What is now Carl Duval Moore State Forest was intended to be a state park by the lifelong resident of Mannville who’d gifted this tract of land to the state in his will.
His 126 acres bordering Up & Down Lake was combined with another gift by Mr. Moore to make up a state forest bearing his name.
More lands have been added in the past several decades to create a 336 acre state forest, one of Florida’s smallest.
Sandhills and xeric oak hammocks dominateOf the two trails on the forest, this hike on the North Tract to Up & Down Lake is a beauty, with interpretive markers along it identifying many types of trees.
While this Trailwalker loop is shown as 1.2 miles on the kiosk map, following signage and blazing resulted in a quarter-mile shorter route. A trail map is a must.
Interpretive markerResources
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Overview
Location: Mannville
Length: 0.9 or 1.2 miles
Trailhead: 29.635289, -81.869937
Address: 434 N West St, Interlachen
Fees: $2 per vehicle
Restroom: None
Land manager: Florida State Forests
Phone: 386-329-2552
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome. The parking corral is very small.
Directions
From the junction of SR 19 and SR 20 in Palatka, drive west along SR 20 for 11.9 miles to Mannville. Turn right onto West St, an unpaved road, and drive a half mile north to the trailhead on the right.
Hike
Use the gap in the fence to the right of the trailhead kiosk to start a counterclockwise loop.
Sand live oaks lean to form archways in a meld of sandhills and scrub, scrub oaks competing with saw palmettos to take over the understory.
Entry point next to kioskMarked with green diamonds, the trail crosses a firebreak and makes a slow descent to a curve bordered by a canopy of sand live oaks.
Older orange blazes on laurel oaks are a reminder of the age of this lesser-known Trailwalker trail.
Laurel oaksWriggle through a nicely shaded corridor of younger trees, bearing right where a lesser-used footpath turns left.
After a curve, the landscape opens up, scattered pines towering over a sea of saw palmetto broken by patches of tall grasses.
Habitat shiftAt a junction of forest roads, cross it towards the green diamond, bearing right just beyond the blaze post to resume the narrow footpath.
Bay trees are an indicator that the lake is near. Pay attention to the green diamonds through several clearings in the forest.
Sharp right past blaze postThe sky opens up ahead, the trail emerging to a view of Up & Down Lake at 0.3 miles. According to the trail map, there was an observation deck here in the past.
A sharp left indicated by double diamond markers guides the route along a forest road heading north near the lakeshore.
Former observation deck siteEnjoy occasional glimpses of the water as the habitat shifts from sandhills to an oak-dominated xeric hammock.
At a half mile, a bench and picnic bench sit in a lakeside clearing with a nice panorama of the water from its tip.
The far shore is ringed with pines and a handful of cypresses.
Picnic spotFrom its name, Up & Down Lake is likely similar to others across this region, all sinkhole lakes as seen from a satellite map view.
It is prone to its waters rising and receding in unison with drops in the level of the Floridan Aquifer in the surrounding bedrock.
Glimpses of lake from trailContinue north on the forest road to a T junction in deep soft sand. The double blaze here did not make it obvious which way to turn.
A right keeps following the lakeshore north, reaching one more observation point before turning west.
Confusing junctionAt this junction, the trail to the right is shown on the map as continuing along the lakeshore to reach a walk-in neighborhood trailhead.
Circling the sandhills with their scrubby understory, it meets up at the same point as a left turn from this junction but extends the hike to 1.2 miles.
SandhillsA left turn at this unclear junction followed a forest road through healthy sandhills, meeting the incoming perimeter loop at 0.6 miles.
Bearing southwest along the forest road, watch for a yellow diamond overlapping an orange blaze on the left.
Important turnoffLeave the forest road for this footpath into the sandhills, which has tree identification markers along it.
Cross a central pathway at a blaze post at 0.8 mile. Winding through the sandhills between low bush blueberries and under turkey oaks, the footpath is well defined.
Interpretive marker along the footpathGlimpse a historic cemetery beyond the forest boundary fence before crossing a sandy firebreak at a curve.
Trail markers alternate between green and yellow in this patch of woods with red cedars and sand pines.
Curving south near the cemeteryDouble yellow diamonds point towards the exit of the loop, the trailhead kiosk now obvious.
Continuing through the oaks to reaching the trailhead, complete a 0.9 mile or 1.2 mile loop.
Return to trailheadTrail Map
Explore More!
Carl Duval Moore South Tract Follow a wide doubletrack trail across sandhill and flatwood communities to a picnic area and dock alongside a quiet rural lake. Video
Hiking the Up & Down Lake Trail
Slideshow
See our photos from Up & Down Lake
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