Devils Fork State Park: Oconee Bell Nature Trail (Blog Hike #841)

Trail: Oconee Bell Nature Trail

Hike Location: Devils Fork State Park
Geographic Location: north of Salem, SC (34.95222, -82.94617)
Length: 1.3 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: April 2021
Overview: A rolling lollipop loop through ravines full of Oconee bell wildflowers.
Park Information: https://southcarolinaparks.com/devils-fork
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=866509
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of SR 130 and SR 11 near Salem, drive SR 11 east 1.6 miles to Lake Jocassee Road and turn left on Lake Jocassee Rd.  Drive winding Jocassee Lake Rd. north 3.8 miles to the park office on the right.  Pay the park entrance fee and park in the large blacktop lot near the park office.

The hike: Protecting 7565 acres most of which are under Lake Jocassee, Devils Fork State Park is best known as providing the only public access for Lake Jocassee, the smaller, deeper, and more isolated of the two large Duke Energy reservoirs in upstate South Carolina.  (Aside: nearby Lake Keowee is the other such reservoir.)  Lake Jocassee is a treasure during the summer because the mountain springs that feed the lake keep the water cool and clear all summer long.  The park features 3 boat ramps, picnic shelters, a playground, and a 59-site developed campground all with excellent lake access.

            For people willing to forsake the lake and head into the surrounding ravines, another more subtle treasure can be found: the endangered Oconee bell wildflower.  The Oconee bell grows only in a few moist streamside areas in the southern Appalachians, and most of its habitat in South Carolina got submerged by the construction of Lake Jocassee.  Nevertheless, hiking Devils Fork State Park's Oconee Bell Nature Trail takes you through the heart of the Oconee bell's remaining habitat.  Although the flowers were not in bloom when I came here on a seasonally warm sunny morning in early April, I saw several clusters of Oconee bell, and I still had a nice hike on a pleasant mountain nature trail.

Trailhead: Oconee Bell Nature Trail

            The trail starts at an information board at the southeast corner of the parking lot.  Some white rectangular paint blazes mark the trail, but the path was easy to follow on my visit.  After descending a short set of steps, the trail curves left and quickly splits to form its loop.  For no real reason, I chose to continue straight and use the trail going right as my return route, thus hiking the loop clockwise.

Hiking into the ravine

            Next you switchback down into the first ravine and pass the first cluster of Oconee bell.  A low plant with serrated leaves, the Oconee bell produces white bell-shaped flowers in early spring.  Numerous interpretive signs identify the Oconee bell and other plants in this forest, which is dominated by oak, hickory, and pine trees.

Cluster of Oconee bell

            After crossing the creek at the bottom of the ravine, you climb up the other side of the ravine to intersect what appears to be an old road.  The trail turns right to begin following the old road, which descends into a deeper ravine.  At 0.5 miles, you cross a short boardwalk that takes you beside a small pond.  An interpretive sign tells you that this pond was built by a farmer in the 1950's and that the pond is being filled in with sediment washed down by the stream.

Old farm pond

            Past the old farm pond, the trail continues downstream and passes some small cascades that are heavily cloaked in rhododendron.  At 0.7 miles, you reach a bench at the lowest elevation of the hike, which is just over 100 vertical feet below the trailhead.  The trail curves right here and begins climbing in fits and starts up a side ravine.  The creek in this side ravine offers some more small waterfalls for your viewing pleasure.

Small waterfall in side ravine

            Near 1 mile into the hike, you cross another short boardwalk near the largest cluster of Oconee bell.  An interpretive sign tells you about the rare flower.  A final climb brings you out of the ravine to close the loop, and a left turn returns you to the parking lot to complete the hike.  While you are here, make sure you take in the views across Lake Jocassee, which is located across the park road from the park office and this trailhead.

Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve: Theodore Roosevelt Area (Blog Hike #840)

Trails: Willie Browne and Timucuan Trails
Hike Location: Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Theodore Roosevelt Area
Geographic Location: east side of Jacksonville, FL (30.36968, -81.48251)
Length: 2.7 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: January 2021
Overview: A lollipop loop rich in natural scenery, wildlife, and history.
Park Information: https://www.nps.gov/timu/index.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=854050
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: On the east side of Jacksonville, take I-295 to SR 116 (Merrill Road, exit 45 southbound or exit 46 northbound).  Exit and go east on SR 116.  Drive SR 116 east 4.4 miles to Mount Pleasant Road and turn left on Mount Pleasant Rd.  The entrance to Timucuan Preserve's Theodore Roosevelt Area is 0.8 miles ahead on the right.  Drive the narrow dirt entrance road 500 feet to the parking area on the left.

The hike: Tucked in a heavily residential area on the east side of Jacksonville, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve protects one of the last unspoiled wetlands on Florida's east coast.  The preserve is named for the Timucua peoples, a group of tribes that lived in this area for more than 4000 years.  When the Spanish arrived in the 1500's, the Timucua occupied 19,000 square miles of land and numbered about 200,000.  By 1800, no Timucua remained, and all we know of the Timucuan way of life is what archaeologists and Spanish records tell us.

            The preserve is divided into several areas, and it includes Fort Caroline National Memorial, Kingsley Plantation, and American Beach.  This hike features the 600-acre Theodore Roosevelt Area, which contains the preserve's best and oldest hardwood forest.  The Theodore Roosevelt Area is a fantastic under-the-radar hiking destination: I came here just trying to squeeze in one more hike on my January 2021 Florida hiking trip, and I ended up having the best hike of that trip.

Vehicle gate at trailhead

            From the Theodore Roosevelt parking area, walk around a metal vehicle gate and continue north on the dirt road, following the blue rectangles.  This road is called the Willie Browne Trail, and the trail is named for the man who lived and owned this land for more than 80 years.  Mr. Browne died in 1970, but by preserving the land in its natural state he ensured that we get to enjoy this area today.  The appeal of this hike quickly becomes apparent: huge spanish moss-draped oak trees line the trail, and a dense layer of palmetto and holly dominates the understory.  The wide dirt road and relatively flat terrain make the going easy.

Hiking the Willie Browne Trail

            After crossing small Hammock Creek on a wide wooden bridge, at 0.5 miles the trail splits to form its loop.  To get to the marsh faster, I chose to turn right and use the left trail as my return route, thus hiking the loop counterclockwise.  Quickly you pass what remains of Willie Browne's cabin site, and some interpretive signs tell you about Mr. Browne and the land's history.

Willie Browne's cabin site

            Past the cabin site, the trail narrows and descends moderately.  Ignore trails that exit left, and at 0.9 miles come out at the marsh that borders the south side of the St. John's River.  An observation platform gives fantastic views across the marsh, and I did some excellent bird watching here that included ibis, egrets, and herons.  Take some time here to see what you can see.

Egrets in the marsh

View across wetland

            The trail ends at the platform, so next you must retrace your steps back to the edge of the woods.  Upon reaching the edge of the woods, instead of continuing back the way you came, angle right to begin the Timucuan Trail, which is marked with green rectangles.  The Timucuan Trail passes over a shell mound similar to those built by the Timucua people, and this trail is steeper and narrower than any trail you have hiked thus far.

Starting the Timucuan Trail

            The Timucuan Trail heads northwest with the marsh visible through the trees on the right before climbing a sandy bluff.  This climb is surprisingly long and steep for the Jacksonville area.  At 1.5 miles you top the bluff, which is almost 100 vertical feet above the marsh.  After a brief descent, you reach a trail intersection with the Spanish Pond Trail at 1.7 miles, where the Timucuan Trail ends.  Turning right would lead just under 1 mile to Spanish Pond and the Timucuan Preserve Visitor Center, but this hike turns left to begin heading back to the Theodore Roosevelt Area.

Back on the Willie Browne Trail

            Marked with red rectangles, the Spanish Pond Trail undulates gently before reaching its southern end at an intersection with the Willie Browne Trail, which goes right and straight.  Turn right on the Willie Browne Trail.  After passing a fairly recent cemetery that contains the grave of Mr. Browne, you close the loop portion of this hike.  Continue straight and retrace your steps 0.5 miles on the Willie Browne Trail to complete the hike.

Turkey Creek Sanctuary in Palm Bay, FL (Blog Hike #839)

Trails: (numerous)

Hike Location: Turkey Creek Sanctuary
Geographic Location: Palm Bay, FL (28.01703, -80.60417)
Length: 3.2 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: January 2021
Overview: A semiloop featuring a long boardwalk through many different habitats.
Sanctuary Information: https://www.palmbayflorida.org/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/86/1647?npage=2
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=853858
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: In southeast Florida, take I-95 to Palm Bay Road (exit 178).  Exit and go east on Palm Bay Rd.  Drive Palm Bay Rd. east 2.3 miles to Babcock Street and turn right on Babcock St.  Drive Babcock St. south 1.1 miles to Port Malabar Blvd. and turn left on Port Malabar Blvd.  Drive Port Malabar Blvd. east 1.1 miles to the signed entrance for Turkey Creek Sanctuary on the right.  Turn right, and park in the sanctuary's parking lot behind the Palm Bay Community Center but before the Palm Bay Library.

The hike: Owned and maintained by the City of Palm Bay, cozy Turkey Creek Sanctuary occupies 130 acres in a heavily residential area of suburban Melbourne.  The sanctuary was established only in 1981, and it protects a wide variety of habitats including sandy pine, hardwood hammock, and creekside floodplain.  The Margaret Hames Nature Center contains some interesting exhibits about these habitats, but it was closed due to the Covid pandemic on my visit.

            Turkey Creek Sanctuary is a stop on the Great Florida Birding Trail, and the sanctuary's locally famous 1.85 mile boardwalk provides a great opportunity for wildlife viewing.  Yet to explore all of the sanctuary's habitats, you will need to hike more than just the boardwalk.  This hike combines an extended trip on the boardwalk with two loops on the sanctuary's dirt trails, thus exploring all the sanctuary has to offer.  While some suburban sanctuaries make for crowded and unremarkable hikes, this sanctuary has so much to offer in addition to the boardwalk that I consider it a hidden gem of a hiking destination on Florida's east coast.

Main trailhead at Turkey Creek Sanctuary

            Start on the mulch trail that goes around the south side of the Nature Center building.  You may want to take a picture of the map on the information board in front of the Nature Center: this sanctuary has many unmarked trails in a small area, and I found the map useful for navigating the trail system.  Stay left at each trail intersection, including the west end of the boardwalk (this hike returns on the boardwalk), to begin hiking the Turkey Oak Trail.  A sign warns that this trail is "primitive," but it was in good shape on my visit, and I had no trouble hiking it.

Hiking the Turkey Oak Trail

            The sandy dirt Turkey Oak Trail winds through the northern part of the sanctuary, which features scrub pine forest with a dense understory of palmettos.  Some traffic noise from nearby Port Malabar Blvd. filters in from the left.  Ignore side trails that exit left, and follow white and brown metal arrows that indicate the main trail.

Spur boardwalk in floodplain

            At 0.6 miles, the Turkey Oak Trail ends at an intersection with the Sand Pine Trail.  Turn left on the Sand Pine Trail to head for the east end of the boardwalk.  On your way to the boardwalk, you pass a short spur trail that exits left and heads for Turkey Creek's floodplain.  This slightly steep spur is worth taking: it provides your only chance on this hike to get down to creek level.  The spur ends at a short wooden boardwalk, where you need to turn around and retrace your steps back to the main trail.

Main boardwalk

            0.9 miles into the hike, you step onto the east end of the boardwalk.  The wooden boardwalk is extremely wide and sturdy, and a pair of overlooks offer fantastic blufftop views of Turkey Creek, which is almost 20 feet below you.  At 1.15 miles, you reach an intersection on the boardwalk with options going straight and left.  To see the entire boardwalk, turn left to begin hiking the boardwalk loop through the hardwood hammock.

Blufftop boardwalk view of Turkey Creek

            The hardwood hammock features some tall oak and palm trees with a dense understory of ferns and vines.  The boardwalk descends slightly and soon reaches another overlook of Turkey Creek, this one closer to creek level.  I saw one of the sanctuary's famous and pesky raccoons from this overlook, and further down the trail I saw a gopher tortoise burrowing in the sand.  After passing the canoe launch area, the boardwalk curves right multiple times before closing the hardwood hammock boardwalk loop.  Turn left to get back to the main boardwalk, then turn left again to complete the first loop at the west end of the boardwalk.

Raccoon

Gopher tortoise

            You step off of the boardwalk less than 750 feet from the parking lot, so if all you want to do is hike the boardwalk, you can continue straight for a total hike of just under 2 miles.  To also explore the sanctuary's southwest corner, turn left to begin the Jogging and Exercise Trail.  As its name suggests, the Jogging and Exercise Trail features several workout stations, and it is similar to what I have seen called a Parcourse Trail in other parts of the country.

Approaching the sanctuary's west boundary

            The trail winds back and forth through sandy, scrubby forest until it approaches the sanctuary's west boundary, where it curves left to intersect a dirt maintenance road.  Turn left on the dirt road to begin heading east with the man-made Melbourne Tillman Canal through the trees on your right.  Upon reaching the cul de sac at the road's end, exit the back of the cul de sac on a narrow single-track dirt path.  The narrow trail winds a couple more times before intersecting the boardwalk's hardwood hammock loop again at 2.7 miles.  Turn left three times on the boardwalk to reach the boardwalk's west end for a third time, but this time continue straight to return to the parking lot and complete the hike.