Tough and fun, with one of the more difficult swamp traverses on the Florida Trail, the Lafayette Creek section of Nokuse is a study in contrasts.
It has surprising elevation changes both north and south of the creek as the trail climbs in and out of more than a dozen steepheads and feeder streams.
Southbound into Steep Head, the deepest of the steepheadsSteep slopes mean sidehill, switchbacks, and perched bogs on grassy hillsides where pitcher plants thrive.
Deep shade along the waterways is edged by the new growth of young longleaf pines planted on former sod farms and tree farms.
Restoration area above the trailUsing a blue-blazed bypass that skirts the creek basin in case of flooding, you can make a loop hike out of this segment from either trailhead. A sole campsite tops a high hill.
Listen for burbling cascades, watch for snakes, and enjoy the challenge along the strenuous ups and downs of this piece of the Florida Trail.
The Lafayette Creek floodplain is not easy to traverseOur Florida Trail Books & Guides
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Overview
Length: 9.3 miles linear
Trailhead: 30.526541, -86.048592
Fees: Free
Restroom: None
Land manager: Northwest Florida Water Management District and Nokuse Plantation
Phone: 850-539-2777
The Florida Trail occupies a conservation easement through Nokuse Plantation. Please stay on the trail. Camp only at designated campsites. Protect your food from bears.
Leashed dogs welcome. Do not disturb plants or wildlife. Wear bright orange clothing during hunting seasons in Lafayette Creek WMA.
If water is flowing across the trail in the floodplain of Lafayette Creek, turn back and use the blue blazed high water bypass route.
Directions
From Interstate 10 in Defuniak Springs, follow US 331 south. At the pedestrian crossing signs 9.1 miles south of Interstate 10, the Owl’s Head trailhead is on the right. The Nokuse section is on the east side of the four-lane highway.
For the start of this hike continue 5 miles south to the intersection of US 331 and SR 20 in Freeport, and make a left. After 4.5 miles on SR 20, turn left on J.W. Hollingsworth Rd and follow it for 4.2 miles. This narrow rural road makes several 90-degree turns and crosses a one-lane bridge before ending at the Lafayette Creek trailhead.
Hike
Divided from the Forgotten Creek section by a sand road 250 feet north of the Lafayette Creek trailhead, this section starts westbound across a longleaf pine restoration area.
A quarter mile in, descend a wooded slope. Pitcher plants poke from the pine duff along the footpath. Reaching a gravel road with a bridge over Wolf Creek, cross the bridge.
Trail emerging by the creek by the bridgeFollowing the road, climb out of the basin and reach a trail junction for the blue-blazed bypass around Lafayette Creek a half mile into the hike.
A permanent sign explains your options. Leave the road to follow the orange blazes, passing a survey marker that says “St. Regis,” a relic of a timber company from the 1940s.
Survey post in the pine savannaFollow a rough old two-track road that circles around a ravine. Beyond it, tall longleaf pines stand well above younger plantings. Patches of bracken fern carpets the forest floor.
Downhill, boggy spots caused by seepage springs host a scattering of white-topped pitcher plants. Soon after, the trail drops sharply towards the forest at the base of the hill.
Pitcher plants blooming in a seepage bogIn its descent, the trail crosses a soggy swale with a sand bottom. By 1.3 miles, it levels out to meet the shoreline of Lafayette Creek to follow it for the next few miles.
Swift and surprisingly deep, Lafayette Creek swells quickly after a rain, which is why there’s a bypass. Turn around and use it if water is flowing across the trail!
The start of the hike along Lafayette CreekThe orange blazes lead into the deep shade of a floodplain swamp. The forest floor isn’t solid but muck with moss-rimmed puddles and many slippery roots.
Walking through this swamp takes some skill. Keep the orange blazes in sight, but don’t assume that following them is the best path.
Pick your way carefully across this tough terrainReaching solid white sand tossed ashore by the creek, stroll to Little Creek, crossing it on a footbridge at 1.8 miles.
Follow this tributary upstream, slipping past vistas of longleaf pine savanna and through a copse of sand live oaks.
Pine savanna in the uplandsDescend a bluff along an oxbow pond, the trail curving through a short stretch of scrub habitat before returning to the floodplain.
Plunge into a quarter mile of tricky swamp navigation along Lafayette Creek, broken occasionally by creekside bluffs with solid white sand.
Crossing Tom Turtle CreekA plank footbridge crosses Tom Turtle Creek at 2.5 miles. Beyond it is another tough stretch of swamp the next half mile, with occasional high ground breaks.
Mossy puddles are trapped between the tree roots underfoot, leaving you to figure out how not to step into deep mud or inky water.
Mud puddles glisten while the creek flows pastAfter tunneling through titi shrubs, emerge into a thicket of native bamboo. The trail ascends from the floodplain where Magnolia Creek merges into Lafayette Creek.
Past a peek at the confluence, climb the hill under a canopy of magnolia trees. The remainder of the hike parallels Magnolia Creek upstream, crossing its tributaries.
The climb provides glimpses of Magnolia CreekCross a stretch of restored pine savanna before entering the deep shade of a bluff forest, walking a boardwalk over Snake Eating Creek above a swampy basin.
At 3.8 miles, emerge under open skies at the western junction with the blue-blazed bypass under the power line.
Floodplain at Snake Eating CreekUsing it, you can make a loop back to the bridge at Wolf Creek to return to Lafayette Creek trailhead, a 6.1 mile hike with one tricky gate.
But the Lafayette Creek section continues north almost six more miles from this point, and a large part of its beauty lies ahead amid slope forests, ridges, and steepheads.
West end of the blue-blazed bypassSlipping around the end of an old barbed wire fence, the trail stays well above the Magnolia Creek basin. A half mile later, it descends a switchback to Little Coyote Creek.
Take the bridge across the creek and follow the footpath downstream to the next crossing, the shallow, crystalline Missing Creek at 4.5 miles.
A look back after crossing Missing CreekClimb through a gradient of habitats, including relict sandhill and a patch of sand pine scrub, following the curve of a ravine below.
Cross two shallow, unnamed creeks on a series of puncheons before walking through a stand of sand live oaks.
Puncheon bridge over stream basinEmerge into full sun at a longleaf pine restoration area carpeted with wiregrass. Scattered pines punctuate an open savanna.
It’s perched above a deep ravine called Steep Head. For the next half mile, the landscape drops off into it on your left while the footpath leads through the pine savanna.
The plateau above Steep Head is eroding at this spotJust before the trail plunges into the ravine, a kiosk draws attention to Steephead Campsite at 5.6 miles.
This small designated campsite has benches and a fire ring in a cleared area with wiregrass clumps. Its water source is Steep Head.
Steephead CampsiteIt’s a rapid, steep descent to the bottom of the ravine, where a sturdy bridge spans the clear spring-fed flow that carved this ravine.
Old growth trees, particularly southern magnolias, rise from the bottomland. Mountain laurel edges the stream.
The plank over Steep Head CreekThe trail climbs steadily out of the ravine, becoming sidehill on its far side as it traces Steep Head’s flow towards Magnolia Creek for the next half mile.
Follow a curving descent past beds of deer moss to reach the floodplain of Little Falls Creek at 6.7 miles. Pause to listen for the well-hidden cascades.
Deer moss carpeting the leaf litterLosing more elevation, settle into the floodplain of Magnolia Creek. Expect muddy spots and some hummock hopping.
Paralleling the waterway for the next quarter mile, the trail draws close to its sandy banks briefly.
Magnolia CreekClimbing out of the Magnolia Creek basin, emerges onto a windswept hilltop of young longleaf pine forest, a panorama of low ridges up ahead.
The ribbon of green in the distance is made up of treetops poking above the ravine created by Magnolia Creek circling around to the north.
High ground at NokuseLeaving the ridge, descend to Minnow Creek on a plank bridge. Climb up and over a hill covered in longleaf pine forest before the next descent.
Cross Sweet Spot Creek at 7.7 miles, near its confluence with Magnolia Creek.
Northbound backpackers should top off here if continuing into the dry uplands of Eglin Air Force Base.
Sweet Spot CreekClimb out of the creek basin beneath the oaks and pines and make a sharp left to cross Magnolia Creek using an old bridge on an abandoned paved road.
On the opposite side, a sharp right into the woods before the gate leads into some mucky terrain but it ascends out of the floodplain quickly.
Bridge crossingReaching high ground on the western side of Magnolia Creek, the trail parallels the creek basin northbound through sandhill habitat.
Making a sharp left at 8.6 miles, it puts the creek behind for good, turning west to cross one final longleaf pine restoration area atop a former sod farm.
Sandhills west of Magnolia CreekExit the Nokuse section at a gap between a wooden fence and a locked gate along the east side of US 331. Owl’s Head trailhead is on the opposite side of this high speed highway.
Use caution crossing at the pedestrian crossing sign, as motorists are unlikely to slow down or stop for you. Finish your 9.3 mile hike at the trailhead.
The pass-thru at the north end of NokuseNORTHBOUND: Owl’s Head (Eglin Recreation Permit required)
SOUTHBOUND: Forgotten Creek
Florida Trail, Forgotten Creek 9.7 miles. Contrasting steephead ravines and sluggish creeks in gum swamps with longleaf pine restoration areas, the Forgotten Creek portion of the Florida Trail in Nokuse surprises with its challenges.Trail Map
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Learn more about the Nokuse section of the Florida Trail
Florida Trail, Nokuse 27.7 miles. Spanning from the Choctawhatchee River west to the boundary of Eglin Air Force Base, Nokuse is a compelling backpacker's destination in the Florida Panhandle.Slideshow
See our photos from the Lafayette Creek Section
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