Florida Hikes

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

Lush hammock

Churchhouse Hammock Trail

Explore a showy coastal hammock within Crystal River Preserve State Park from an easily-accessed pair of loops just north of downtown Crystal River.

Crystal River (28.911471,-82.607572)   1.2 miles   Crystal River Preserve State Park

Once upon a time, Churchhouse Hammock boasted a very nice boardwalk loop through pine flatwoods and palm hammock in Crystal River.

But like the Crystal River Mall that’s been bulldozed across from this hike, its loop and linear boardwalks have vanished.

Low boardwalk in forest The former loop boardwalk

The trails remain. Our route below outlines a counterclockwise circuit starting at the prominent trail entrance.

Drawing close to the trailhead, follow the old footprint of the boardwalk clockwise for a 1.1 mile hike.

Trailhead map The posted map at the trailhead does not accurately illustrate the actual loop

Resources

Resources for exploring the area
50 Hikes in Central Florida Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover Paddlers Guide Florida Hiking the Gulf Coast book cover
 
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Overview

Location: Crystal River
Length: 1.2 mile loop
Trailhead: 28.911471,-82.607572
Address: 857 N Suncoast Blvd, Crystal River
Fees: Free
Restroom: None
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 352-795-3817

Open 8 AM until sunset daily. Leashed pets welcome. A picnic pavilion adjoins trailhead parking.

Directions


 
From the intersection of SR 44 and US 19 in Crystal River, drive north along US 19 for 2 miles. The parking area for Churchhouse Hammock is on the west side of the highway. Use the turnout just past the Rural King on the site of the former Crystal River Mall.

Hike

Begin the loop adjacent to the trailhead map. A sign beyond says “boardwalk closed” but should read “boardwalk removed.”

Instead, two hiking trails are blazed using a blue square and a yellow triangle. Immediately pass a turnoff on the left marked with both symbols.

Boardwalk closed sign and hiking symbols Start of the hike

This marks the start of both loops. The Yellow Trail is less than a quarter mile long and follows the footprint of the former boardwalk.

The Blue Trail follows a broadened version of the former Pathway to the Past which led from the boardwalk loop to the estuary.

Pine with deep slash in trunk Catfaced pine

Pass a catfaced pine as the trail ambles through a coastal hammock heavy on slash pines, cedar, and cabbage palms.

Within a tenth of a mile, the blazing diverges, the shorter Yellow Trail turning left. Stay with the blue blazes straight ahead.

Footpaths meet in dense understory Trail junction

Walk through a showy palm hammock. By a quarter mile, reach a T intersection where a service road is signposted to the right. Turn left.

This straightaway is as broad as a road and nicely canopied. It may be wet in places when surrounding swamps overflow.

Deeply shaded wide path under forest canopy Straightaway

Another 90-degree left turn occurs where a gated road leads to the right. The trail is now within the floodplain of the estuary.

The former boardwalk into the estuary has vanished. At a half mile, a faint trace of a path leads to the edge of the marsh.

View of grasslands beyond palms A peek at the Crystal River estuary

Turning away from the marshy edge, the pathway narrows substantially. Enter the grandeur of this old-growth hammock.

Live oaks, magnolias, and hickories offer shade. Watch your footing, as surface limestone abounds amid the leaf litter, from fist-sized stones to boulders.

High canopy with palms and oaks The beauty of Churchhouse Hammock

By 0.9 mile, meet an obvious junction where the boardwalk once came in from the parking lot to the right. Turn left.

Now following the Yellow Trail, curve through a pine-dominated coastal flatwoods within the footprint of the former boardwalk.

Yellow diamond on palm in pine flatwoods Starting the Yellow Trail clockwise

The understory is relatively thick but the path is carpeted with pine needles. Within a tenth of a mile, meet the Blue Trail.

At the T intersection, turn right for the short walk back to the trailhead to complete a 1.2 mile hike.

Pines and palms Pines and palms

Trail Map

Churchhouse Hammock Trail Map

Explore More!

Learn more about Crystal River Preserve State Park

Marshes and distant river Crystal River Preserve State Park Crystal River Preserve State Park spans 20 miles of the Gulf Coast between Yankeetown and Homosassa, protecting key manatee habitats along estuaries of the Gulf.

Video

Hiking Churchhouse Hammock

Slideshow

See our photos from Churchhouse Hammock

Nearby Adventures

Middens and marshland Crystal River Archaeological State Park A treasure trove of landforms and artifacts, this pre-Columbian complex of temple and burial mounds provides insight into Florida's ancient civilizations.
View of salt marshes from 30 foot tower Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve Immerse in the beauty of an expansive coastal estuary at Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve in Yankeetown to take in the panoramic views.
Spring basin with observation platform Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park A former roadside attraction at the source of the Homosassa River, this Florida State Park showcases native Florida wildlife.
Sugar mill and interpretive sign next to road Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park A set of interpreted ruins almost two centuries old sits under a dense canopy of ancient live oaks shared by a pretty picnic area in Old Homosassa.

Official Website

Sandra Friend
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