Burrowing deep into low-lying landscapes at the bottom of the bluffs along the Yellow River, this section of the Florida Trail offers a workout for both mind and body.
It eliminated a long roadwalk along US 90 between Holt and Milton, a big step towards completion of a protected trail corridor through the region.
Cypress reflections on the Yellow RiverBridges traverse major creeks; minor ones take thought to cross. A sense of balance and a willingness to get your feet wet are key to enjoying this hike.
Ongoing restoration of former pine plantations is revealing the natural beauty inherent in the uplands of this folded landscape.
Ridges under restorationOur Florida Trail Books & Guides
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Overview
Location: Holt
Length: 10.9 miles linear
Trailhead: 30.660883, -86.765183
Fees: Free
Restroom: Portable toilet at Guest Lake Park
Land manager: Blackwater River State Forest
Phone: 850-957-5700
Leashed dogs welcome. Designated campsites are provided but random camping is permitted if you can find dry ground.
Check ahead for hunting season dates and wear bright orange clothing during posted hunts.
Although this hike is in the Eglin section, no portion of it is actually on Eglin Air Force Base, so there is no need for a permit nor to worry about the Public Access Map.
A small portion of the route is managed by Northwest Florida Water Management District, but most of it is in Blackwater River State Forest. Okaloosa County manages Guest Lake Park.
Directions
3850 Yellow River Log Lake Rd, Holt, FL 32564
For the start of this section, take Interstate 10 in Crestview to exit 45, Log Lake Rd; you can also turn on to Log Lake Rd from US 90 in Holt at the Dollar General. Drive south along Log Lake Rd, which offers a nice view before the road descends the bluff into the Yellow River floodplain. Past the prominent entrance to River’s Edge RV Campground, Log Lake Rd becomes Canoe Lake Rd and the pavement ends. You have another 0.7 mile to go. Cross a wooden bridge over the outflow from Canoe Lake before making the curve onto Yellow River Log Lake Rd. Canoe Cemetery is at the next sharp curve. Do not block the road or driveway when parking here; parking is limited. Canoe Cemetery is the closest place to park to where the Florida Trail leaves the Crestview roadwalk to enter the woods along Log Lake Rd. The road gets much softer past the next curve but if you have a high clearance vehicle or 4WD, you can follow Yellow River Log Lake Rd all the way to its end at Guest Lake Park, where there is ample parking.
For the end of this section, continue west on Interstate 10 past Holt to exit 31, Milton. Drive south 2.1 miles on SR 87 to Nichols Lake Rd. Follow it 2.7 miles to Nichols Creek Rd. Continue along this road 1.5 miles through several sharp turns and one big dip. Park roadside by the signage for state forest / water management lands just before reaching the turn onto Santa Gertrudas Dr.
Hike
For a day hike, add 0.2 mile to your overall mileage by starting from Canoe Cemetery, or subtract a half mile if you begin from Guest Lake Park.
Mile 0 for this hike is where orange blazes beckon hikers off the sticky sand surface of Log Lake Rd to enter the woods just before a curve in the road.
Entrance to Yellow River Ravines sectionEnter a corridor beneath oaks and sparkleberry with a smattering of bluestem palm through the understory.
Find your way across a tannic stream flowing into the Yellow River floodplain, as there is no bridge.
The trail hugs close to the edge of the floodplain swamp and will get inundated with water when the river is high.
River floodplainThe blue blazed trail at the junction just past Yellow River Log Lake Rd leads both to the primitive Guest Lake campsite and Guest Lake Park.
Open 24 hours, the park provides boater access to the Yellow River as well as picnic pavilions and sometimes a privy.
Guest Lake ParkBeyond the junction at 0.7 mile, there is a potentially soggy traverse of a boggy area in the pine flatwoods.
Dip towards the river floodplain immediately afterwards and cross a tannic stream.
Pine flatwoodsA boundary sign marks your entry into Blackwater River State Forest at 1.5 miles. The trail moves into denser woods with more tannic streams to cross.
One of them is quite deep and not narrow enough to jump across. A makeshift bridge has occasionally been in place, and there is a little island in it.
Tannic streamIn a remnant of pine plantation with dense underbrush, cross a sandy two-track before the forest yields to a more natural pine flatwoods.
Reach a low-lying area which may flood extensively after heavy rains. If it’s wet, there is no way around it: plunge in.
Swampy basinDescending a steep slope through oaks and cedars, meet the scenic floodplain of Julian Mill Creek at 2.7 miles. Past the footbridge, watch for purple pitcher plants blooming in April.
Leave footprints in the sticky orange clay of Garner Landing Rd before entering the next stretch of pines and oaks.
Garner Landing RdCross Garnier Creek and climb steeply out of its floodplain at 4.1 miles. Beyond FR Y16, the oldest restoration area begins.
Cleared and replanted over a decade ago, the forest is transforming to a grassy longleaf savanna with majestic pines and colorful fall wildflowers.
Hiking southbound through the restorationPlunge through a tangled thicket with a bridge over a spill of waterway under the trees.
Weave between the restoration area and these thickets along the river floodplain, made up of titi and black gum with many roots in the footpath.
Nearing the river floodplainFR Y15, a clay road reinforced with gravel, is at 7.1 miles. Descend immediately into the floodplain of Burnt Grocery Creek to cross a log bridge over the broad creek.
Pick your way across a mucky tannic stream that flows downhill towards the creek from Deer Lake Rd, a clay road at the top of the hill.
Burnt Grocery CreekCrossing it, round a broad, marshy area with outflows to step over before the landscape opens up into a big bog.
It’s a tricky traverse, hopping between dry hummocks surrounded with dark water and deep holes. But there are also carnivorous plants, including showy white-topped pitcher plants.
Big bogAt 7.6 miles, reach Deer Lake junction. The prominent signpost notes mileage to two end points for the Florida Trail, making this a decision point for long distance hikers.
Fort Pickens was dedicated the Northern Terminus in 1994. However, the oldest piece of the Florida Trail west of the Apalachicola River is in Blackwater River State Forest.
Reaching either counts for completing an end-to-end hike. Blackwater is almost entirely footpath, but the route to Fort Pickens includes a walk along the Gulf of Mexico.
Deer Lake junctionContinue straight ahead at the junction, as the Yellow River Ravines section follows the orange blazes. In another 0.4 mile cross Fisher Old Mill Rd.
Beyond it the trail descends rapidly off Miller Bluff. Take the short blue blaze to visit a cypress-lined a beauty spot along the Yellow River.
Cypresses and tupelo in the Yellow River floodplainAscending, cross paved Miller Bluff Rd at 8.4 miles. It has enough pulloff space to stage a car here for day hiking.
Descend through a mixed forest of oaks and pines before reaching a more tangled habitat paralleling a stream.
Forest below Miller Bluff RdAt a signposted trail junction, Wild Azalea campsite is uphill along a short blue blaze, a worthwhile overnight destination or rest stop.
A large clearing has space for a group as well as a picnic table, benches, and a fire ring. The azaleas bloom in early spring, adding a pleasant fragrance to the air.
Wild Azalea campsiteLeaving Wild Azalea campsite, cross a metal bridge over a spring-fed stream, the water source for backpackers.
Descending from the titi-edged waterway, enter an overgrown sandhill habitat with a lot of laurel oaks. A causeway made of sticks crosses a low spot where water pools.
Push through a dense tangle of titi, stepping over slender drainages or using logs tossed into them for footing.
Continue through a pine plantation before entering a well-defined corridor in a titi swamp.
A hop-over drainageThe wavy trunks of black gum trees sometimes require you to duck while splashing through gooey puddles amid the cloyingly fragrant titi.
Sand pines tower above the landscape before the trail slips downhill through a stand of bamboo into a denser forest.
Crossing a grassy forest roadFed by a tiny spring, a crystalline stream cuts through the footpath at 10.3 miles. The understory is a tangled thicket below the taller oaks.
Cedars and loblolly bay rise from low-lying damp areas, while deer moss carpets higher ground in the sandhills on relict patches of scrub.
Spring-fed streamIn a stand of native bamboo, a stream burbles. Emerging from the forest, pass a large sand pit on an steady uphill climb along a blazed dirt road.
Walk between large boulders placed to prevent vehicles from driving on the trail and emerge into a rural subdivision at Santa Gertrudas Ave.
There is no trailhead at the end of this 10.9 mile section, but we’ve seen day hikers pull vehicles off the road next to the posted forest boundary.
Sand pit near Santa GertrudasConnections
Northbound, the Florida Trail exits onto a roadwalk starting on Santa Gertrudas Drive to cross the Yellow River on a pedestrian walkway adjoining traffic on SR 87.
On the south side of the river, return to the woods for the westernmost segment of trail on Eglin Air Force Base, Weaver Creek.
Northbound
Florida Trail, Weaver Creek 14.3 miles. Along the western side of Eglin Air Force Base, the Florida Trail traverses high, dry sandhills with some impressive views.Southbound, the Florida Trail exits onto a roadwalk near Canoe Lake, a rural community at the base of the river bluffs below Holt.
One of the trail’s longest roadwalks, it parallels Canoe Lake Rd, US 90, and SR 85, passing through downtown Crestview.
It returns to the woods at the Titi section within Eglin Air Force Base just south of the Shoal River at the Pearl trailhead along SR 85.
Southbound
Florida Trail, Titi 14.8 miles. Paralleling the floodplain of Titi Creek and its tributaries, this hike on the Florida Trail across Eglin will surprise you with its mature longleaf pine forests and its steep descents into creek basins.The Blackwater section is an official side trail of the Florida National Scenic Trail leading to an alternate northern terminus at the Alabama border.
From that point, hikers can continue into Alabama on a northbound journey along a network of trails making up the Eastern Continental Trail into Canada.
The Blackwater section begins north from the well-marked Deer Lake junction sign halfway through Yellow River Ravines.
Northbound
Florida Trail, Blackwater The 45 mile Blackwater section of the Florida Trail walks through Atlantic white cedar and longleaf pine forests, pitcher plant bogs and titi swamps to reach Alabama.Suggested Articles
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See our photos from this hike
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring nearby
Florida Trail, Wiregrass Trail 12.3 miles. On the northernmost segment of the Florida Trail, connecting to the greater Eastern Continental Trail at the state line with Alabama, the Wiregrass Trail immerses you in longleaf pine forests northeast of Pensacola.
Blackwater River State Park Stunning white sand beaches along the Blackwater River tempt swimmers during the warm months and paddlers and hikers all year to this state park east of Milton.
Florida Trail, Juniper Creek 7.3 miles. Also known as the Juniper Creek Trail, the Florida Trail at Juniper Creek is a gorgeous place to explore, with its panorama at Red Rocks and botanical delights along and above the creek basin.
Florida Trail, Hutton An exceptionally scenic hike, the Hutton section of the Florida Trail navigates distinctive landscapes though clayhills, ravines, and pitcher plant bogs amid thick stands of pine. 
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