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Ancient Dunes Trail

Ancient Dunes Trail

At Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine, the Ancient Dunes Trail leads you on a short scramble up and over relict dunes deeply shaded by ancient live oaks

Anastasia State Park  |  St. Augustine
( 29.866475, -81.276222 )      0.7 miles

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Many footsteps have pressed into the sands of Anastasia Island, from the most ancient peoples who thrived on its bountiful shores to the Timucua who explored the coastline in their canoes to and the Spanish explorers who claimed this coast for Spain in 1565. They established what is now the oldest continually occupied European settlement in America, St. Augustine.

In St. Augustine, Anastasia State Park is a favorite, a destination for outdoor recreation along the beach, with a lengthy lagoon for windsurfing, miles of beaches for strolling, sandbars and shallows for swimming, and a campground tucked neatly under the canopy of windswept sand live oaks.

Although there are three potential hikes in this park – including a beach walk and an exploration of the old Spanish quarries – The Ancient Dunes Trail is the official nature trail at the park. It starts at the back of the campground, and provides an up-close look at the native habitats that flourish on this windy shore.


Resources

Resources for exploring the area

North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover50 Hikes in North Florida book coverHikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.


Overview

Location: St. Augustine
Length: 0.7 mile loop
Trailhead: 29.866475, -81.276222
Address: 300 Anastasia Park Rd, St. Augustine
Fees: $8 per vehicle
Restroom: At the lagoonside picnic area and beach parking
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 904-461-2033

Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome. Although mosquitoes can sometimes be a problem, it’s usually breezy enough to keep the bugs at bay.

The trailhead is well-hidden. If you aren’t permitted to park there – or there aren’t enough spaces – use the beach parking and walk back to the trailhead entrance.


Directions

 
From downtown St. Augustine, cross the Bridge of Lions to follow A1A south. Just past the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, the road curves; the park entrance is on the left. Once you’ve paid at the ranger station, continue down the park road towards the campground. Turn right where you see a “Nature Trail” sign, and drive into the campground. After you pass the camp store, continue straight. The road ends at a “No driving beyond this point” sign, with several parking spaces on the right for the trailhead of the Ancient Dunes Trail.

Hike

Starting at the trailhead, turn right to follow the loop counter-clockwise through the maritime hammock. This coastal habitat supports a variety of salt-tolerant species, including yaupon holly, with its dark serrated leaves and bright red berries.

The Timucua once lived along this shore, and used the yaupon as the basis of their “black drink,” a purgative for religious ceremonies. The canopy overhead is tightly knit by the branches of the gnarled and windswept sand live oak and red bay trees that thrive here.

A salt breeze riffles through the branches. The trail continues into an open area, where pine duff from slash pines carpets the footpath. Interpretive markers help point out plant life and potential for wildlife.

Ancient Dunes Trail
Embrace the downhills on the Ancient Dunes Trail

The trail becomes strenuous, thanks to the steep ups and downs through sandy bowls in the ancient dunes. It wanders along the edge of a dune filled with saw palmetto, then drops into it.

At a T intersection, there is a sign pointing to various campsites at this end of the campground, off to the right. Turn left. The trail skirts around a very large sand live oaks.

Inside it, you’ll see a deep hollow, where the glowing form of witches’ butter brightens the interior, the brain-like fungus as orange as a jack-o’-lantern.

More side trails lead off to individual campsites on the right as you continue down the trail beneath the June blooms of southern magnolias, which flourish in the damp spots of the hammock.

After you pass a bench, the trail drops down another steep slope and turns to the left, leading to a staircase down the next dune. You’ve walked half a mile.

Look for American beautyberry showing off pink flowers in summer as you climb up out of the dune, pass another bench, and walk down the next staircase. After 0.7 mile, you’re back at the trailhead.


Trail Map


Explore More!

Video


Slideshow

See our photos of Anastasia State Park


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

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.

Fort Mose Visitor Center

Fort Mose Historic State Park

A little-known chapter in Florida history is that of Fort Mose, the first free African settlement in the South in pre-Colonial America. The settlement site is preserved and interpreted at Fort Mose Historic State Park.

Covered bridge at Princess Place Preserve

Princess Place Preserve

Gentle loop trails showcase wild spaces and cultivated grounds at Princess Place Preserve, an 1880s homestead on Pellicer Creek with a campground on site.

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

Category: Day Hikes, Hikes, Loop Hikes, Nature Trails, North Florida, TrailsTag: Anastasia State Park, Atlantic Ocean, Birding, Dog-friendly, Hilly, St. Augustine

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