A well-known signal to vacationers alongside US 1 between New Smyrna Seaside and Port Orange beckons guests onto an island within the Spruce Creek basin.
On it, Spruce Creek Park gives not only a good breezy stroll however a spot to launch a kayak, take pleasure in a picnic, or go fishing or birding from its lengthy pier.
Remark decks on the Spruce Creek pierAlong with a straightforward, largely stage waterfront loop with scenic views, the park is the only gateway to the Rose Bay Path inside Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Protect.
Accessed through a protracted boardwalk by the Environmental Heart, that path gives a separate 1.9 mile round-trip north to the sting of Rose Bay.
The kayak launch adjoins the park’s pierAssets
Overview
Location: Port OrangeLength: 0.8 mile loopTrailhead: 29.09450, -80.97230Address: 6250 Ridgewood Ave, Port OrangeFees: FreeRestroom: On the trailhead picnic pavilionLand supervisor: Volusia CountyPhone: 386-736-5953
Open dawn to sundown. Leashed canines welcome. Mosquito repellent a should.
A bunch campground in the course of the park is open to organized nonprofit teams. Reserve by telephone.
Instructions
Hike
Be a part of the perimeter path round Spruce Creek Park by taking the boardwalk with the hiker image simply past the picnic pavilion.
Meet a T at a shell path. To the precise, the trail results in the boardwalk into Spruce Creek Protect accessing the Rose Bay Path.
Entry level for hikeEven in case you plan to save lots of that separate 1.9 mile hike for final (it may be soggy), go to the boardwalk to absorb the expanse round a tidal creek from an statement deck.
Flanking US 1, Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Protect encompasses an enormous expanse of coastal estuary dotted with islands.
Boardwalk to Rose Bay PathThe mangrove forest surrounding US 1 makes the interconnections between the creek and the Halifax River close to Ponce Inlet much less apparent.
At evening, nonetheless, the swing of the navigational lamp atop the Ponce Inlet lighthouse is a reminder of the shut proximity of the Atlantic Ocean.
The boardwalk is an effective birding spotBacktrack to the shell path to start the loop round Spruce Creek Park. It passes behind the environmental middle.
As soon as it comes into view of the parking space, the width expands to that of a street. Keep to the precise the place paths diverge.
The outer pathTall, spiky slash pines rise above a coastal panorama of crimson cedar and cabbage palms, the understory dense with yaupon holly and shrubs.
Observe the curve because it turns in the direction of the mature pine forest close to the guts of this island.
Tall pinesWeaving previous oaks and pines, come to a spot the place a pier as soon as stood, the primary glimpse of Spruce Creek itself alongside this loop.
A bit past it’s the kayak launch space, parking to the left and the slip into the estuary between the mangroves on the precise.
Kayak launchTake the subsequent proper to stroll out on the pier. Constructed for each statement and fishing, the picket decking extends properly out throughout the estuary.
Attain its finish 0.4 miles into this hike, hovering above the sturdy stream of Spruce Creek.
One of many statement decks on the finish of the pierTake within the expanse of estuary earlier than returning alongside the pier. Whereas not roofed, the benches halfway alongside its size are a pleasant birding spot.
Assembly the loop path, flip proper. Stroll beneath towering pines as the trail makes a circuit across the group campground.
Benches on the pierAt 0.7 miles, a pointy flip west detaches the trail from the perimeter of the island, sending it previous a gap into the campground.
Stroll previous the park workplace, the place a stack of canoes are on the prepared for youth teams. Rising on the park street, bear left.
CampgroundFlip proper on the cease signal to stroll into the trailhead parking space, concluding this 0.8 mile circuit.
Increase on this hike by additionally tackling the 1.9 mile round-trip to Rose Bay throughout that preliminary boardwalk visited on this loop, or the half mile typically soggy round-trip to the statement tower.
Begin it on the hiker signal by the picnic pavilionPath Map
Discover Extra!
Be taught extra about Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Protect
Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Protect Defending miles of frontage alongside the sinuous path of Spruce Creek, Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Protect gives a various assortment of trails to discover. Video
Mountaineering Spruce Creek Park
Slideshow
See our pictures from this hike
Close by Adventures
Doris Leeper Kaye Entry to Bluffs Discover a really scenic nook of large Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Protect on a trio of loops extending 3.6 miles from historical oak hammocks to excessive bluffs above the creek.
Smyrna Dunes Park At Smyrna Dunes Park, this 2.4-mile hike scenic coastal hike is basically alongside an accessible boardwalk, with facet journeys off to the ocean and inlet through extra rugged approaches.
Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens Bromeliads, cacti, and dinosaurs, oh my! Step again in time venturing verdant Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens, with a historic sugar mill and a pure hammock edged by lush gardens. 
Canaveral Nationwide Seashore Canaveral Nationwide Seashore protects 58,000 acres of maritime hammocks, dunes, and shoreline north of Cape Canaveral, a pure sandy cape that shaped the place ocean currents meet.Official Web site
Articles collectively researched, written, and photographed by Sandra Pal & John Keatley, Florida authors and publishers of FloridaHikes.com.
