More than 1,200 acres and largely swamp, Bulls Bay Preserve extends south of the Jacksonville-Baldwin Trail to Old Plank Rd to the south, and east to Imerson Rd.
With some of the more radical elevation changes in the region, a chain of five named loops off Old Plank Road climb up and down the bluffs above the basin.
The trail system was built and is maintained by mountain bikersAnchored by a natural waterfall at one end and some mean grades savored by mountain bikers in the middle, it can be tricky to follow.
Some trails are marked one way for cyclists. Others are social trails that lead the unwary astray.
Our route roughly follows the perimeter of the loops from west to east.
Elevation changes are a delight on this hikeResources
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Overview
Location: Northwest Jacksonville
Length: Up to 1.5 miles
Trailhead: 30.328491, -81.782158
Address: 8017 Old Plank Rd, Jacksonville
Fees: Free
Restroom: Vault toilet at trailhead (unusable on our visit)
Land manager: City of Jacksonville
Phone: 904-255-7919
Open sunrise to sunset. No pets, please. Be alert for mountain bikers: cyclist activity is busiest on weekends.
Take a photo of the map kiosk to orient yourself as you explore, although the layout of the trails does not exactly match the map.
Directions
From Interstate 295 west of downtown Jacksonville, take exit 21B onto Interstate 10 west. In 1.4 miles, take exit 355 for Hammond Blvd. Turn right and continue a quarter mile to US 90. Turn right and drive a half mile to Jackson Ave. Turn left and follow it a half mile to Old Plank Rd. Turn right and continue a quarter mile to the trailhead on the left.
Hike
After a look at the map kiosk at the trailhead, proceed to the other end of the parking area to start the Waterfall Loop, marked in blue.
Pass a pair of picnic tables tucked into a clearing as you enter a lush hardwood hammock. Round a bend past a cluster of ferns.
Start of the Waterfall LoopSweetgum, oaks, and loblolly pines form a high shady canopy. Turn past a split-rail fence and walk beneath a mulberry tree.
Hemmed in by ferns, the leafy path narrows as the sound of trickling water echoes ahead. Ducking under vegetation, emerge on a bluff with a pool of tannic water below.
Bluff above the waterfallBarely visible from this angle, a waterfall cascades down a rock face. Take a beaten path to the left to the top of the rocky escarpment for a view from above the falls.
The flow is seasonally dependent on rainfall, but it drops at least six feet. Backtrack to the bluff and continue along the Waterfall Loop.
Standing above the waterfallA thicket of vines and wildflowers obscures the ravine below. Sword ferns mark a return to the hardwood forest, where an abundance of social paths causes confusion.
One is blocked by a split rail fence. Another veers back upstream along the creek, crossing at the base of the ravine.
Presumably it loops to the waterfall but it’s not on the map.
Hikers following the off-map crossingTurning right at the base of a tall pine, take the broad path following the escarpment along the rim of a fern-filled basin.
A parade of species occupy this moist space, from masses of marsh fern to sprays of cinnamon fern to clusters of netted chain fern to large, showy southern woods fern.
Fern basinA quarter mile into the hike, reach the Waterfall Loop junction sign. Take the Connector Trail to continue along the bluff above the creek basin.
Now more obvious beyond the ferns, the stream braiding below is a tributary of the Trout River. Meet a sign for the Live Oak Loop and continue past it.
Stream belowCurving along the creek basin, the narrow footpath reaches the massive base of a towering loblolly pine where the trail splits.
A narrow path keeps following the creek. A broader one meets the Live Oak Loop at an unmarked junction.
Trail junctionWe turned left onto the Live Oak Loop, but soon discovered a right turn was the appropriate choice.
Walk counterclockwise on this loop, the direction of travel for cyclists, climbing the bluffs out of the basin to its junction with the Old Plank Trail.
Hairpin curve of a trail junctionMake the very sharp left. Denoted with pink markers, Old Plank Trail is the flattest of the trails. Pass the other end of the Live Oak Loop.
The crazy steep ramp plunging down the bluff at the “Caution Drop” sign makes it obvious why not to walk that loop clockwise.
Dropoff best left to cyclists on the Live Oak LoopMeeting a junction marked “Bike Path,” veer right where the Old Plank Road arrow points the way.
Dense with Southern magnolia, this corridor is close to the road, sheltered from it by the forest but noisy as vehicles pass by.
Stay right at this junctionComing up and over a small hill, enter a clearing with a gate to the road. Continue straight ahead per the arrow.
Thread between the bases of tall pines among mounds of grapevine, meeting the junction with the Lily Pond Loop. Turn left to start this scenic loop.
Lily Pond Loop junctionDescend gently into the pine forest on a needle-strewn footpath. The straightaway leads to a T intersection with a sign pointing right.
The path soon splits around a cluster of bluestem palm. Veer left for a short, easy loop on the cushiony pine duff through the mesic flatwoods, completing it at 0.7 mile.
The short loop in the pinesReturning to the T intersection, proceed straight ahead in the opposite direction of where the arrow is pointing.
Grapevine consumes the understory beneath the pines, the pathway winding through it towards a bright sky beyond the pines.
Pathway towards the bright skySkip past an unmarked trail on the right to emerge on a bluff. Head towards its edge to find a bench overlooking a lily-dotted pond.
Take the trail to the right, veering away from the pond at the junction. Descend the forested bluff down a steep slope.
Bench at the lily pondCurving beneath the pines and oaks, the path meets a T intersection. Turn left to loop back along the outflow of the pond.
A puzzle of marsh coalesces to open water as you climb along its edge. Tackle a steep grade, returning to the bluff with the bench at 0.9 mile.
Walking along the marshExit along the path that led you here, as the others uphill are marked “Do Not Enter” for one-way cyclist traffic.
Back at the initial intersection along the Lily Pond Loop, turn right to exit uphill to the Old Plank Trail.
Leaving the Lily Pond LoopMake a left to continue on to the Bridge Loop, the final loop in the chain. Reaching a broad bridge over a fern-edged creek basin, cross it and stay left as the loop begins.
Sweetgum and hickory rise tall amid the pines. Winding between sprays of cinnamon fern, return to the bridge within a quarter mile.
Bridge to the Bridge LoopRetrace the short connector through the pines. At the junction with the Lily Pond Loop, veer left on the Old Plank Trail to walk past the boundary gate.
Slip between the grapevines to emerge at the top of the steep grade on the Live Oak Loop.
Continue through a lush oak hammock, emerging at the trailhead after 1.5 miles.
Reaching the trailhead. Trail on the right is the other end of the Waterfall Loop.Trail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking Bulls Bay Preserve
Slideshow
See our photos from Bulls Bay Preserve
Nearby Adventures
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