Dade Battlefield Historic State Park – Florida Hikes

On December 23, 1835, Main Francis Dade left Fort Brooke (in what’s now downtown Tampa) and led his troops north in the direction of Fort King, Ocala.

This longstanding historic web site interprets what occurred when Federal troops and Seminole warriors clashed in these piney woods.

Interpretive kiosk at Customer Middle

Quiet besides throughout particular occasions, the grounds embody a number of picnic pavilions with monumental stay oaks close by. A nature path loops a patch of pine flatwoods.

The Customer Middle incorporates museum reveals and a film to supply a backdrop for the sequence of battle alongside the historic navy highway.

Exhibit area

A extra visceral option to expertise the battlefield is its annual reenactment in late December, the drama unfolding as narrated by the ghost of Ransom Clark.

“That is the place they killed us all,” he says, striding out of the woods earlier than the primary shot is fired. “And I received to maintain coming again.”

Signal alongside the historic navy path the place the battle occurred

Sources

Overview

Location: BushnellLength: 1.7 mile loopTrailhead: 28.65139, -82.12595Address: 7200 Battlefield Parkway, BushnellFees: $3 per vehicleRestroom: On the Customer Middle and picnic areaLand supervisor: Florida State ParksPhone: 352-793-4781

Open 8 AM to sundown. Leashed canines welcome. Reserve picnic pavilions prematurely. Verify forward regards pageant and reenactment dates.

Instructions

From US 301 in Bushnell, take CR 476 west for 0.5 mile. Flip left on Battlefield Drive, which leads into the park. After paying your entrance payment, bear left, following indicators to the Customer Middle. Park subsequent to it.

Hike

From the kiosk in entrance of the Customer Middle, cross the park highway to a big triangular log construction, an instance of a log breastworks or redoubt.

Bear proper to stroll south alongside the Fort King Highway within the course of Fort Brooke. This path underneath the traditional stay oaks ends at a again gate into the park.

Log breastworks alongside the Fort King Highway

Flip round and stroll extra slowly, imagining 5 days of strolling by the wilds of Florida in a winter chill underneath a heavy load.

Dade’s troops have been headed to Fort King to bolster the insufficient forces there in opposition to the belief of an Indian rebellion.

The truth is planning to kill the Federal agent at Fort King in response to the federal government’s Indian elimination coverage, the Seminoles tracked their motion.

On the time, this was an open flatwoods

Move the milepost in the direction of Fort King to comply with of their footsteps. A development of small interpretive markers walks you thru the battle.

The troopers resumed their march the morning of December 28. They stepped right into a entice. Not less than 180 Seminole warriors participated within the ambush.

From behind the oaks and pines, a lethal rain of fireside killed half of Main Dade’s command. He didn’t survive the primary assault.

Interpretive marker alongside the trail

Crossing a stone footbridge from the Twenties, notice the memorial markers forward for the fallen officers, together with Main Dade.

His troops regrouped, tending to the wounded, constructing a hurried breastworks for cover.

Inside six hours, a second assault sealed their destiny. Of 108 troops, solely three soliders escaped with their lives, together with Ransom Clark. They returned to Fort Brooke.

Stone bridge

The fallen troopers weren’t buried till seven months later, when Normal Gaines introduced in troops to take action.

In 1842, Military officers and enlisted males raised funds to have them reburied within the St. Augustine Nationwide Cemetary.

Move the memorials, which mimic the cannon initially used to mark the cemetery right here.

markers like inverted white cannons under oaks

Memorial markers

Eighty years later, Choose James Koonce was instrumental in preserving this property as a state memorial.

The path ends on the park highway. A fast tenth of a mile spherical journey to the entrance gate permits you to examine the distinctive archway up shut.

Ornate entrance arch

Proceed alongside the park highway alongside its right-hand department in the direction of the picnic space, heading underneath the pines to the parking space by the restrooms.

Reaching the Nature Path signal at 0.6 miles, comply with these particulars to hike the Pine Flatwoods Path, an interpretive stroll within the woods.

Stone monument in hammock behind stone bridge

Dade Battlefield Historic State Park The Second Seminole Battle sparked amid the longleaf pines in these woods close to Bushnell, the place Federal troops and Seminole warriors met on December 28, 1835.

Finishing it by 1.4 miles, stroll straight forward into open inexperienced area, passing an infinite stay oak with benches beneath it.

Goal for the Chief Jumper picnic pavilion. On its east aspect, uncover a deeply catfaced longleaf pine trunk on a towering pine.

Catfaced pine

Cross the parking space and head in the direction of the enclosed pavilion sheltered underneath a cover of stay oaks.

Go behind it. Past the picnic tables, a brown signal factors in the direction of a small stone bridge over a ditch.

Picnic space behind the pavilion

Returning in the direction of the Customer Middle on this path, bear proper on the signal for the Historic Oak Tree.

This broad path inside a dense understory underneath massive stay oaks opens up right into a clearing with the most important oak of all of them.

Historic Oak turnoff

Given its measurement, it could have been younger when the battle occurred. Stroll round its spectacular base. Its thick limbs are furred with resurrection fern.

Bear proper in entrance of it to proceed a brief loop underneath the oak cover again to your start line, exiting to the Customer Middle after a 1.7 mile hike.