2/1/16 update: The Big Oak Trail remains in two fragments due to a private landowner blocking access from CR 141. However, local volunteers are maintaining the loop and have blazed a number of trails across it. Day use parking is permitted at the Suwannee River boat ramp off SW 46th Ave, but it’s not recommended to leave a car there overnight. Backpackers can make use of the loop by hiking the Florida Trail from Gibson Park and overnighting on the peninsula of the Big Oak Trail. Blue blazes connect the Florida Trail to the Big Oak Trail down SW 46th Ave.
The Big Oak Trail is one of the most scenic hikes in North Florida and is part of the statewide Florida Trail. Much of the hiking parallels the Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers, which meet here at a confluence where the Withlacoochee (not to be confused with the one in Central Florida) flows south from Georgia to enter the Suwannee River. Along the loop portion of the hike, there are many deep sinkholes and tall trees, including the namesake Big Oak, which has a base big enough it takes eight people holding hands to circle around it.
Resources
Overview
Location: Ellaville
Length: Up to 8.6 miles
Lat-Lon for Hike #1: 30.385477, -83.168830 (park) or 30.386771, -83.175193 (annex)
Lat-Lon for Hike #2: 30.414222, -83.159629 (boat ramp at SW 77th & SW 46th)
Type: linear and balloon
Fees / Permits: none
Difficulty: moderate
Bug factor: low to moderate
Restroom: none
Directions
For Hike #1, either start as described inside the state park OR take US 90 west over the Suwannee River to the first turnoff, old US 90, to park at the Suwannee River State Park Annex.
For Hike #2, take US 90 west to CR 141. Follow it northwest to cross the Withlacoochee River. It’s a rough series of dirt roads from there (see map) to get to the boat ramp parking area. Use this parking area for day hikes only. Do not leave a car here overnight.
Hike
This hike is now two separate trails because of a landowner blocking access to the peninsula.
#1: Out and back from Suwannee River State Park Annex or main parking area (up to a 5.8 mile round-trip)
#2: Loop trail on the peninsula between the Suwannee and Withlacoochee River (from 4.7 to 8.6 miles)
HIKE #1: BIG OAK CONNECTOR / FLORIDA TRAIL
From the main parking area in Suwannee River State Park, follow the signs to a boardwalk you see in the distance that takes you over the Confederate earthworks. The trail continues to an observation deck overlooking the river confluence, at which point a blue-blazed trail leads south along the Suwannee River. It emerges at a road to cross the railroad tracks (a live railroad line, take caution) and leads you through a small neighborhood out to US 90 and then to Old US 90, where you cross the Old US 90 bridge over the Suwannee River, now open to pedestrians only.
The paralleling railroad bridge was of special concern to the Confederacy, as it was the primary transportation link between Jacksonville and Tallahassee during the War Between the States, key for feeding the troops amassed at Camp Milton near Baldwin. A detachment was sent to what was then the town of Columbus to build protective earthworks at the confluence and set up a small garrison to protect the rail line and the old ferryboat crossing for wagons, below.
Crossing the bridge, you walk along the old highway past a long boarded-up tavern. Turn right to walk down to the Drew Mansion Ruins trailhead. Governor George Drew took office in the aftermath of the Civil War, and escaped from his duties in Tallahassee to relax here on his riverside plantation. The historic home, built in the late 1800s, remained here until just a few decades ago, when an arsonist torched it. A short unmarked loop leads past the ruins of the mansion and a nearby spring. A picnic area provides a place to relax, and this trailhead is your secondary (and free) access to the Florida Trail and the Big Oak Trail. Look for the blue blazes entering the woods west of the picnic area and those will lead you to a junction with the orange blazes of the Florida Trail.
Where the blue blazes meet the orange blazes of the Florida Trail, be sure to turn right (north) to continue. Climbing up an embankment, you come to the railroad tracks and must cross them again. The trail drops down a steep embankment on the other side and enters the ghost town of Ellaville, with the only hints of this timber boomtown bits of broken clay pots and brick foundations. The trail winds out to the edge of the river bluff along the Withlacoochee River and turns to follow it north.
At 2.6 miles, you reach a campsite with a picnic table, fire pit, and river access. It lies very close to a forest road in Twin Rivers State Forest. Continuing to parallel the river, you can see some of the rocky shoals when the water is low. The Withlacoochee is known for rough and rugged kayaking thanks to its shoals, and don’t be surprised to see kayakers at the backpacking campsites. The trail emerges from the deep shade of the river forest at a bridge along CR 141. This is your turnaround point for this portion of the Big Oak Trail, a roughly 7-mile round trip.
| Mileage | Waypoint |
|---|---|
| 0.0 | Suwannee River State Park Annex parking. Follow blue blazes into woods. |
| 0.3 | Junction with Florida Trail. Turn left. |
| 0.5 | Ellaville ghost town. Look for foundations of buildings and wharf remnants in river |
| 1.0 | Withlacoochee River campsite with picnic table |
| 2.1 | Emerge from woods below CR 141. Turn-around point |
| 4.2 | Suwannee River State Park Annex parking |
Trail Map
HIKE #2: BIG OAK LOOP
Since you can no longer access the loop from CR 141, your hike now starts at the boat ramp along the Suwannee River off SW 46th & SW 77th. Follow the blue blazes west a quarter mile to access the Big Oak Loop. When you reach the White Trail, turn left to follow the river. The joy of hiking along the Suwannee River is to be so far up on the bluffs, savoring the views. When you reach the junction with the Yellow Trail after 0.7 mile, keep to the river along the White Trail. Continue along the river’s edge as you reach a landmark, an overhead power line.
After 2.4 miles, at the junction with the Blue Trail, keep to the river along the White Trail unless you want to hike a shorter loop. The Blue Trail passes The Big Oak, which is truly an immense tree and is the namesake of this trail. There are many large oaks along this stretch of the trail, but the Big Oak towers over them all. It took nearly eight people to get their hands around it when we tried to during one group hike.
You can use the Blue Trail and the Yellow Trail to make a 4.7 mile loop back to the boat ramp if you’d like to start heading back at this point. Otherwise, continue into the forest along the Suwannee. When you cross the gas pipeline, the landscape opens up briefly. Star rush peeks out of the taller grasses, and wild indigo grows in large clumps, enjoying the full sun. You can easily see the Suwannee River to your left.
Swamp chestnut oaks, bluff oaks, and large American holly shade this portion of the trail. As you walk along the river, look carefully at the water’s surface to notice the upwelling from numerous small spring vents. Scan the far shore and listen for the sound of flowing water, and you’ll eventually notice Lime Spring on the far shore. Eventually, you can also see the main portion of Suwannee River State Park and its boat ramp on the far side of the river.
At 3.1 miles, the White Trail reaches the confluence of the Withlacoochee River with the Suwannee River. It’s here you’ll find the backpacker campsite, and a short trail down to the confluence itself for water. Keep in mind that this is not a quiet camping spot: trains cross a trestle just around the bend, and as there are two at-grade crossings nearby, they blow their horns as they cross and the sound echoes up the river. But it is a pretty campsite, with picnic table and fire ring.
An old forest road leads out of the campsite and along the Withlacoochee River. Keep following the white blazes. Dropping down towards the river’s edge, you dip through a side channel and come to a series of very deep sinkholes to the right. The deepest sink is nearest the trail, dropping down with sheer rocky sides to an inky pool, a window to the watery confines of the Floridan Aquifer. Continue along the White Trail to enjoy the undulating landscape and views of the Withlacoochee River. Massive bluff oaks and tall yellow pines provide a canopy. One yellow pine sports a broad canopy more than 130 feet above the forest floor.
After you work your way around another set of sinkholes, the trail makes a sharp left away from the river at 5 miles to follow the park boundary fence. You quickly reach the Yellow Trail. You can use that to start your return loop. It follows the gas pipeline easement briefly before re-entering the lush and deeply shaded bluff forests. There are sinkholes and floodplain forests in depressions along this route. Returning to the parking area via the Yellow Trail and White Trail creates a 6.9 mile day hike.
Alternatively, continue a little farther on the White Trail to the Blue Trail. The Blue Trail intersects with the Yellow Trail and joins it briefly before you reach your final decision point: whether to return to your vehicle via the Yellow Trail (much shorter, but away from the river) or the Blue Trail to the White Trail to return along the river bluffs. Returning to the parking area via the Blue Trail and the White Trail creates a 8.6 mile day hike.
| Mileage | Waypoint |
|---|---|
| 0.0 | Boat ramp at SW 77th. Follow Blue Trail west. |
| 0.3 | Junction with White Trail. Turn left. |
| 0.7 | Junction with Yellow Trail. Stay on White Trail. |
| 1.5 | Cross under powerline |
| 2.4 | Junction with Blue Trail. Big Oak. Stay on White Trail. |
| 2.6 | Cross gas line easement |
| 3.1 | Campsite at confluence |
| 5.0 | Leave Withlacoochee River for property boundary fence |
| 5.1 | Junction Yellow Trail |
| 5.2 | Junction Blue Trail |
| 5.4 | Blue and Yellow Trails merge briefly. Join Yellow Trail eastbound. |
| 6.2 | Junction of Yellow and White Trail. Left on White Trail. |
| 6.6 | Junction of White and Blue Trail. Right on Blue Trail. |
| 6.9 | Return to boat ramp parking area. |
Trail Map
Thank you to local trail maintainer Carol Thurlow for providing this map of the newly re-blazed Big Oak Trail Loop.
The Rainbow Swamp
Any suggestions for 2 nights primitive camping?
Use the Florida Trail to hike in from where it meets the Alapaha River – park at Gibson Park and head northbound on the FT – to reach the Big Oak Trail loop. Camp at the peninsula one night. On the return, camp at Alapaha Campsite – which is also on a peninsula, between the Alapaha and Suwannee Rivers – the second night. Enjoy!
Is there any update to the Big Oak Trail and the dispute between the private land owner?
Thanks
We’ll be up in that area this weekend and will check on its status. Thanks for asking.
Hiked the first two miles or so of the loop, going south from the trailhead, December 13th. The Suwannee was way out of its banks and a good deal of the bluff was submerged, the water coming within about six feet vertically of most of the trail, and flooding it in two places. A huge oak (THE big oak?) had fallen across the trail near the trailhead; we tried going over and under, then found a way around the base near the river. This is a really wild stretch of country, a true wilderness hike, and very scenic with the river views. Best to check the river level first, though. It started raining at midnight after our hike and kept up all day, with flood warnings posted for 48 hours in the vicinity.
The trailhead is easy to miss; there’s a graveled turnaround and a big green bulletin board with nothing posted; the small sign for Big Oak Trail is a hundred yards from the road.
Fortunately, that’s not THE Big Oak, which is closer to the peninsula than the trailhead. We look forward to the day when the land use issue is resolved and hikers can once again access the loop from the Withlacoochee River bridge on CR 141
I’m confused by the comments. Is the #1 hike still accessible? I’m hoping to hike to and stay at the backcountry site in that description.
Thanks.
Hike #1 will not get you to the backcountry site unless you commit to walking along highways and back roads through a neighborhood. You must use Hike #2. We strongly suggest you talk to park staff before planning to leave a car overnight at the boat ramp. It is likely far safer to leave your car at Gibson Park and follow the Florida Trail to SW 46th, then join the blue trail to get to the Big Oak Loop. They can clarify or confirm for you.
just curious, how much further is the additional distance on the Florida Trail to the Blue Trail from Gibson Park?
It’s less than 0.2 mi as we recall
I’m very confused. I want to start at the Suwannee River State Park Annex and hike to the Big Oak. Could I please get directions.
You can’t. The link between the Annex and the Big Oak has been severed since DEP did not jump in and buy a crucial piece of land that wasn’t in their hands that folks were hiking through anyway. The new owner or lessee has fenced it off. The only access to the Big Oak is now from the boat ramp on the north shore of the river from the main portion of the state park. Please see the lower portion of this web page for the details on how to get there, and a map.
Apparently portions of the Big Oak and Florida Trails have been rerouted following Hermine. The description of following the blue-blazed trail to the Drew Ruins now describes a maroon-blazed trail. The blue-blazed trail heads E from the parking area to meet the Florida Trail not far from the river.
We went on a hike along this trail today. This is a gorgeous trail, but my goodness, the mosquitos and ticks were relentless. Take a strong insect repellent for this hike, folks.
An update shared by Matt Davis: I hiked the Loop portion on 10/13/12 and the description is correct until you reach the Big Oak. At that point the Trail splits into orange on the right and blue on the left.
The new blue section is the old FT and connector trail, the orange has just been painted over with blue. The new orange appears to run along the Suwannee River and I assume connects with the rest of the FT.
You should update that if you want to make the loop, stay left on the blue and it will take you back to the gas pipeline at the north end of the peninsula. The FT does not connect back up to the blue portion.
Hi Sandra. I plan on hiking this trail for the first time next weekend. I want to hike the loop and camp half way. I need just simple straight forward directions. Should I stop at the ranger station or just print and follow the directions above?
You’ll want to check in at the ranger station first, especially if you are leaving your car overnight at the park so as to let them know you’re doing the hike. They probably have a simple map you can take with you. Have fun!