Florida Hikes

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

Beach on lagoon with dunes in distance

Anastasia State Park Marsh Trail

On the Marsh Trail at Anastasia State Park, sea oats sway in the breeze alongside a scenic path flanked by tall dunes and a saltwater lagoon teeming with wildlife.

St. Augustine (29.870596, -81.275299)   1.3 miles   Anastasia State Park

One of two short loop trails in Anastasia State Park, the Marsh Trail explores coastal grasslands along Salt Run.

The trail passes through a maritime hammock at the north end before looping back to the parking area on a sidewalk next to the main park drive.

Signposted path alongside mangroves on grassy corridor Along a grassy corridor on the Marsh Trail

There are several possible starting points: from the picnic area at Salt Run, from the marked trailhead along Salt Run, or via a connector from the Ancient Dunes Trail trailhead.

A short, scenic connector bridges the two trails with a boardwalk across a mangrove-lined creek near the campground.

Boardwalk in mangroves Boardwalk connecting the two trails

Resources

Resources for exploring the area
North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in North Florida book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover Paddlers Guide Florida
 
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Overview

Location: St. Augustine
Length: 1.3 miles
Trailhead: 29.870596, -81.275299
Address: 300 Anastasia Park Road, St. Augustine
Fees: $8 per vehicle
Restrooms: At the Salt Run day use area
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 904-461-2033

Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome, but not on the beach. Bring bug spray as mosquitoes can be a problem.

Directions


 
From downtown St. Augustine, cross the Bridge of Lions to follow A1A south. In 1.8 miles, turn left onto Anastasia Park Rd, continuing through the gate and past the ranger station for another half mile to the parking area for the trail on the left side of the main park drive, just past Anastasia Watersports.

Hike

Starting at the roadside parking area, head through a gap in the fence where a sign indicates the direction of the Marsh Trail.

Turning left at the edge of a sandy cove, the trail begins along a grassy access road bordered by rushes, glassworts and sea purslane.

Trailhead sign on fence with lagoon beyond Main trailhead for the Marsh Trail

As you round the corner of a tall fence near the day use paddling area, Salt Run comes into view along with the picnic pavilion at the day use area.

Shorebirds flock to the shallow edges of this tidal lagoon, and dolphins are often spotted swimming in the deeper water towards the center.

Waterfront on lagoon with dunes beyond Lagoon at the kayak launch

Veer away from the day use area. A beaten path connects to it. As the trail continues north, relict dunes rise to the west, covered in a dense hammock of shrubby live oaks.

The trail splits into two parallel pathways for a few hundred feet. Choose your adventure! On the low ground, walk across sandy soils where small crabs scurry, or take a mowed grassy corridor above the high tide mark.

Person on sandy path below grassy path Dual pathways

Numerous side paths lead eastward to the mangrove lined shore of Salt Run, providing scenic views of this unique maritime habitat.

At 0.6 mile, turn left at a park sign with an arrow, climbing over the dunes to the paved main park road.

Signs pointing to forest atop dunes Over the dunes

Cross over the road to follow a concrete sidewalk southward, returning to the trailhead in a half mile.

To add more distance, continue south past the trailhead for 0.1 mile and turn right, crossing a short wooden boardwalk to access the 0.7 mile Ancient Dunes loop trail.

Staircase on a forested slope Anastasia State Park Ancient Dunes Trail Scramble sharp inclines and woodland staircases beneath a canopy of ancient oaks and magnolias on the surprisingly rugged Ancient Dunes Trail at Anastasia State Park.

Trail Map

Anastasia Island State Park Trail Map
Green: Ancient Dunes Trail. Red: Marsh Trail. Brown: Old Spanish Quarry. Yellow: Beach Walk.

Explore More!

Learn more about Anastasia State Park

Long stretch of beach with tidal pools Anastasia State Park Anastasia State Park is windswept and sandy, with an arc of beach that stretches four miles to Matanzas Inlet, curving in on itself to face the ancient city of St. Augustine.

Video

Hiking the Marsh Trail at Anastasia State Park

Slideshow

See our photos from the Marsh Trail

Nearby Adventures

Castillo de San Marcos Castillo de San Marcos The only remaining 17th century fortress in North America, the Castillo de San Marcos defended the Spanish colony of St. Augustine from two British sieges in the 1700s.
Wooden fort in a clearing amid old oaks Fort Mose Historic State Park Interpreting the first free African settlement in what would become the United States, Fort Mose educates through storytelling along 1.1 miles of trails and within its museum.
Pines along a coastal estuary Princess Place Preserve Explore wild spaces and cultivated grounds along eight different trails at Princess Place Preserve, an 1880s homestead at Cherokee Grove on Pellicer Creek.
Washington Oaks Gardens Washington Oaks Gardens State Park Notable for its historic landscaped gardens under a canopy of ancient live oaks, Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is also the home of one of Florida's rare rocky shorelines.

Trail Map (PDF) Reserve Campsite Official Website

Chris Stevens
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