fear attack. Beginning with Francis Drake's raid on St. Augustine in 1586, England had repeatedly harassed the Spanish colony. In 1740 Gov. James Oglethorpe blockaded St. Augustine inlet with troops from the British colony of Georgia and began a 39-day siege of the town. A few Spanish vessels managed to break the siege by evading the blockade and resupplying the town. With onset of hurricane season, Oglethorpe gave up the attack and returned to Georgia.

To prevent the British from controlling the inlet and starving St. Augustine into surrender, carpenters and masons began building Fort Matanzas, with labor supplied by convicts, slaves and additional troops from Cuba. In 1742, with the fort near completion, Oglethorpe arrived off the inlet with 12 ships. The fort's cannon drove off his scouting boats and the warship left; it had passed its first test. As part of the treaty of Paris ending the French and Indian war, Florida was transferred to Britain in 1763. After the American Revolution, a second Treaty of Paris returned Florida to Spain in 1784. Spain made little effort to maintain Fort Matanzas, and erosion and rainwater took their toll. When Spain transferred Florida to the United States in 1819, the fort was so badly deteriorated that its soldiers could no longer live inside. The United States took possession in 1821 but never occupied the fort.

The Tower at Matanzas
Fort Matanzas--50 feet on each side with a 30-foot tower--was built of coquina, a local shellstone. Lime for mortar was made by burning oyster shells. A foundation of close-set pine pilings driven deep in the marshy ground stabilized the fort. Soldiers were rotated from St. Augustine for one-month duty tours at Matanzas, usually a cabo (officer-in-charge), four infantrymen and two gunners. More could be assigned to this remote outpost when international tensions increased, up to the planned maximum of 50 during a crisis. The soldiers lived and ate together in a sparsely-furnished room off the gun deck; the officer lived in the vaulted room above.

The fort could cover the inlet with five guns: four six-pounders and one 18 pounder. All could reach the inlet, less than a half-mile away in 1742.  Loopholes in the south wall of the tower allowed the infantrymen to fire their muskets from inside the fort. Besides warning St. Augustine of enemy vessels and driving them off if necessary, the fort served as a rest stop, coast guard station, and a place where vessels heading for St. Augustine could get advice on navigating the river. But its primary mission was to maintain control of the Matanzas Inlet. After thwarting British attempts to gain the inlet in 1742, the fort never again fired its guns in battle.

Barrier Island Nature
In preserving the site of historic events on Anastasia Island, Congress also set aside a slice of an intact barrier island system. Distinct habitats harbor many species, several listed as endangered or threatened. From May to August, the beach is the nesting site for sea turtles, including the loggerhead (threatened) and the green and leatherback (both endangered). The beach is also home to the ghost crab and the threatened least tern. On the ocean side of the island, sea oats, legumes, and other hardy, salt-tolerant plants growing on the dunes help stabilize them with their extensive root systems. They also provide cover for several animal species, like the endangered Anastasia Island beach mouse.

Gopher Tortoise

In scrub areas, characterized by prickly pear cactus, bayberry and greenbrier vines, the gopher tortoise digs branching burrows up to 30 feet into the dunes. Other species like the southern leopard frog and the endangered indigo snake exploit the tortoise's labor for their own shelter.

The island's highest part is the old dunes covered with coastal forest rooted in thick, decayed remains of pioneer species. Palms, red bay, and live oak provide a canopy sheltering spiders, lizards, raccoons, and the great horned owl and other birds. Berries and fruits on the understory plants provide food for some of these animals.

Behind the dunes and forest lie the tidal creeks and marshes of the estuary, where saltwater meets fresh. This is the most diverse habitat of the island. Herons and egrets feed on the rich supply of fish and crustaceans living in the salt marshes. Ospreys and bald eagles fight over the osprey's catch.  Pelicans and terns dive head first into the river after the fish. Skimmers fly low over the water. Hawks swoop low over the grass. The tidal flats are alive with fiddler crabs waving their claws. Raccoons, owls and night herons hunt at night. Marsh rabbits nibble on young sprouts in the morning. Nature Man guarantees that there is always animal and habitat interaction around the salt marsh.

On your visit I recommend that you bring plenty of water to drink, close-toed shoes appropriate for hiking in sandy soil, bug repellent, sun screen, binoculars, a camera and an Audubon Florida Field Guide for flora and wildlife identification purposes.

Proper trail etiquette is recommended:

• Dogs must be on a 6 foot leash and must be well behaved.
• Animal and plant life are protected. Do not kill, trap or molest any mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian. Do not pick, cut carve, break off limbs from or mutilate any plant life.
• Pack it in, pack it out.
• Take only pictures and memories

Nature Man Photography brings you the following wonders of Fort Matanzas:

Prickly Pear Cactus

Half Mile Nature Trail

Picnic Area

Visitor Center

Sand Dunes

Anastasia State Park

Main Entrance

Two Time Gold Medal Winner

Nature Man brings you the only two time National State Park Gold Medal Winner beautiful  Anastasia State Park. I visited this park recently with my wife Alma, and my daughter Laura and her husband Marcus. Anastasia is the very best that Florida offers. Anastasia's beautiful beach attracts walkers, joggers, anglers, birders and Real Nature lovers. Quality beach breaks and seasonally warm water draw surfers and kayakers. Hike the beach and look for birds, dolphins and whales. Lifeguards protect the swimming area during summer months. Lifeguards were on duty the day we visited watching over swimmers in rough surf during red (high hazard currents) and purple (dangerous marine life) flags flying.

Location Directions
Anastasia can be found by traveling off I-95 on exit 311. Go east on State Road 207. Turn south on State Road 312. Turn east on A1A. Travel approximately 1.5 miles north to main park entrance. From US1 turn east onto State Road 312. Turn north on A1A. Travel approximately 1.5 miles north to main park entrance.

Salt Run Rentals

Real Fun in  ...the Real Florida
Bicyclists enjoy more than 4 miles of beach and several miles of park roads. Island Joe's sells beach sundries and camping and fishing supplies. It also rents bicycles, beach chairs and umbrellas, canoes, kayaks, sailboards and paddleboats. Lessons on various water sports are available. Island Joe's also features a tropical grill. Anastasia has three picnic areas with tables and restrooms. Anastasia's full-facility campground features 139 sites with electric and water hookups for RV's and tents. A RV Dump Station is available at no extra charge. Hot water showers and laundry facilities are available.

History
More than 300 years ago, sites like the coquina quarries located within Anastasia State Park were
busy with workers, mostly native Americans, hauling out blocks of rock. By the late 1700's  the Native American population had died out and quarry workers were usually enslaved Africans and captured Europeans. With hand tools, they hewed out blocks of the soft shellstone and pried the squares loose along the layers in the rock. The blocks were loaded onto ox-drawn carts then barged across Matanzas Bay to the town of St. Augustine. The blocks were used to construct the Castillo de San Marcos and many other buildings.

Coquina (Spanish for "tiny shellfish") is a component of the sedimentary limestone called the Anastasia Formation. The Anastasia Formation lies just below the surface of the ancient sand dunes and maritime hammocks that blanket the east coast of Florida. The formation extends from the northern end of Anastasia Island south some 250 miles to Palm Beach. Locally it reaches up to 30 miles inland to the west. It can be as much as 50 feet thick. The Anastasia Formation was formed when much of Florida's present coastline was under the sea. During the Pleistocene Epoch (1,800,000 to 10,000 years ago) worldwide glaciers repeatedly formed and melted, causing sea levels to rise and fall. On Florida's Atlantic coast, when the sea level was high, shells, quartz sand and clay accumulated as beaches and offshore bars. When the sea level dropped, these bars emerged as offshore islands. As rainwater seeped through the exposed deposits, it leached calcium carbonate from the shells. Calcium carbonate cemented the loose deposits together to form the coquina stone. The coquina deposits date back over 100,000 years.

The Anastasia Old Spanish Quarry

From its founding in 1565, St. Augustine had been a struggling outpost of Span's American empire. Spanish soldiers built their fort and their homes out of the plentiful pine trees and palmetto. Time after time their wooden settlement was destroyed by storms or burned by pirates and other raiders.  On Anastasia Island the Spaniards discovered a better building material-deposits of rock made of broken shells. As early as 1598, they dug enough to build a gunpowder storage magazine, but they lacked the workforce, the engineering skills and the tools to excavate enough for a large structure. In 1671 large-scale quarrying began in the stone pits. Coquina rock is relatively soft and easy to cut while in the ground and hardens when exposed to air. The Spanish learned to waterproof the stone walls by coating them plaster and paint. When besieging ships bombarded the Castillo, the walls simply absorbed the cannon balls. Coquina continued to be a prized building material for the Spanish, British (1763 - 83) and the Americans (1821).

Wildlife and Hiking Trail

Great Blue Heron

Numerous shore birds and song birds as well as osprey inhabit Anastasia. Great white egrets and snowy egrets, great blue heron, little blue heron, cormorants and marsh hawks are just a few of the many birds that inhabit the marsh. Near the camp store, a small parking lot signals the beginning of a 2 mile hiking loop - the Ancient Dunes Trail. The trail rambles up and down the backs of ancient dunes now forested with live oak and laurel oak, sabal palm, redbay, southern magnolia and some slash pine. The trail has another entrance at the far end of the loop.

On your visit I recommend that you bring plenty of water to drink, close-toed shoes appropriate for hiking in sandy soil, bug repellent, sun screen, binoculars, a camera and an Audubon Florida Field Guide for flora and wildlife identification purposes.

Proper trail etiquette is recommended:

• Dogs must be on a 6 foot leash and must be well behaved.
• Animal and plant life are protected. Do not kill, trap or molest any mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian. Do not pick, cut carve, break off limbs from or mutilate any plant life.
• Pack it in, pack it out.
• Take only pictures and memories

Nature Man photography brings you the following:

Beach Observation Platform Boardwalk
 

Atlantic Ocean

View of St. Augustine Lighthouse & Salt Run From Beach Parking Area

Beach Warning Flags

Morning Glory

North American Right Whales

Little Blue Heron

Walter Jones Historical Park

Walter Jones Historical Park Entrance

Nature Man dedicates this Walter Jones Historical Park information summary to good friends and hard working Mandarin Museum & Historical Society volunteers Tracey and Sandy. Walter Jones Historical Park is located in the heart of Mandarin, Florida. Travel to the park by heading south on San Jose Blvd, after crossing under I-295, turn right on Mandarin Road and the park is .8 mile on the left at 11964 Mandarin Road.

                                                                                       Major William Webb

Saint Johns Riverfront Boardwalk

Major William Webb purchased 31.2 acres on the Saint Johns River in Mandarin in 1873. He built a home, barn and 1,000 ft. dock extending into the Saint Johns River. Walter Jones, proprietor of the Mandarin Store and Post Office, moved his family to the homestead in the early 1900's and his family members occupied the property until 1992. The City of Jacksonville acquired 10 acres of Major Webb's original homestead from the descendants of Walter Jones in 1994 for the purpose of creating the city's first historical park. The park opened to the public in August 2000 and includes the restored farmhouse, barn, outbuildings, sawmill, nature trail along a riverfront boardwalk, picnic area and restrooms. The park and farmhouse are handicapped accessible. The Mandarin Museum & Historical Society operates the park facilities under a contract with the city.

Webb Farmhouse

The original Webb family farmhouse structure consisted of a central hall, a parlor and two bedrooms surrounded on three sides by an open porch. It is connected by an open breezeway to the detached kitchen. In later years the bedrooms were enlarged to accommodate a growing family by enclosing one of the side porches. Additionally, a dining room and bedroom were added between the main house and the kitchen. The Webb Farmhouse has been restored to its turn of the century appearance with the help of a grant from the State of Florida Department of Historical Resources.

Mandarin Museum

Mandarin Museum and Historical Society
The Mandarin Museum & Historical Society's mission is to provide a venue to foster greater understanding, appreciation, enjoyment and stewardship of the natural and cultural heritage of the lower Saint Johns River basin through time. Guided tours of the farmhouse are available by advance reservation at 904-268-0784 or mandarinmuseum@bellsouth.net.

The Museum is open Saturday from 9 AM to 4 PM. Additional information regarding the museum, park and programs and events can be found at the website 
www.mandarinmuseum.net.



Sawmills                                                                                                                                        

Sawmill

Many sawmills dotted the Mandarin shorelines in the late 1800's. An old Mandarin sawmill, on display on the property, was found in the woods on the shore of Julington Creek and donated to the
park in 1997. It's definitely a highlight on the property.


Mandarin History

In the late 1800's, Mandarin was a small farming village that shipped oranges, grapefruit, lemons and other fruits and vegetables to Jacksonville and points north on the steamships that traveled the Saint Johns River. In 1864, the union steamship, the Maple Leaf, hit a confederate mine and sank just off Mandarin Point. Author Harriet Beecher Stowe wintered in the village from 1867 to 1864. All of this and more is showcased on-site at the Mandarin Museum and Historical Society.

Wildlife
Numerous song and wading birds are available for you birding enthusiasts. A stroll out the nature trail along a riverfront boardwalk should provide ample wading bird sightings along the beautiful Saint Johns River. You may also witness a dive-bombing fishing Osprey or the Majestic Bald Eagle soaring over the Saint Johns River. Ancient Live Oak Trees draped with Spanish moss provide shelter and protection for numerous songbirds.

Nature Man Photography brings you the following:

Natural Nature Trail

Paved Nature Trail

Farmhouse Kitchen



1876 Barn
 

Ocala National Forest

Controlled Burn

All of you Nature lovers must experience "Real Nature" in the Ocala National Forest. Nature Man has experienced the wonders of Nature in Ocala since I was 5 years old with my parents when we camped at Alexander Springs and most frequently Juniper Springs.  My brother David and I spent many a day in the cypress swamp wilderness area around Juniper Springs. I have hunted, fished, camped, picnicked and trail hiked in Ocala often throughout the years.

The Ocala National Forest is located north of Orlando between the Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers. Encompassing approximately 383,000 acres, it is the southernmost forest in the continental United States and protects the world's largest contiguous sand pine scrub forest. Although it is centered on high, dry, central scrub ridges, the Ocala National Forest is rich in water resources and more than 600 lakes, rivers and springs, including three first-magnitude springs. Each an oasis surrounded by subtropical growth, the springs are some of the finest and clearest in the United States. Visitors can swim, snorkel and dive in these crystalline waters year-round.

Theodore Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt

In 1902, scarcely six months after Theodore Roosevelt's inauguration as the youngest President of the United States at age 42, "Teddy" started what would become a long legacy of land conservation by the United States Government by signing Crater Lake National Park into existence. An avid sportsman, Roosevelt understood that for future generations to have places to hunt and fish, there needed to be room for wildlife to be wild. In 1903, he began the National Wildlife Refuge System by proclaiming Pelican Island near Vero Beach, Florida as the first Federal Bird Refuge. During his second term, in February 1095, the National Forest Service was established at his urging. Of 150 National Forests proclaimed during Roosevelt's tenure, the Ocala National Forest was the second one established east of the Mississippi in the continental United States, created November 24, 1908. In 2008, we celebrated 100 years of the Ocala National Forest with a festive event coordinated by friends of the Forest, complete with a re-enactment of President Theodore Roosevelt signing the Forest into existence.

Ecosystems
The Ocala National Forest is noted for its sand pine scrub ecosystem. Growing on deep, prehistoric sand dunes, the sand pine scrub is home to the threatened Florida scrub-jay, sand skink, and Florida bonamia plant. Within this sea of sand pine, longleaf pine islands provide a different view with open park-like stands of trees over grassy plains. Wildlife species of interest include the bald-eagle, Florida black bear, whitetail deer, Florida manatee, gopher tortoise, indigo snake, and red-cockaded woodpecker.

Oak Hammock

Protecting the world's largest contiguous sand pine scrub forest, a desert-like environment atop ancient sand dunes that stood well above the waves of primordial seas, the Ocala National Forest is full of special places, from four major springs to hundreds of lakes and ponds, islands of longleaf pine, and sinuous waterways that breathe life into an otherwise arid environment. Botanical wonders as well as archaeological and historic sites are awaiting around the next bend.



Nature Man recommends that you explore the following special areas of the Ocala National Forest:

Alexander Springs
There are only 27 first-magnitude springs in Florida, and Alexander Springs is by far one of the easiest for visitors to enjoy. A broad and naturally gently sloped spring pool becomes a natural water park when visitors come to picnic, swim, and play. The water is a constant 72 degrees and extraordinarily clear.  Ripples lay across the sand bottom as small fish dart about. Surrounded by floodplain forest of maples, sweetgum, and cabbage palms, this recreation area feels almost tropical.

Salt Springs
Salt Springs Recreation Area is one of the recreational jewels of the Ocala National Forest. Within the recreation area is the natural spring rising from vertical fissures (cracks) from deep within the earth. The presence of potassium, magnesium and sodium salts give the waters in the spring a slight salinity. Hence the name Salt Springs.

Doe Lake Recreation Area
The Doe Lake Recreation Area is centered around a classic 1930's Civilian Conservation Corps dining hall that has been historically restored. This beautiful building sits atop a grassy hill overlooking the clear waters of Doe Lake.  A bath house, including showers, was built in the same architectural style.

Alexander Springs Run

Alexander Run
Bubbling forth from Alexander Springs into Alexander Creek, this popular canoe run starts at Alexander Springs Recreation Area and continues for about six miles of paddling to the take-out on the north shore at 52 Landing. This run is broad and swift, with many small islands and little dry land to bank on for the first several miles. A paddling trip is the easiest way to experience the heart of Alexander Springs Wilderness.




Clearwater Lake Recreation Area
With a shaded campground, a day use picnic area and beach, and a nature trail throughout the pine woods and scrub around Clearwater Lake, Clearwater Lake Recreation Area is a quiet getaway along the southeastern edge of the Ocala National Forest, just outside the community of Paisley.

Lake Dorr Recreation
Along the northwest shore of Lake Dorr, Lake Dorr Recreation Area is set under the deep shade of an oak hammock. Offering RV camping, Lake Dorr also has a boat ramp and picnic area overlooking the lake.

Juniper Springs
Showcasing sparkling springs in a subtropical setting, Juniper Springs is one of the oldest and best

Juniper Springs

known recreation areas on the East Coast. Located between Ocala and Ormond Beach along SR-40, this complex of swimming and picnic area, campground, and trails was constructed in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The setting is unlike any other found in the United States, with hundreds of tiny bubbling springs and massive springs gushing out crevices in the earth beneath a dense canopy of palms and oaks, an oasis within the heart of the desert-like Big Scrub.

Lake Delancy West
Lake Delancy West provides an Off Highway Vehicle (OHV), or ATV's and UTV's, recreation area along Lake Delancy with OHV corrals, access to numerous marked OHV trails along the Ocala North OHV Trail System, and camping along the lake. The recreation area also serves as a trailhead and designated campground along the hiking-only Florida Trail.

Juniper Run

Juniper Run
Named one of the top 25 canoe runs in America by ReserveAmerica and typically a high point of a visit to Florida, Juniper Run is a narrow, winding waterway set under dense canopy of old-growth forest and few places solid enough to get out of your canoe. The 7 mile journey starts just below the springs and follows the spring run through the heart of Juniper Prairie Wilderness to a take-out off SR-19, well before the run empties into the St. Johns River at Lake George.
Warning!!!Nature Man recommends that only experienced canoeists attempt the Juniper Run.  The water runs very swift and turns are difficult because of numerous low hanging limbs causing the inexperienced problems when attempting tight turns.  If you do not have the ability keep a canoe under complete control the low hanging limbs and tight turns can cause the canoe to tip leaving you a very difficult re-entry.

Silver Glen Springs
As the sun shines, rainbows play across the bottom of the crystal-clear spring basin at Silver Glen Springs, a beautiful spot along the edge of the Big Scrub of the Ocala National Forest, with a spring run that pours out into Lake George, the largest of the St. Johns River Chain of Lakes, north of Astor. Both a popular day use recreation area and an important archaeological site, Silver Glen Springs showcases the delicate balance necessary between enjoyment of the outdoors and preservation of irreplaceable resources.



Black Bear Track
 

Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway
Providing more than 60 miles of exploration by car, the Florida Black Bear Scenic Highway - a National Scenic Byway -  is a network of scenic roads between Silver Springs and Ormond Beach, including SR 40 through the heart of the Ocala National Forest.






Yearling Trail
Take a trek back in time to Pat's Island on the Yearling Trail, a walk through the Big Scrub to an island of pine that the Long family once called home. This interpretive trail system leads you past a variety of historic structures, including an old cattle dip vat, a cistern, the remains of several homestead sites, and the Long family cemetery. In the center of it all is a giant sinkhole where the pre-1900 settlers collected drinking water.

Fort Gates Ferry

Fort Gates Ferry
Although not managed by the Forest Service, the Fort Gates Ferry is a site of historic importance and is reached via forest roads east from Salt Springs. This site is a narrows in the St. Johns River north of Drayton Island and has been home to a ferry crossing for nearly two centuries. The current ferry is a 1910 Sharpie sailboat piloting a 1930's barge that can hold two cars. The crossing is a part of the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway.


Mill Dam Recreation Area
In the shade of live oaks overlooking 168-acre Mill Dam Lake, Mill Dam Recreation Area offers two different experiences for the public. Between March 16 and September 30, it's a day use recreation area with a large swimming area and sandy beach accessible by wheelchairs. For the remainder of the year, October 1 through March 15, it becomes a group campground/recreation area for both day use and tent camping.


Following are Nature Man's recommended trails for hiking in the Ocala National Forest:

Trail Name                         Distance                     What you will see
Salt Springs Trail                .5 mile loop                 Leads to a wildlife observation
                                                                                platform                  

St. Francis Trail                   7 mile blue blazes       Traverses six ecosystems to
                                             5 mile yellow blazes   St. Francis, a once river point

Lake Eaton Sinkhole Trail   1.0 or 1.7 miles           Leads to a 450 ft. diameter
                                                                                 sinkhole and 80 ft.
                                                                                 deep observation platform

Lake Eaton Loop Trail         2.1 mile loop               Follows Lake Eaton's east
                                                                                  shore with three
                                                                                  observation platforms
                                                                                  along the way

Davenport Landing Trail      1.1 miles                      Leads to a former19th century
                                                                                   port and fuel-wood
                                                                                   stop for Ocklawaha River boats

Juniper Springs Nature Trail   .4 mile                       Provides a boardwalk from
(located inside Juniper                                               Juniper Run to Fern Hammock
Springs Recreation Area)                                          Springs, features spring boils
                                                                                   and semi-tropical vegetation

Timucuan Trail                      1.1 mile loop              Offers interpretive signs,
 (Located inside Alexander                                       semi-tropical vegetation
Springs Recreation Area)                                          and wildlife observation
                                                                                   platforms along
                                                                                   Alexander Springs Run

Pat's Island and the                6 mile loop or             Visits several historical points
Yearling Trail                        2 loops at 3 miles        that inspired Marjorie Kinnan
                                                                                   Rawlings to write The Yearling
                                                                                  

Spring Boils Trail                  1.75 miles                    Leads to an observation platform
(located inside Silver Glen                                         where hikers can view
 Springs Recreation Area)                                          spring boils

Lake George Trail                 2.0 miles                      Follows a path through
(located inside Silver Glen                                         semi-tropical vegetation
Springs Recreation Area)                                           to the shore of Lake George,
                                                                                    the second largest
                                                                                    lake in Florida

Florida National Scenic         86 miles                      Allows access at various
Trail                                                                           trailheads throughout
                                                                                   the forest 


On your visit I recommend that you bring plenty of water to drink, bug repellent, sun screen, a compass or GPS, an official Forest Service Ocala map, a camera and an Audubon Florida Field Guide for flora and wildlife identification purposes.

Proper trail etiquette is recommended:

• Dogs must be on a 6 foot leash and must be well behaved. Beware of snakes and bears.
• Animal and plant life are protected. Do not kill, trap or molest any mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian. Do not pick, cut carve, break off limbs from or mutilate any plant life.
• Pack it in, pack it out.
• Take only pictures and memories
• It is recommended that you not trail hike in certain sections of the Forest when Hunting Season is open.

As you slip through Ocala you might get to experience a bear tending to her cubs on a sandy trail, a whitetail deer with its flag raised high slipping off through the pines or a group of Sandhill Cranes flying overhead sounding their high pitched call.  The wonders of Ocala are plentiful and special gifts from God for all of us to enjoy as often as we can travel through the Forest.

Nature Man Photography brings you the following:

Silver Maple at Lake Lou

Salt Springs

Ocklawaha River Alligator

Juniper Run 

 

 

Alpine Groves Park

Entrance

Picnic Area

Nature Man is pleased to present beautiful Alpine Groves Park located in Northwest St. Johns County between the beautiful St. Johns River and William Bartram Scenic and Historic Highway in Switzerland, Florida. When traveling south on SR-13 the entrance to Alpine Groves Park is on the right (2060 State Road 13) after traveling approximately 4 miles south of the Julington Creek bridge. Alpine Groves has more than 54 acres of natural landscape and scenic views featuring a farm themed playground, picnic area, butterfly gardens and paved hiking trails.


Wildlife
A Great Florida Birding Trail destination, the park provides a natural landscape for taking photographs, painting or observing wildlife. You can find eagles, osprey, owls, wood ducks and many other avian species calling the park their home.

Citrus Packing Barn

History
When you enter the park you step back in time as you view the partially restored house and grounds of a turn-of-the-century homestead and citrus grove under moss-draped oak and magnolia trees on a high bluff overlooking the St. Johns River. Families can also enjoy a covered dock for fishing and taking a journey down the St. Johns River from the park canoe/kayak launch.

On your visit I recommend that you bring plenty of water to drink, bug repellent, sun screen, binoculars, camera and an Audubon Florida Field guide for flora and wildlife identification purposes. The park is open daily from dawn until dusk.

Proper trail etiquette is recommended:

• Dogs must be on a leash and must be well behaved.
• Animal and plant life are protected. Do not kill, trap or molest any mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian. Do not pick, cut, carve, break off limbs from or mutilate any plant life.
• Pack it in, pack it out
• Take only pictures and memories.

Nature Man Photography brings you the following:


Original Sign



Barn



Homestead

Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park

Nature Man, Brother David and Master Naturalist Class

Nature Man invites you to explore one of Florida's newest state parks. Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park offers miles of multi-use trails for hikers, equestrians, off-road bicyclists, as well as canoe and kayak access to Pumpkin Hill Creek. Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park is on the Northside of Jacksonville. The park can be accessed by driving north on the I-295 East Beltway crossing the Dames Point Bridge, exit on Alta Road north, continue on Alta until it turns into Yellow Bluff Road, then turn right on New Berlin Road, followed by a left on Cedar Point Road, then a right on Pumpkin Hill Road and the Parking Lot for Pumpkin Hill Preserve State Park is on the left.  There are three access points to pristine tidal creeks adjacent to the park property.  One provides a hand launch area for canoes and kayaks to access Pumpkin Hill Creek. This canoe/kayak launch is further down Pumpkin Hill Road until it dead ends at the creek. Whether fishing from the shore or boat these creeks have enormous potential for catching species such as redfish, flounder and sea trout.

Turkey Oak

Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park protects one of the largest contiguous areas of coastal uplands remaining in Duval County. The park preserves approximately 4,000 acres of upland habitat bordering tidal marshlands along the Saint Johns River. These upland ecosystems are crucial in maintaining water quality and providing healthy habitat for plants and animals. The abundant wildlife includes the protected gopher tortoise, the endangered wood stork, deer, bald eagle, osprey, raccoons and numerous shore wading and song birds.

Communities
The park contains ten distinct natural communities including scrubby flat woods, cypress dome, sandhills, maritime hammock, wet flat-woods and estuarine tidal marsh. The park is adjacent to the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve managed by the National Park Service, which protects more than 46,000 acres of undeveloped estuarine habitat.


Trails

Cypress Dome

There are five multi-use trails that traverse more than ten miles of the park, all accessible from the main parking area. There is also a short interpretive trail leading from the main parking lot to the Visitor Center, which displays several interpretive themes important to the natural and cultural history of the park. I highly recommend that you take some time out to relax and enjoy all there is to do at Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park.

On your visit I recommend that you bring plenty of water to drink, bug repellent, sun screen, close-toed shoes appropriate for hiking sandy soil, binoculars, camera and an Audubon Florida Field guide for flora and wildlife identification purposes.

Proper trail etiquette is recommended:

• Dogs must be on a six foot leash and must be well behaved.
• Animal and plant life are protected. Do not kill, trap or molest any mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian. Do not pick, cut, carve, break off limbs from or mutilate any plant life.
• Pack it in, pack it out.
• Take only pictures and memories.

In your visit you might get the opportunity to see the bald eagle nest site and witness mom and dad bald eagles feeding their young as I have on previous visits. You might also see a deer slipping thru the turkey oaks, a Pygmy Rattlesnake moving along just off the side of the trail or a Great Blue Heron feeding on the shoreline of Pumpkin Hill Creek. Nature Man Photography brings you the following:




Pitcher Plant

Pygmy Rattlesnake




Sweet Bay (Magnolia)