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Wet pine flatwoods at Deep Creek

Deep Creek Preserve

Restoring a ranch back to natural habitats takes time, but brings to life the natural beauty of these soggy habitats in the Deep Creek basin near Lake Ashby

Deltona      ( 28.9514, -81.0973 )      5.3 miles

212 shares

Deep Creek Preserve exists to set aside a liquid landscape for future water resources for Volusia County.

Both the county and St. Johns Water Management District worked to puzzle together several large parcels of land, former pine plantations and a cattle ranch.

Water in ditch in woods Ditches and streams pepper the landscape


Wells to provide drinking water to residents in DeBary, Deltona, and DeLand are part of the reason for this public land.

Deep Creek rises from these swamps and feeds a vast basin to the west where Spruce Creek begins.

St. Johns Wort blooming
St. Johns Wort blooming in wet flatwoods

Most of the habitats in this preserve are perpetually wet. As we discovered while we hiked the loop, that means showy year-round wildflowers.

It also means a lot of slogging, deep mud, and precautions against biting insects. And that was just on the mid-length loop.

Hikers on a wooden bridge The only bridge in the preserve is near the beginning of the loop


Since we hiked the yellow and orange blazed trails at this preserve, the preserve has nearly doubled in size, to more than 8,000 acres.

The official map shows a new loop extending off the trail we describe here, adding another 6.8 miles for more than 12 miles total.

Paw paw blooms Pawpaw growing along the trail


The distance is perfect for equestrians but, given the trail conditions here, more than a little challenging for those of us who tackle trails on foot.

Bicycles are welcome, but we seriously wouldn’t riding this loop unless we’re having a bone dry winter. See our photos below for why.

John in deep mud Figuring a way through a muddy firebreak marked as the trail


Resources

Resources for exploring the area

5 Star Trails Orlando Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in Central Florida 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: Lake Ashby
Length: 5.3 mile loop
Trailhead: 28.9514, -81.0973
Address: 964 SR 415, New Smyrna Beach
Fees: Free
Restroom: Portable toilet near a screened picnic pavilion
Land manager: Volusia County
Phone: 386-736-5953

Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed pets welcome. Insect repellent is a must. Mosquitoes are relentless.

We’ve encountered flooded trails and deep mud throughout this preserve, so plan your footwear accordingly. Using hiking poles would be wise.

Hikers, off-road cyclists, and equestrians share all trails. Churned up sand and mud is common. Active habitat restoration may cause deep wet ruts and clearcuts.

Pawpaw in bloom


Directions

 
From Osteen, follow SR 415 north. From Samsula, the next crossroads west of New Smyrna Beach and Interstate 95 via SR 44, follow SR 415 south. The trailhead is on the west side of the highway.

Hike

Leaving the parking area and its kiosk, follow the forest road into the preserve. A quarter mile along the road you reach a screened room with a picnic table and portable toilet.

The kiosk, with background about the preserve and habitat restoration, shows a map of the loop trails. We followed the yellow markers.

Kiosk and screened pavilion Pavilion and kiosk


The forest road crosses a giant culvert over a flowing stream, pouring strongly through a deep ditch lined with ferns.

Immediately turn right to start the hiking loop. Follow the yellow blazes past markers with interpretive information.

Deep Creek in deep ditch Looking down at flowing water


Loblolly bay and water oak grow near the creek, attesting to the wet character of this landscape.

After following an old barbed wire fence, the trail narrows down and slips through the forest to the left, winding through relict sandhill habitat.

Two male hikers enter woods at sign Following the yellow trail markers


A half mile in, the trail comes out at a berm along another canal, and there is a bridge across the canal with benches on both sides.

After you cross the pedestrian bridge, the trail pops back out onto the road it shares with equestrians. Turn right.

Elaborate bridge and boardwalk Crossing the elaborate structure


This is one of the most pleasant sections of the loop, an old forest road in deep shade.

It parallels a waterway along the property boundary. Just watch out for those “road apples” underfoot!

Three hikers on a shaded forest road Walking down the dry, shaded corridor


After three quarters of a mile, you come to the junction of the Orange and Yellow Trails. Here, the Orange Trail turns left.

If you follow it through the pines, it meets a forest road and loops back towards the pavilion for a hike of slightly less than a mile back to the trailhead.

Bench near orange blazed tree Trails diverge in the pine forest


Unless you want the shorter hike, stick with the yellow blazes. A patch of scrub stands out among otherwise monotonous surroundings.

At a mile, there’s a bench. Beyond it is a little patch of cypress swamp that was all dried out, signaling how the ranch canals changed the hydrology of this landscape.

Dry scrub area Scrub patch in the pines


A dense thicket of saw palmetto clumps come right out to the forest road. Shiny blueberry intermingles with bracken fern.

The trail turns northeast, away from the property line and into the heart of the preserve.

Two male hikers walking a forest road Hiking deeper into the preserve


It’s here that there is a shift to wetter habitats. Giant puddles – and flowing water – take over the trail where the water flows between bayheads.

Sundews and bog buttons grow along the edges. Here’s a decision point for you, at 1.8 miles.

Tannic stream under pines Tannic water flowing through the pine forest


Following the yellow blazes, you’re going to get your feet wet continuing on the outer loop.

You can turn around here for a 3.6-mile hike, or plunge forward. And we do mean plunge.

Huge dark puddle across road There was no way around this puddle


Once you cross this first water barrier, the landscape opens up into a longleaf pine restoration area. It’s very soggy here. The trail follows an old road and is a muddy mess.

There’s a reason they call this Deep Creek, and by 2 miles we find out why. It is wet. Truly mucky and suck-off-your-boots wet.

Two male hikers on edge of muddy road Trying to avoid the standing water in the forest road


By 2.1 miles, there is a sign leading to the dry area on the right that says “Restricted area do not enter.” Of course.

Turn left here and continue along drier ground. A canal is parallel to the forest road. A creek drains the pine flatwoods and cypress domes off to the right.

Clear tannic creek with sand bottom A natural creek in the woods


It’s here you’ll see colorful bog wildflowers, including yellow bladderwort, and a great gush of water out into that open area.

You walk along the perimeter of a former cypress strand; it is now a line of dead cypress and pine trees.

Yellow blossoms tall above splayed leaves Yellow bladderwort


By 2.9 miles, the forest road broadens, but still has lots of water on both sides. It enters another restoration area.

Gallberries are covered in pink blossoms in spring. Looking down this long straight forest road you can see a covered bench at the end of it.

Hikers taking a break on a bench Rest stop at the covered bench


The yellow trail makes a left at the T intersection in front of the bench; there is a “Do not enter” sign to the right. Straight ahead is the new white-blazed 6.8 mile loop.

Turn left. Water trickles out of the forest to the left, nourishing the feet of young cypress trees.

The open area on the right is planted in longleaf pine but in tree farm fashion, very close together.

You reach a four-way intersection at 3.5 miles. The graded road to the left returns to the front gate. Yellow blazes lead you straight ahead.

Forest road with hiker Following the yellow blazes


Of course, the trail gets a little squishy. It turns left away from the fenceline onto a firebreak at 3.7 miles to enter the beautifully restored longleaf pine habitat.

However when we hiked it, it was a rough firebreak, terribly deep in mud, almost impassible.

If you see a hint of any muddy mess when you head this way, we suggest you follow the graded forest road from the intersection at 3.5 miles instead.

The forest was beautiful, but the trail is not meant for people on foot when it is muddy.

Hikers picking their way through mud Deep mud in firebreak


Eventually, the two routes come together. The firebreak trail meets the graded road at 4.5 miles.

A few footsteps later, you come to the junction with the Orange Trail, the short interior loop.

Orange blaze pointing to plank to pines The Orange Trail joins in from the pine forest


Continue along the graded road, crossing the creek to come up to the screened picnic area.

Take a break before the last quarter mile of walking out the forest road to the trailhead to exit Deep Creek Preserve, wrapping a 5.3 mile loop.

Graded dirt road in forest Follow the graded road to exit


Trail Map

Deep Creek Preserve Trail Map


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of Deep Creek Preserve


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Man looking over boardwalk at water lilies

Lake Ashby Park

Explore the cypress-lined shore of Lake Ashby on a gentle trail system consisting of a boardwalk and easy pathways beneath deep shade along the lakeshore.

Trail into palm hammock

Kratzert Trail

For a quick dip into the beauty of the St. Johns River floodplain, the 1.6 mile Kratzert Trail offers a walk beneath ancient oaks and cabbage palms of enormous size

Scrub ridge at Palm Bluff

Palm Bluff Conservation Area

Discover a parade of habitats in the uplands of the Deep Creek basin on the 2.2 mile White Trail, the shortest loop at this massive conservation area

Wiregrass and young longleaf pines

Wiregrass Prairie Preserve

Pull on your swamp shoes to explore one of Volusia County’s most remote trail systems along a massive basin swamp in the St. Johns River valley

Trail Map (PDF) Official Website

Category: Biking, Central Florida, Day Hikes, Equestrian, Hikes, Loop Hikes, Natural Lands, Off Road Biking, TrailsTag: Birding, Deland, Deltona, Dog-friendly, Osteen, Wildflowers

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