• 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
Footpath in river bluff forest in Florida

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

Spring to Spring Trail  |  De Leon Springs
( 29.1249, -81.3642 )      11.5 miles

Every time we’ve visited Chuck Lennon Park, there have been chains up across the trails. For good reason. Mountain bikes tear up muddy trails. So keeping them closed until they dry out is good common sense.

While we haven’t been able to explore the bike trails yet, we’ve biked into the park as a northern terminus on a ride of the entire Spring to Spring Trail.

Although the trail technically ends at De Leon Springs State Park just around the corner, this county park is far less busy and has much more parking. And it’s free to visit.

Now, there’s also a hiking loop to explore anytime you like, the 1.1-mile Chuck Lennon Hiking Trail.

John biking park road John biked into the park to complete his Spring to Spring ride


Resources

Our resources for exploring the area

Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in Central Florida 5 Star Trails Orlando Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State 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: De Leon Springs
Length: 11.5 miles in 8 trails
Trailhead: 29.1249, -81.3642
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.

Cyclists, do not enter trail system if it is closed off. 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.

Rock feature on trail at Chuck Lennon Park


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 into Chuck Lennon Park on the left.

About the Park

The long entrance road at Chuck Lennon Park leads to a surprising amount of recreation spread across 136 acres of forests and fields.

Adjoining but not within direct view of Spring Garden Lake, a part of the mazy St. Johns River system fed by De Leon Springs, this park exists for active outdoor recreation.

There are several pulloffs along the entrance road. You can use these as unofficial parking for access to the north segment of the Spring to Spring Trail southbound.

Picnic table under trees Picnic table in shade at the dirt lot for the mountain bike trails


One of the pulloffs is specifically marked as Trailhead B for the novice portion of the mountain bike trails. The large dirt lot adjoins the main off-road trailhead.

A paved lot sits between the tennis, basketball, and racquetball courts. A playground, picnic pavilion, and restrooms are tucked under the trees between the courts.

Ballfields Ballfields at Chuck Lennon Park


The park road ends at the large ballfield complex, which has the largest parking area and an adjoining playground, picnic tables with grills, and restrooms.

Most visitors to Chuck Lennon Park are either here for team sports or the mountain bike trails. The trail system is among the top five in Florida by Singletracks.com.

Playground in woods Playground near the forest that the trails traverse


Hiking

The newly-opened Chuck Lennon Hiking Trail provides a 1.1-mile hike in the same type of terrain and habitats traversed by the mountain bike trails, minus both cyclists and man-made obstacles.

Nature provides its own, with mucky spots in places. The path is marked with bike-trail style markers and features both a short and long loop within the deeply shaded forest.

Here’s a walk-through of the hike, with details to follow later.


Biking

Chuck Lennon Trails

Developed and maintained by the Florida Association of Single Track Riders (FASTR), a chapter of SORBA, the trail system at Chuck Lennon Park appeals because of its setting.

It’s in the woods. And not just any woods, but lush hardwood and palm hammocks in the St. Johns River basin.

Trailhead for Chuck Lennon Trails Trailhead for the easiest of the singletrack trails, Screaming Hawk


Seven singletrack trails make up the trail system. Each is a one-way loop, which may alternate direction depending on the day of the week. Some have shortcuts to trim the ride.

Since most of the trails are in a low-lying area, they do get wet and muddy in the rainy season and should not be ridden when they aren’t dry.

Closed When Muddy sign and woods You can check the club website for current trail status but don’t ride if these signs are up


Hard-packed clay is used as the base surface for a smooth ride. The trail system has both natural and man-made challenges along it.

There are steep drop-offs and hairpin turns that can be treacherous for inexperienced cyclists, plus technical features.

A crib of rocks in trail A rock feature on Wild Turkey Trail


A skills area is just inside the main trailhead for the trail system at the Chuck Lennon Trails sign. Use this to practice and to determine your skill level for tackling the Wild Turkey Trail.

Pay attention to the signage stating experience levels at each trail. Trails are color-coded for difficulty.

Extremely difficult bike trail marker All skill levels are accommodated at Chuck Lennon Park


Screaming Hawk

Entering the park along the long park road, you’ll notice a grassy pulloff on the left along the edge of the forest. This is Trailhead B for Screaming Hawk, the beginner level loop.

This loop is 3.5 miles long, with lots of meanders through the forest and a couple of shortcut for an early bailout.

At its very south end there is the option to interconnect with more challenging trails.

Sign for bike trail entrance Trailhead for the Screaming Hawk Trail


Main Trails

The next parking area along the park road is a larger dirt lot, with direct access to the main Chuck Lennon Trails trailhead and a few picnic tables.

It’s here you’ll find the skills area as well as a set of dirt jumps to try out before heading out on the trails.

Skills area sign and narrow boardwalk The skills area starts behind the main kiosk


Two intermediate level trails start behind the kiosk, the 1.5-mile Raccoon Run and the 1.3-mile Hoot Owl. A short challenge trail, the 0.6 mile Wild Turkey, starts here as well.

Experienced riders can add tag on the 1.25 mile Angry Armadillo onto Raccoon Run, or jump onto the tougher 0.75 mile Red Panther from the trail hub.

A bike wash sits near the second entrance, across from access to the Awesome Possum. Cross the park road to the start of this trail.

It’s a 1.5-mile intermediate level loop through elevation changes around borrow pits and down to Spring Garden Lake.

Trail sign with directional info Start of the Awesome Possum Trail


Spring to Spring Trail Terminus

Chuck Lennon Park serves as an alternate trail terminus for the northern end of the Spring to Spring Trail across Volusia County.

De Leon Springs State Park is the primary terminus, but there is no fee to park at Chuck Lennon Park and far less people to encounter.

A paved bike path, the Spring to Spring Trail is currently in three pieces, with plans to connect them together between Green Springs, Gemini Springs, Blue Spring, and De Leon Springs.

A ride south from Chuck Lennon Park to where the northern segment ends and back would be a 14.2 mile round trip from the main cyclist trailhead.

Parallel bike path and road in rural forested area

Spring to Spring Trail North

Paralleling the St. Johns River basin, the northernmost segment of the Spring to Spring Trail is a hilly and often canopied ride through historic communities

Learn more about the Spring to Spring Trail

Cyclist headed along bike path into forest

Spring to Spring Trail

A paved bike path to link Volusia County’s major springs, the Spring to Spring Trail provides a growing network of trail and park connectivity

Rural road with palm trees

Connecting the Spring to Spring Trail

With a goal of connecting all three segments of the Spring to Spring Trail together using roads in between, John rides from Lake Monroe Park to De Leon Springs on a 25.6 mile route


Explore More!

Slideshow

Our photos from Chuck Lennon Park


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Swimmers in De Leon Springs

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

A stream crossing along the trail

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

Dusk over marshes

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.

Rima Ridge pines Tiger Bay

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

Trail Map Trail Club Official Website

Category: Biking, Central Florida, County Parks, Off Road Biking, TrailsTag: De Leon Springs, Deland, Picnic, Playgrounds, Spring to Spring Trail

Reader Interactions

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 Apps 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

Edge of island along blue waters of lake

Inglis Dam & Island Recreation Area

Inglis Dam & Island Recreation Area
Cove with a boat floating in it between rocky walls and palm trees

Felburn Park

Felburn Park
Expanse of water with boat headed into distance

Withlacoochee Bay Trail

Withlacoochee Bay Trail
View of expansive water beyond coastal trees

Fort Island Beach

Fort Island Beach

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 River. 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 Lake Wales Ridge.

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.Lithia. 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. Riverview. Ruskin. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Park. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction. Zephyrhills

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. Coconut Creek. Coral Gables. Coral Springs. 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