From the excessive floor of the traditional Bulow Hammock, the Fairchild Oak Path descends by way of freshwater marsh to a ribbon of pine-palm flatwoods within the creek basin.
In keeping with signage, it continues on to Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park as a 6.8 mile linear hike, the place it’s signposted because the Bulow Creek Path at that trailhead.
Estuarine cove under the bluffNonetheless, that route has been damaged in two for a few years, the Cisco Ditch a barrier requiring a brand new bridge.
As an alternative, join the trailheads between the Fairchild Oak and Walter Boardman Ln, with an added round-trip to fairly Boardman Pond, as a round-trip or linear hike.
Forest alongside the bluff portionSources
Overview
Location: Ormond BeachLength: As much as 4.7 milesTrailhead: 29.388088, -81.131385Address: 3351 Previous Dixie Freeway, Ormond BeachFees: FreeLand Supervisor: Florida State ParksPhone: 386-676-4050
Open 8 AM to sundown. Leashed canine welcome; choose up after your pet. Bicycles permitted. Use insect repellent and a mountain climbing stick.
The Walter Boardman Lane trailhead [29.406772, -81.123410] has restricted parking. Don’t block the gate.
If it’s rained just lately, count on mud alongside the primary mile. If the mud is an excessive amount of of an obstacle, hike this in reverse for a two-mile round-trip to the causeway.
Instructions
Hike
After a go to to the spectacular Fairchild Oak, head for the big signal marking this path line-of-sight north past the picnic pavilion within reach of the parking space.
A nice, dry stroll on an outdated forest highway underneath the cover of this historical hardwood hammock, the trail begins in dappled shade.
The Fairchild OakStroll underneath swaying streamers of Spanish moss. As the cover opens, patches of grass develop between the oaks and cabbage palms.
House to old-growth bushes, Bulow Hammock perches atop a low bluff west of the Halifax River basin.
Begin of the pathThe place cabbage palms take over the understory, seepage springs infuse the earth, turning the path to mud. The place park autos have pushed by way of, the mud is even deeper.
Hummocks of grass and fronds laid down by different hikers could assist traversing it, however this mud is a contemporary phenomenon.
Mud from seepage springsWe suspect adjustments to groundwater movement as a result of close by improvement. Nonetheless, the fantastic thing about this historical hammock makes it value tackling.
Quickly the trail turns into grassy once more. At a pointy proper flip at 0.6 mile, gravel spills throughout the path. Begin a definite downhill off the bluff.
Downhill from the bluffOn the descent, the habitat shifts to floodplain forest, the pathway changing into a causeway flanked by darkish waters.
Having developed in historical swales inland from Bulow Creek, the lily-dotted swamps at a mile are in a north-south line with Boardman Pond.
Freshwater marshWhen the sky opens up forward, the wonder spot of this path turns into obvious.
The causeway narrows throughout a broad salt marsh basin with open water, lined on its far shores by pines and cedars.
Bridge on causeway in estuaryThis showy cove is a part of a puzzle of marshes the place Bulow Creek meets the Halifax River to the southeast.
Anticipate puddles within the swales of the causeway earlier than and after the picket bridge over a tidally-influenced creek at 1.4 miles.
Looking in the direction of the Halifax River basinReaching treeline on a peninsula into these huge marshes, proceed underneath a lush cover of oaks and pines to slide previous gate B-13 on the left.
Proceed the curve, leaving the forest highway that continues straight forward to go north, parallel to the creek basin.
B-13 gateMeet a bench at a second forest highway intersection at 1.5 miles. The loop made by these two roads as soon as led to a primitive tenting space.
It was established by the Florida Path Affiliation within the Seventies when native volunteers constructed this path system.
Palm hammockProceed straight previous the shaded bench onto a nice, dry pine-needle strewn forest highway beneath tall slash pines in a pine-palm flatwoods.
Just a few of the pines adjoining the path are true giants. The place cabbage palms encompass the trail, there’s a sometimes-damp swale.
StraightawayCurving previous an interpretive signal into an archway of oaks, attain the gate at Walter Boardman Lane at 2 miles.
Both flip round right here or proceed throughout the highway so as to add a simple 0.7 mile round-trip to showy Boardman Pond.
Exit and path on different facet of highwayThis portion of the path is essentially underneath the oak cover, with a marked facet path resulting in an statement deck alongside a big brackish pond nestled among the many palms and pines.
Return the way in which you got here, uphill this time from the creek basin, for a spherical journey of both 4 or 4.7 miles.
Boardman PondPath Map
Discover Extra!
Be taught extra about Bulow Creek State Park
Bulow Creek State Park At Bulow Creek State Park, stroll among the many ancients in Bulow Hammock, beginning with the imposing Fairchild Oak, certainly one of Florida’s largest dwell oak bushes.Video
Following the Fairchild Oak Path
Slideshow
See our pictures from the Fairchild Oak Path
Close by Adventures
North Peninsula State Park Neatly accessed by way of a scenic drive extending north from Ormond Seaside, North Peninsula State Park has two tantalizing miles of oceanfront alongside a palm-rimmed line of dunes.
Bulow Creek Path A linear hike between state park day use areas at Bulow Plantation Ruins and Bulow Creek, the Bulow Creek Path parallels the movement of a freshwater creek close to the oceanPath Map (PDF) Official Web site
Articles collectively researched, written, and photographed by Sandra Good friend & John Keatley, Florida authors and publishers of FloridaHikes.com.
