Southern magnolia towers over rusty lyonia where a painted plaque says 1 MILE. The gentle curves of this path give you time to focus on the forest. Climbing into scrubby flatwoods, you pass Bailout C. Winding through the oaks, the trail passes a mountain bike obstacle, a series of sideways logs. It sweeps through hardwood forest to Bailout D, the last of the crossovers, at 1.7 miles. Becoming more curvy past this point, it slips beneath a low canopy of oaks until you round a bend and can see light through the forest: the first glimpse of the Spruce Creek basin, a marshy cove. You get a good view of the needlerush marsh around 2 miles. As the trail climbs and curves, you catch sight of open water. This is Spruce Creek. At the top of the bluff, at a fenced clearing called Sunset Point, the panorama is simply superb. Traffic noise filters in from I-95, but it doesn’t follow along downstream. Stick with the trail closest to the bluffs.
At 2.3 miles you join the Bluff Trail. This is a primary cross-trail through the preserve, open to all users. The dense understory blocks creek views. Look carefully at the leaf litter, and you might see a cluster of Indian-pipe under the oaks. The path is soft and sandy in places. Curving away from the bluffs, the trail meets a 4-way intersection. On the right is the incoming side of Bailout D, on the left is a meandering mountain bike loop. As it adds mileage without views, pass that junction and follow the broader Bluff Trail. The crossover for Bailout C is just a little downhill. Passing more bike path connectors on the left, you continue downhill to reach 6 Corners, 3.3 miles into this hike. This junction of trails is a decision point. If you follow the path marked West TH, it leads directly back to the trailhead to wrap a 3.7-mile hike. The trail marked East TH leads a couple of miles due east to the Kaye Access trailhead (29.0691, -80.9851), an entirely separate entrance to the preserve with its own set of loop trails.
Turn left to follow the Overlook Trail. It begins a slow ascent through an oak hammock, towards the highest ground in the preserve. When you see a gap between the trees, you’ve arrived at the bluffs. The mound complex stretches upstream along the bluffs from where this trail turns to lead you downstream. Please stay on marked paths to respect the sanctity of this burial site. Field archaeologists still work in these woods, and their finds sometimes lead to rerouting or permanent closure of trails. At 3.7 miles, the first overlook on Spruce Creek provides a glimpse of a crescent-shaped island topped with needlerush and cabbage palms. Continue along the Overlook Trail to catch views of the creek through the trees. The next overlook offers a closer view of the island. The Oxbow Overlook shows you both the sweep of the island and the bluff on which the Spruce Creek Mounds complex sits. One extremely tall pine, jutting well above the forest canopy from the others, is likely atop the biggest mound.
Although the Overlook Trail technically ends at Oxbow Overlook, the path continues. Along its edges, look for deer moss and other lichens thriving atop the sand pine needles and oak leaves. Passing a junction with a bike path, the trail curves near the power lines; water shimmers beyond them. The trail plunges down the bluff to creek level, the sand soft in places. Sweeping uphill along the edge of the salt marsh, it climbs along a creek under the power line. The sand gets softer once you pass a bridge over the creek at 4.1 miles. The bridge leads to another loop favored by cyclists. At the next intersection, another bridge leads left, partly obscured by the soft sand. That’s the more direct route to the Kaye Access trailhead, otherwise posted as East TH on the trail markers. Your car is at West TH, so make a right here instead. Turn left at the next Y intersection to stay on the perimeter trail. There are many small wonders to focus on: orchids clinging to sand live oak branches, the wrinkled leaves of Chapman oak, the sound of an Eastern towhee calling as it scrabbles across the forest floor. Cyclists come around these curves fast, so keep alert. The open area is a portion of the scrub forest that the county has rototilled for habitat restoration. As evidenced by similar work at Lyonia Preserve (Hike 46), it may take years before the forest grows to a height that Florida scrub-jays prefer.
At 4.3 miles, the trail is bisected by a broader path coming in from the power line. This is the Service Trail, the primary equestrian trail. To the right, it leads directly back to 6 Corners. Cross the Service Trail and past it is another trail marker indicating you’re on the correct path to West TH. In the scrub oaks, you’ll pass a MILE 5 sign, although you haven’t walked that far yet. The understory is dense, with sprouts of young silk bay and shiny lyonia. By 4.7 miles, you’re at the southeast corner of the preserve. A directional sign says HORSES and points both to the Power Line Trail on the fence line and into the big open area. This is the last shortcut diagonal along this loop (which is more of a rectangle along the preserve boundary). Cross it. The trail sticks close to the boundary fence briefly before ducking back into the cover of the scrub forest. A long log with a flat top serves as a trail element for cyclists and can be used as a shortcut along a curve. Making a turn as it reaches the fence line along Martin Dairy Road, the trail has another long log to treat like a balance beam. Past the MILE 6 sign, you meet the Service Trail again, on the west side of the big clearing. With occasional peeks to the paralleling road, the trail curves through the scrubby flatwoods, making a loop around the parking area to merge into the Bluff Trail. Turn left to exit, completing a 5.6-mile hike.
To drive to Spruce Creek Park (29.0945, -80.9723) take Martin Dairy Road back to Turnbull Bay Road and make a left. Follow this winding scenic road for 5 miles to US 1. Turn north and continue 4.5 miles to the park entrance on the left.
Palm hammock near the Bird Observation Tower, Rose Bay
Spruce Creek Park/Rose Bay
The gentler of the two hikes, the trail system at Spruce Creek Park and Rose Bay is hiking-only and has been around for a couple of decades. Local school students were recruited to create and maintain the trails. Their schools use the trail system as an outdoor education center, so you may encounter students here on weekdays. Start your hike at the picnic pavilion adjoining the interpretive center; it has restrooms and a soda machine. Continue past the playground to the hiker sign, and cross the boardwalk. Make a right on the graded path. It quickly leads to a sturdy boardwalk looking out across a tributary of Spruce Creek, towards the creek itself.
From the boardwalk, it’s obvious this is a tidal waterway, where fiddler crabs scramble through the soft mud and black mangroves gain a foothold along the water’s edge. The boardwalk ends but the trail continues, passing a sign that explains the Rose Bay Legacy Project and this trail. It’s not far to the Bird Observation Tower, one of the primary reasons to tackle this hike. This coastal flatwood does get soggy during high tides, so don’t be surprised to find squishy spots between the roots of cedar trees and at the base of the palms along its edge. Roots and muck make for slippery going between the bridges; the sweep of the Spruce Creek estuary is visible through the trees. The observation tower is around the next bend, 0.25 mile into this hike. Enjoy the panorama of Spruce Creek as it flows towards Rose Bay through a sea of needlerush marsh. It’s perpetually breezy up top, but a roof provides cover from the sun.
After you descend the steps, two trails lead northeast. The one closer to Spruce Creek tends to stay wet, so take the one that passes the kiosk. The trail beelines towards the pine flatwoods, then curves left to follow the edge of a marsh, rejoining the other trail. Keep right and follow the curve. You enter a shady tropical glade where giant leather fern peeks out from behind a picnic bench. The benches tell you this is an outdoor classroom. Another aspect of this student-developed trail are a series of signs that enable kids to learn how to use GPS, by providing the latitude and longitude of the location, with the same for the location of the next numbered sign. The trail continues its sweep along the estuary, but the saw palmetto becomes too dense under the oaks to afford any views. Walking beneath this corridor of oaks, smell the salt and feel the breeze.
At a T intersection with a forest road at 0.7 mile, make a left. Honeybees cluster on the purple sprays of deer’s-tongue along the edge of
this road. A picnic area occupies a large clearing in a palm hammock. Turn right to take a peek between the mangroves at Rose Bay, part of the estuary system into which Spruce Creek drains. Turn back and explore farther down the trail. Here’s where it gets tricky—it all depends on the tides as to how far you can walk into the mangrove flats. In this unusual habitat, thousands of mangrove shoots are taking root in the mud. Someday, this will be a wall-to-wall mangrove forest. By the time you turn around and get back to the picnic pavilion, you’ve walked a mile. Retrace your route, making a right at the next intersection to follow the main trail back to the observation tower. Take the footpath back to the boardwalk to return to Spruce Creek Park. A round-trip hike from the parking area to the mangrove flats is 1.9 miles.
To extend your hike with more scenic views and birding opportunities, stay on the graded path that starts where the boardwalk ends. It’s an accessible loop that circles this island, which has a campground—open to nonprofit groups only—in the middle. Walking on this forest road beneath the tall pines and cabbage palms, you reach Spruce Creek, where the remains of an old wooden pier form parallel lines into the marsh. Following the loop through the woods, you pass a picnic table before a signpost for the canoe launch. Open water parts the marshes. Walk out on the boardwalk to survey this big curve in Spruce Creek. Two covered platforms provide breezy spots to watch for eagles winging past. A portion of the creek flows into Strickland Bay beneath US 1. Leaving the boardwalk, look for the hiker sign and follow the forest road around the edge of the campground, passing the canoe storage areas. Check in at the office at the campground entrance about canoe rentals. Popping out at the back side of a hiker symbol sign, you emerge onto the park entrance road. Turn left and follow it to the parking area, completing a 2.6-mile hike.
OTHER HIKING OPTIONS
1. Sleepy Hollow (29.0804, -80.9552). South of Spruce Creek Park along US 1, a 0.5-mile loop with several spurs to scenic points offers outstanding views of the estuary and its mangrove islands. Starting near a picnic pavilion, it’s a popular destination for anglers.
2. Bayou Bay (29.0969, -80.9701). Just north of Spruce Creek Park along US 1, a 0.4-mile loop leads to a linear walk on the old highway route along this mangrove-lined bayou. From a set of benches just south of the loop, you can see the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse across the marshes.
3. Oxbow Overlook. Starting at the Martin Dairy Road trailhead (29.0671, -81.0013), follow the Overlook Trail up a well-defined corridor through the oak hammock to the first overlook along the trail for a 1-mile round-trip.
4. Sunset Bluff. Follow the Overlook Trail as above until you get to the trail junction at 6 Corners. Turn left onto the Bluff Trail, which goes straight to the farthest viewpoint along the trail system, the best one from which to watch the sunset. This is a direct version of our Spruce Creeks Bluffs hike, a 2.4-mile round-trip.
5. East Trailhead/Kaye Access (29.0709, -80.9886). Off Creek Shore Trail north of Turnbull Bay Road, the equestrian trailhead at Kaye Access enables you to connect to the larger trail system off Martin Dairy Road. From here, it’s roughly a 4-mile round-trip to hit the overlooks along the Overlook Trail. Park on the south side of the old pasture (29.0691, -80.9851), near the trail kiosk and map, to find a loop to the south. There is another 1-mile loop on the north side of the pasture, and yet another west of the pasture.
CAMPING AND LODGING
New Smyrna Beach RV Park and Campground, 1300 Old Mission Road, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168 (386-427-3581, beachcamp.net)
The Riverview Hotel, 103 Flagler Avenue, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169 (386-428-5858, riverviewhotel.com)
Sea Horse Motel, 423 Flagler Avenue, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169 (386-428-8081, seahorseinnflorida.com)
Lyonia Preserve
Total distance: 2.1 miles along the perimeter of three stacked loop trails. Shorter options possible.
Hiking time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Usage: Free. Open sunrise to sunset. No pets or bicycles permitted.
Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 28.9302, -81.2255
Contact Information: Lyonia Preserve, 2150 Eustace Avenue, Deltona FL 32725 (386-789-7207, volusia.org)
Surrounded by suburban neighborhoods in Deltona, Lyonia Preserve is a Volusia County preserve that’s an unexpected delight. Covering 400 acres of relict sand dunes topped with Florida’s own desert habitat, scrub forest, it hosts a bird unique to Florida, the Florida scrub-jay. Found only in the Florida peninsula, there are less than 9,500 of these brightly colored birds on earth, their numbers diminishing every year due to predation and habitat loss. This preserve is devoted to their favored habitat. Start your hike in the early morning hours and you may see not just one or two Florida scrub-jays but dozens of them, flitting through the oak scrub in search of breakfast.
GETTING THERE
From I-4, take exit 114, Orange City, and go south on FL 472 (Howland Boulevard) for 2.5 miles. Turn right on Providence Boulevard, turning right again after 0.7 mile onto Eustace Ave. The preserve entrance is immediately on the left. The entrance and parking for the preserve is shared with the Deltona Public Library along with an amphitheater and the Lyonia Environmental Center. Park in the parking lot on the right side of the entrance road, as the trailhead is in the far eastern corner of this complex. The environmental center is worth visiting before your hike, to ground you in understanding the habitats along the trail system, the scrub-jays, and the unique karst aquifer beneath all this white sand.
THE HIKE
Start your hike at the kiosk. Scrub plants are identified beside the short walk along the fence line to a covered picnic shelter. When you reach the picnic shelter, turn left and follow the broad firebreak behind the nature center and amphitheater to the original entrance to the loop trail system. Turn right to start the Rusty Lyonia Trail, blazed orange. Although many unmarked trails crisscross the stacked trail system of three loops, care has been taken to mark the main loops and intersections well.
Along the Red Root Trail
Take an immediate left at the first T intersection. The trail rises through a diminutive scrub forest dense with myrtle oak, Chapman oak, and rusty lyonia. Habitat restoration in the past five years has scaled the forest closest to the environmental center down to less than shoulder height on an adult, and taller trees are few and far between. Since scrub-jay families have a sentinel that keeps watch from a high point and alerts the others of intruders, the lack of anywhere for a sentinel to perch means we saw no scrub-jays in this vast swath of extremely short, dense oak scrub.
After 0.2 mile, you reach the upper end of the Rusty Lyonia loop. Continue straight ahead down the scrub-flanked corridor to the intersection with the Red Root Trail, which you now join. Continue straight to keep on the perimeter loop. After you cross a couple of sand roads, used for access to maintain the preserve, the trail reaches a prairie cradled in the scrub, mostly hidden behind a screen of tall bluestem grass with orange stalks. While this was a wetland for a long time, it’s now extremely dry.
The trail climbs a tall rise. Young rosemary shrubs grow along both sides of the path in the bright white sand. Silk bay appears along the trail. The leaves are a dark shiny green on top, with silky-haired red undersides. If you crush one, it emits the aromatic smell of bay leaves used in Italian cooking. This tree is a close relative but is endemic to Florida. At the next trail junction, 0.5 mile into the hike, continue straight ahead to walk the perimeter of the Blueberry Trail. The elevation becomes pronounced. Keep alert for the shrill shreep of the scrub-jays. Watch for a slight depression, a sinkhole hidden in the pines. Notice the scattered scrub palmetto, a relative of the saw palmetto. They differ in that the scrub palmetto leaf stem is smooth and continues into the leaf, ending in a point. Scrub palmettos also have fine tan fibers growing off their leaves, which the Florida scrub-jay will pull and use to build its nest.
After a mile of hiking, you climb a rise to the trail’s high point, looking down on a grassy prairie below
. It’s a steep downhill to the prairie, which is rimmed by a handful of tall slash pines and has a pond in its center. As you round the bend at the base of the hill, you may hear the warning cry of a scrub-jay sentinel. The Florida scrub-jay is a curious bird, and when feeling no threat, may draw close to you. Each pair mates for life, raising its family with the aid of helpers, children of the pair who delay their own breeding to help raise a family. Families travel together across a territorial spread of 25 acres. The scrub-jays are large, eight inches tall. As they flit between trees, they are so bright and colorful it’s like having a flock of parrots surround you. When the family’s sentinel gives another sharp shreep, the birds melt back into the scrub, shuffling across the forest floor in search of acorns, insects, and lizards. Like squirrels, each family gathers caches of acorns to feed themselves during leaner times.
Take a short side trip to look over the prairie. While the water has retreated to its very center, it still attracts sandhill cranes. Crossing several more unmarked sand roads, the trail rises out of dense sand pines into taller oaks, with an understory of blueberries and deer moss. More frequent rosemary scrubs occur, creating small openings between the oaks. Headed downhill through a corridor of young sand pines, the Blueberry Trail meets with the Red Root Trail at 1.6 miles. Make a left to continue along that trail’s western side. After climbing up and over another sand ridge topped with scrub forest, the Red Root Trail heads steeply downhill to reach a junction at a T intersection after 1.8 miles. Turn left.
50 Hikes in Central Florida Page 30
