Built years after the dedicated mountain bike trails that define Chuck Lennon Park, the Chuck Lennon Hiking Trail shares a similiar feel.
Winding beneath old-growth forest within the floodplain of Spring Garden Lake, it is a treat for hikers, a nature walk in deep shade.
Opened in 2022, it occupies the southwest corner of the park, a 1.1 mile loop with a crossover enabling a shorter route.
Walking through the lush hammockResources
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Overview
Location: De Leon Springs
Length: 1.1 mile loop
Trailhead: 29.12191, -81.36471
Address: 5000 Greenfield Dairy Rd, De Leon Springs
Fees: Free
Restroom: Between the courts and at the ballfield
Land manager: Volusia County
Phone: 386-736-5953
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome. To reserve recreational facilities, call ahead.
Hikers, for your safety and that of the cyclists, don’t hike the bike trails. They are clearly posted No Hiking. Cyclists, do not ride the hiking trail.
Directions
From US 17 in De Leon Springs, follow Ponce De Leon Blvd west for a mile. Immediately after it crosses the railroad tracks, turn away from the state park entrance, making a left onto Burt’s Park Rd. Continue a quarter mile to the entrance road on the left. Pass the parking area for the bike trails and the one by the restrooms. Just past it, the trailhead parking is on the right past the end of the chain link fence.
Hike
A wooden baffle making up a stile marks the entrance to this hiking trail, which begins as a simple sandy straightaway next to a chain link fence.
Similar to the posts along the bike trails, a blue Carsonite post topped with a hiker symbol points the way forward.
Entry pointThe sandy footpath leads past a scrubby understory beneath the oaks. A water-filled quarry looped by a bike path is visible through the chain link fence.
Pass a turnoff on the left, the return route for this counterclockwise route. Curve left into the hammock where the footpath finally leaves the fenceline.
Fence between trail systemsWalk beneath a canopy of towering live oaks as the understory coaleses into a lush palm hammock. Roots bulge from the path.
Curve between the cabbage palms, coming to a bench at a quarter mile. Next to it, a side path beckons with a sign: “The Seep.”
Pathway to The SeepBetween fence rails, it slips between the cabbage palms to an overlook. Under a blanket of aquatic ferns, the large pond below is fed by seepage springs.
Return along the side path and turn right past the bench to continue, passing a trail map with a “you are here” marker.
The SeepAt a half mile, the two sides of the trail touch, enabling a crossover to cut the walk in half. Stay right to continue.
Beyond the crossover, the footpath gets moist. A shallow stream runs across it at a low spot.
Squishy going in the hydric hammockAt times, the forest floor is saturated, the path entirely flooded through its lowest spots within the hydric hammock.
The habitat shifts as the trail curves, oaks starting to outnumber the palms, dark earth underfoot replaced by sand once more.
Tunnel of treesWalk beneath a tunnel of smaller trees, the less-crowded understory conveying light beyond the edge of the forest.
A massive pine trunk marks the southern end of the loop just before the next posted trail map and bench.
Enormous pine treeA side path exits to a two-track towards the ballfields. Skip past it, curving through the tunnel of low canopy.
A blue post with hiking and parking symbols points up the correct path as glimpses of the ballfields become more frequent.
Crossover junctionBy 0.8 miles, meet the other side of the crossover trail at a bench and map. Continue past it into drier woods.
At a mile, meet the fenceline path at a T. Turn right to exit, emerging through the baffle to the park road at 1.1 miles.
Nearing the T as the loop endsTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Chuck Lennon Park
Chuck Lennon Park A top Florida destination for singletrack riders, Chuck Lennon Park also serves as a trailhead for the northern terminus of Volusia County's Spring to Spring Trail in De Leon Springs.Video
Hiking the Chuck Lennon Hiking Trail
Slideshow
See our photos of Chuck Lennon Park
Nearby Adventures
De Leon Springs State Park While pancakes and De Leon Springs go hand-in-hand thanks to the popular Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant, the natural beauty of De Leon Springs is the reason to visit.
De Leon Springs Wild Persimmon Trail At De Leon Springs State Park, the Wild Persimmon Trail is a 4.4 mile wild walk along the edge of habitats in the floodplain forest created by the springs.
Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge Six miles of trails meander through wide open spaces preserved for wintering waterfowl at 21,500-acre Lake Woodruff NWR along the St. Johns River.
Tiger Bay State Forest Surrounding more than 42 square miles of the Tomoka River watershed, Tiger Bay State Forest provides nearly 20 miles of interpretive and multiuse trails between Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, and DeLand.
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