It’s that time of year again – the weather in Florida is approaching its absolute best for being outdoors. Mosquitoes are disappearing, the air is drier, and the next few months promise to be much better outdoors. Here in north Florida, we still get some chilly days, so a t-shirt and shorts won’t always do. […]
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Yellow Bluff Fort
Hidden alongside a road that winds its way under the interstate, is an old Civil War battlement. Yellow Bluff Fort is an old earthwork, since eroded and over-grown alongside a turn in the river. At its peak, this strategic location contained large guns and 250 soldiers. Now, this park is a quiet and largely unused […]
Dames Point Park / El Faro Memorial
Tucked away under the highest bridge in Jacksonville is a small river front park: Dames Point Park. This park offers a view across the river to Quarantine Island and the river traffic coming and going from Blount Island. Most notable, however, is the memorial for the El Faro. The MV El Faro, a cargo ship, […]
Stockton Park
A quiet and well appointed feature of the Ortega Riverfront is Stockton Park. This park is popular place to fish or have a picnic with a river-front view. This area has taken occasional damage from past hurricanes and flooding – there are still a couple of spots that are taped off due to repairs. From […]
Cedar Point
At the southern tip of Black Hammock Island, Cedar Point is the only part of the new 7 Creeks Recreation Area that is a part of the National Park Service. The entrance to the hiking area lies at the very end of Cedar Point Rd, just beyond the boat ramp area that is accessed to […]
Betz-Tiger Point Preserve
At the end of a gravel road in the newly created 7 Creeks Recreation Area, Betz-Tiger Point Preserve is a quiet park along the marsh featuring bike trails, horseback riding, and fishing. Pumpkin Hill Road’s pavement ends and once the gravel starts, you’ve entered the park. Just within the entrance is the first structure – […]
Camp Milton Historic Preserve
Just across the street from the Halsema Rd access for the Baldwin Rail Trail lies Camp Milton – roughly the midpoint of the trail. Camp Milton, a Confederate Army encampment during the American Civil War, played a pivotal role in the region’s history. It was established in 1862 and served as a strategic location for […]
Ravines Gardens State Park
About an hour south of Jacksonville, the geology and landscape changes slightly. Approaching the central part of the state, natural springs become more plentiful. While the spring here isn’t on the scale of say, Ginnie Springs or Silver Springs, the ravine it carved out over the years is impressive, and is worthy of an afternoon […]
Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail
The Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail caters to a number of hobbies – primarily cyclists, but also hikers and horse-back riders. Starting from the east end at 1800 Imeson Road, the paved path is generally straight for 14 miles until it ends to the west in the town of Baldwin. Unless you’re a cycling enthusiast, the entire […]
Jacksonville Riverwalk
March 2021: The Jacksonville Riverwalk is a quiet, underutilized piece of downtown Jacksonville that has has some recent additions and improvements over the last few years. Consisting of the Northbank and Southbank that run parallel along the river and are connected but the Main Street Bridge and the Acosta bridge, a full circuit of the […]