Yellow Trail, Rye Preserve – Florida Hikes - Primal Outdoor Members Portal

The county’s oldest protect, Rye Protect distinguishes itself by its location alongside the banks and bluffs of the higher Manatee River.

As soon as referred to as Rye Wilderness, its wild environment have ceded to subdivisions crowding as much as two of the protect’s boundaries.

Bluff above the higher Manatee River

These 530 acres stay an oasis for wildlife, with 4 distinct habitats and the remnants of a pioneer settlement to be discovered alongside its trails.

The trailhead for the Yellow Path, which follows the river bluffs, additionally gives entry to a pair of trails exploring the 1840s settlement and its cemetery.

Orange Path

Assets

Overview

Location: Fort HamerTrailhead: 27.509705, -82.358808Address: 905 Rye Wilderness Path, ParrishFees: Free to enter. Tenting payment.Restroom: On the park officeLand Supervisor: Manatee CountyPhone: 941-748-4501

Open dawn to sundown. Leashed canine welcome. All trails are multi-use.

Test in on the ranger station between 3-7 PM for a campsite throughout tenting season, Sep-Might.

Instructions

From Interstate 75 at SR 64 in Bradenton, observe SR 64 east for 4.2 miles, passing via one visitors circle earlier than reaching a second one the place you make a flip onto Rye Rd. Proceed one other 3.4 miles, crossing the river bridge at Fort Hamer earlier than turning proper onto Rye Wilderness Path. Proceed previous the primary parking space with the playground and picnic tables and a pedestrian crossing earlier than a bridge. The street jogs, and the trailhead is on the precise.

Hike

Earlier than tackling the Yellow Path, begin with an immersion into the previous. Stroll up the park street past the trailhead to the Rye Settlement Path signal.

The City of Rye historic marker explains how the settlement started within the mid-1840s with Erasmus Rye, who left to struggle for the Confederacy within the Civil Conflict.

Historic marker

After his launch from a POW camp, Rye returned and constructed a home alongside the creek the park street crosses. Proceed previous this trailhead up the street to the fence.

Flip left to observe an extended, straight two-track to the Rye cemetery, reaching it after 0.4 mile. Set within the forest, it’s bounded by a white picket fence.

Rye Cemetery

Erasmus and his household are buried right here, together with different settlers. Return alongside the identical straightaway however take a proper on the Orange Path signal at 0.6 mile.

This loop can be referred to as the Rye Settlement Path. It winds via considerably rugged terrain to drop into the floodplain of Rye Creek close to the place the Rye homestead stood.

Rye Creek

Climbing away from creek stage, the slender singletrack leads from scrubby flatwoods into bluff forest.

Curve within reach of a giant pipe over the creek to parallel the park street and emerge right into a scrub forest with vivid white sand.

Scrub alongside the Orange Path

Attain the walk-through hole on the historic marker, returning to the Yellow Path trailhead after 0.9 mile.

Now begin the Yellow Path, a second 0.9 mile route. It loops into the bigger landscapes of the protect to indicate off the river from excessive bluffs, however is difficult to observe.

Entry level for the Yellow Path

Stroll via the hole on the trailhead right into a scrubby flatwoods. On the first Y intersection at a Yellow Path signal, bear proper.

Flip left on the subsequent junction, coming into a palmetto prairie the place the two-track is flanked by two tall pines. Jog left on the subsequent Yellow Path signal.

Yellow Path signal

A scrub-edged hall involves a T intersection 1 / 4 mile from the trailhead inside view of what appears like a pasture past a fence.

That grassy expanse is a part of a fancy under the Lake Manatee dam. Flip proper.

Ranchland by the dam

Strolling via sand pine scrub, bear proper on the subsequent junction. A Yellow Path signal quickly confirms that selection. Meet a T intersection and switch left.

Make the primary proper. You’ve lastly reached the explanation to sort out this path, the stroll alongside the river bluffs.

View from the bluffs

Not apparent at first, the views open up shortly, the waterway a shocking drop under.

Due to the frenzy of water via this basin after some extreme hurricanes, the bluffs are undercut and deeply eroded in spots. Keep away from getting near the sting.

The footpath skims the bluffs

Savor the views as they’re often supplied, the two-track paralleling the river’s downstream circulation.

A showy curve at a half mile is the place the path splits once more. Hold left to stroll a footpath via a tunnel of bushes.

Curve within the river

Sand dwell oaks swaddled in bromeliads make up a lot of the low cover. Cross by pines of great girth. A T junction tempts with a broad path to the left.

Proceed on a pleasant stroll via the bluff forest. It opens right into a clearing below tall oaks and pines, with extra views of the river from these open bluffs.

Woodland atop the bluffs

From this promontory, slender paths result in river stage and into the woods. It’s simple to get misplaced on this nook of the protect, so backtrack on the broad path.

Cross the incoming slender path on the precise. Bear left and emerge at a clearing by a gate.

Exit alongside the hall paralleling the street

Proceed straight forward to stroll parallel to the park street to return to the Yellow Path trailhead after 0.9 miles, 1.8 miles for each hikes.

For those who haven’t but tackled the Crimson Path, drive as much as the day use space for its 0.8 mile loop between the river and a scrub ridge.

Scrub alongside the Crimson Path

Path Map

Rye Preserve Trail Map — Crimson: Crimson Path. Yellow: Yellow Path. Orange: Orange and Cemetery Trails.

Discover Extra!

Study extra about Rye Protect

Rye Protect One in every of Mantee County’s oldest preserves, Rye Protect provides seasonal tenting alongside the Higher Manatee River together with brief nature trails.