Last week after rain for almost 3 days straight we got a break in the weather on Friday, so we loaded up and headed to Lake George State Forest. We traveled there in order to hike the Bluffton Interpretive Trail which was a beautiful trail covering a diverse area of the park.
The first thing we did when we arrived at the Lake George State Forest was to have a picnic lunch while admiring the St. John's River. It flows along the edge of the Bluffton Recreation area near the trailhead, and after eating we took the short boardwalk down to the pier to look out across the river. The mosquitos were really thick, and even though that might in part be due to the flooding in the area from all the rain fall, I'd definitely advise bringing some bug spray. However, since we ran out, we managed without.
The trail is just under 1 mile (according to one flyer it is .75 of a mile, and according to another it is 1 mile). We take the trail as well as a few turn offs to explore varies signs along the route. I love interpretive trails, because they always have great informative signs or brochures which give detailed information about plants, animals, and items of historical or cultural significance. This trail had all of the above. There were signs all along the route that identified trees and bushes, shared their distinguishing features and uses. They were a second set of post that were numbered. Each number corresponded with a number in a brochure located at the trail head, giving information about the history of the park and the cultural significance of the area for the Indians and early settlers.
The trail was a bit flooded in places. Near the beginning of the trail a stream out to the river crossed the trail and dropped off in a mini waterfall to flow on to the river below. Some of the nearby side trails also had large puddles that the kids waded through to read information signs. However most of the trail was in pretty good shape, though a little soft at times. We saw a number of different ecosystems, which I found remarkable for such a short distance. Hiking we began along the river bottom, entered a lowland swamp, walked along a cypress track, covered a hardwood area sprinkled with old orange trees, tracked through a slash pine forest, and crossed a Florida scrub before circling back around to our starting point.
Another unique feature of the area was the plethora of what the kids first assumed were snail shells. There are a number of middens in the area full of freshwater shellfish and spiral shells. The kids collected several interesting shells to compare before putting them back for others to enjoy. The area was first explored in 1774 by William Bartram a colonial naturalist, who counted numerous birds in the area. We too saw wildlife while driving through the park. In total, we saw six turkey and four deer, though I suspect the same two deer we almost ran over on the way in were the same two that we saw as we left the park. Fishing is allowed in Lake George State Forest, but not hunting.
If you'd like to make a trip the address to the Bluffton Recreation Area is 2529 St. Johns River Rd, Astor, FL. The state forest is open from sunrise to sunset, everyday. Entrance to the Park is $2 for a car load of up to 6 people over the age of six.
Comments