• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida Hikes logo

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

  • Trails
  • Maps
  • Guidebooks
  • Search
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
Carney Island

Carney Island Conservation Area

As a peninsula in Lake Weir, parts of Carney Island Conservation Area are naturally air-conditioned. Walk 4 miles beneath ancient oaks and expect to see wildlife.

Ocklawaha      ( 29.014936, -81.964311 )      4.0 miles

294 shares

At Carney Island, the breeze carries the scent of orange blossoms from some of the northernmost remaining commercial groves in Florida.

Lake Weir is a palatable presence, even though the trails stick to the oak hammocks.

As a peninsula, parts of Carney Island Conservation Area are naturally air-conditioned, like the benches adjoining the trailhead parking area, overlooking the lake.

Marvel at the size of the live oaks near the restrooms. One has a branch that bounces off the ground and climbs back up towards the sky.

We’ve never failed to see wildlife in this park, most commonly deer but also endangered fox squirrels, resplendent in their coats of black and tan. They tend towards the upper end of the park, hanging out in the pines.

A big surprise on our last visit was to encounter a Florida black bear, which slipped off the trail when it saw us.


Resources

Resources for exploring the area. Full details on this hike are in Five Star Trails.

Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala book cover Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in Central Florida Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover The Hiking Trails of Floridas National Forests Parks Preserves 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: Ocklawaha
Length: 4 mile network of trails
Trailhead: 29.014936, -81.964311
Address: 13275 SE 115th Ave, Ocklawaha
Fees: $5 county park entrance fee
Restroom: Yes, at trailhead
Land manager: Marion County
Phone: 352-671-8560

Pets are not permitted.

Besides hiking and biking the trail system, other activities include kayaking (bring your own), swimming in designated areas, and picnicking.


Directions

 
Carney Island Park is off SR 25 between Belleview and Ocklawaha, just south of Silver Springs Shores. Follow the signs into the park from SR 25.

Hike

The hiking trails start at the very end of the road, past the swimming area, serving double-duty as a service road with a lot of tire tracks from park vehicles. 

There are three loop trails along this peninsula, reached by a 0.3-mile connector on a causeway through a floodplain forest.

They attach like links in a chain. Walk to the farthest point, Lemon Point on the Fox Trot Loop, for panoramic views of Lake Weir.

The trail system contains 4 miles of stacked loop trails with a 3.2-mile perimeter. If you check the map at the trailhead kiosk, don’t believe what it says about restrooms along the trails – there aren’t any.

But there are rest stops with benches, and a great panorama of the lake if you walk all the way out to the end of the peninsula.

Your hike starts with a walk down an earthen causeway, a 0.3 mile connector to loop trail system.

On both sides is a floodplain forest, colorful in fall and winter with autumn-tinted leaves, and lush with ferns as an understory.

The first of the three loops is the Fern Gully Loop (1 mile), which circles more wetlands dense with ferns.

Keep right at the junction, and keep right at the next junction to continue along the Quail Loop (2.2 miles), which leads through a pine plantation surrounded by oak hammocks.

A short spur trail, Whispering Pines, takes off to the left for a walk through the pine forest.

At the last junction, turn right to do the Fox Trot Loop, which heads out to the tip of Lemon Point and provides access to scenic views of the lake.

The trail is on a high bluff as it rounds the bend to return to the junction; side trails offer places you can catch a view.

When you return to the trailhead, there is one more spur trail, this time off to your left.

It leads through the forest about a half mile to the swimming area along the lake (which can also be reached by car from the main park road).


Trail Map

Trail Map


Related Articles

Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala

Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala has launched

December 12, 2013//  by Sandra Friend

Lemon Point, Carney Island Park

Buffet on the Beach

January 4, 2012//  by Sandra Friend


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos from Carney Island


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Ocklawaha Prairie

Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area

At Ocklawaha Prairie, east of Lake Weir and south of Marshall Swamp, trails lead to some of the best birding in the region from levees along the extensive marshes of the river basin.

Trail shelter with bike at marsh

Sunnyhill Levee Trail

A linear path along the channelized Ocklawaha River, the Levee Trail at Sunnyhill Restoration Area stretches 7.5 miles from SR 42 north to Moss Bluff.

Florida Trail Marshall Swamp

Cross Florida Greenway

Stretching 90 miles from the St. Johns River near Palatka to the Gulf of Mexico, the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway is a mile-wide recreational corridor with hiking, biking, and equestrian trails as well as paddling and boating access.

Ship Canal low stanchion

Historic Ship Canal Trail

The shortest trail on the Cross Florida Greenway interprets nearly a century’s worth of efforts to dig a canal across the Florida peninsula and split it in two.

Trail Map (PDF) Official Website

Category: Biking, Central Florida, County Parks, Day Hikes, Hikes, Loop Hikes, Nature Trails, Parks, TrailsTag: Belleview, Big Trees, Birding, Carney Island, Family-Friendly, Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala, Ocklawaha, Picnic, Playgrounds, Silver Springs, Wildlife Viewing

Have an update? Contact us.

Primary Sidebar

CENTRAL FLORIDA

CENTRAL FLORIDA OVERVIEW
East Coast Greenway. Florida Trail

Brooksville. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. Kissimmee. Lakeland. Leesburg. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Orlando. Sanford. St. Petersburg. Tampa.

Our Newest Books

The Florida Trail Guide

The Florida Trail GuideOur definitive guidebook to planning backpacking trips on the Florida National Scenic Trail, now in its fourth edition. Full data charts and maps. B&W, 356 pages. $19.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail Hikes 2nd edition coverFifty of the best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Discovering the Florida Trail

Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock
A visual journey the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.
Order Now


50 Hikes in Central Florida 3rd edition
Five Star Trails Orlando guidebook
Explorer's Guide North Florida & The Panhandle guidebook

Florida Trail Apps

Farout GuidesFarout Guides Comprehensive logistics and offline maps for the
Florida National Scenic Trail (1,500 miles), the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (108 miles), and the ECT Florida Connector (92 miles).

Explore More

Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Lengthy boardwalk heading towards mangrove flats

John R. Bonner Nature Park

John R. Bonner Nature Park
Boardwalk framed by live oaks and saw palmetto

George McGough Nature Park

George McGough Nature Park
Leaning sand pines in scrub

Balm Boyette Nature Preserve

Balm Boyette Nature Preserve
Dock edged by mangroves

Maximo Park

Maximo Park

Footer

FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Crescent City. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Gardens
  • Springs
  • Ecotours
  • Attractions
©2006-2023, Sandra Friend & John Keatley | Disclosure | Site Index | Work with Us | Advertise with Us
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy | Florida Hikes PO Box 93 Mims FL 32754| Contact