Within earshot of the park entrance road and never far from it, the Shared Use Trail at Fort Clinch State Park nonetheless hides well.
Ancient live oaks and towering Southern magnolia make up a dense coastal hammock just over the dunes from the Atlantic Ocean.
It’s a beautifully shaded hikeStarting and ending at the corner of the main parking area for Fort Clinch itself, the loop is signposted counterclockwise for cyclists.
Optimized for riding, it has hardened surfaces in low areas and on steep slopes, where pavers provide purchase. Hikers can tackle it in either direction.
Cyclist passing on an upslopeCentral access points are limited to the trailhead for the Willow Pond Trails and a pulloff at an outflow into Egans Creek.
Expect some serious elevation changes and keep alert for mountain bikers. Despite the proximity to the ocean, mosquito repellent is a must.
A steep drop between forested dunesResources
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.
Overview
Location: Fernandina Beach
Trailhead: 30.703502, -81.452813
Address: 2601 Atlantic Ave, Fernandina Beach
Fees: $4-6 per vehicle
Restrooms: At the trailhead
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 904-277-7274
Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed pets welcome but prohibited on beaches, boardwalks, and in buildings within the park.
Directions
Exit Interstate 95 at SR 200 for Fernandina Beach. Drive east, A1A joining in at Yulee. After 10 miles, A1A curves north and merges onto South 8th St. Continue north on South 8th St for 3 miles to Atlantic Ave and turn right. Head east on Atlantic Ave for 1.5 miles. Enter the park on the left. Past the entrance station, continue a little more than 3 miles along the main park road to the large parking area adjoining the visitor center.
Hike
Two large brown signs face the entrance road coming into the parking lot for Fort Clinch. For a counterclockwise loop in the same direction as cyclist traffic, begin on the right.
Follow a hardened surface of pavers into a valley between ancient dunes, the singletrack climbing to a ridge topped with live oaks, descending into a valley shaded by pines.
Start of the loopThe ups and downs start off gentle, the singletrack winding between the trees. An enormous live oak heralds your arrival at a stop sign.
Use a crosswalk a quarter mile in at the entrance road for Amelia River Campground and continue into the woods.
Approaching the road crossingClimb through deep shade, curving atop a ridge and past a live oak with a bulbous trunk that looks like an eagle’s head.
Descend through oaks and magnolias, crossing a narrow causeway over a canal before curving upward to a straightaway passing beneath a large live oak.
Eagle oakThe park road swims into view as the understory thins, singletrack shimmying through curves beneath draperies of Spanish moss.
Cautioned by signage, a steep dip at a half mile is tempered by pavers for the sake of cyclists hurtling downhill.
Curving dipOff-trail, a roadside bench provides a place to duck off the path for a sip of water. For your own safety, never stop in the middle of a shared-use trail.
A steeply banked curve grazes the road a tenth of a mile later as the singletrack drops into a deep ditch and back out.
Roadside benchParting ways with the road by winding between magnolia and sparkleberry, enter a forest of younger moss-laden oaks, approaching a stop sign.
At the trailhead for the Willow Pond Trails, proceed across the parking area to the far trail entrance to resume. Reach a “Mile 2” marker exactly one mile into the hike.
Mile 2 markerA murky pond separates this path from the nature trail at the base of this hill. Step through a portal formed by two sturdy oaks.
Pass a dahoon holly with a trunk shaped as if it were crafted into a trail marker long ago. Climbing up and over hills and around curves, go through a steep dip at 1.2 miles.
Among the big treesRise onto a ridge with large live oaks and massive magnolias. Oaks and cedars crowd when the path draws close to the park road.
Cross a service road in the hammock at 1.4 miles within sight of the park road leading to Atlantic Beach. Armadillos rustle beneath fallen leaves.
Service roadVeering away from the road again, the trail narrows, sharp curves grazing moss-covered rootballs of large live oaks. The canopy opens, letting light in from nearby Egans Creek.
After more climbs and descents, burrow through a tunnel of silk bay, respendent in streamers of Spanish moss. Crunch through a spill of magnolia leaves atop a rounded hill.
Curving pathFlattening, the trail edges the marsh, sun streaming in. An overlook a few paces off the trail provides a panorama of the Egans Creek estuary at 1.8 miles.
Squeezed tightly between the marsh and the park road, the path emerges at a clearing with a bench, a small trailhead where a creek flows into the marsh at 2 miles.
Estuary viewBeyond the trailhead, the moist ground caused an oak to tip its massive rootball aboveground. Gravel causeways elevate the moist footpath slightly over the marsh mud.
Climb out of the low basin up a very steep hill reinforced with pavers to reach a bench at the peak, which looks out across the marsh.
Steep climb to benchThe descent, at 2.2 miles, is equally steep. Curve out to a clearing at the edge of the road, where posts block drivers from parking, and back to a climb atop a low ridge.
Reaching a steep forested dune, the path curves along its base, plunging into a narrow valley.
Grazing past the park roadRising to a curve offering a hint of sunlight off the marsh, swing through a series of tight curves and challenging climbs for the next half mile.
Level out on mushy ground, with several marsh panoramas before swinging east to cross the park road at 3 miles.
Leaving the marsh behindThe east side of the loop returns to Fort Clinch. Climb past a huge oak and around a horseshoe curve beneath towering Southern magnolias at the base of a steep embankment.
Squeezed close to the park road by the sharp topography, the trail weaves a languid line within sight of up before sharply ascending a dune ridge using pavers.
Beneath towering magnoliasFrom a high point along this forested ridge, yards in a neighboring subdivision are visible. A steep descent drops the trail to road level.
Join the sandy shoulder of the park road at 3.5 miles before briefly returning to the lush forest.
Exiting to the park roadForced to the road again by the dune front, walk along the base of the dunes until the trail leaves the road.
Ascend to the base of a forested ridge holding back the higher sand dunes behind it. Warning signs point out the need to stay on the trail to avoid contributing to its erosion.
Dune frontAt 4 miles, the descent into mucky ground is a surprise, the trail curving along the edge of a marsh hidden by palm fronds.
Roots jut from the earth at the base of the thick trunks of several large magnolias. Ascend a ridge topped with more large trees.
Mucky areaPop out at the tannic creek flowing beneath the road, guided around it by a fence. Staying close to the road, the pathway offers glimpses of the creek basin.
It was obviously dug out to channel the water long ago. Past a massive cedar, a graveled causeway guides the trail through a wet area.
Path around the channelClimbing up a rooty slope onto a ridge, look down into the steep, deep channel of the creek, passing mounds of earth at 4.5 miles now topped with trees.
Buffered against erosion by pavers, a long descent from high ground leads to another climb and descent through a narrow valley between dune ridges.
Steep paver climbA roller-coaster of climbs and descents, some sharply graded and very scenic, lead to the crosswalk at Atlantic Beach Road at 4.8 miles.
Descend rapidly under arched oaks, reaching a split in the path in a low bowl of vegetation before the next climb.
Long dip on the way to the crosswalkStaying at the base of the dune ridge, the trail grazes the edge of the park road then ascends steeply and drops towards it again, passing a century-old pine.
Pass the Mile 4 marker at 5 miles. Dropping through a swale, curve away from the park road and cross under a power line. Climb atop the roots of an enormous live oak.
Mile 4 markerAscend a ridge with a “Steep Dip Ahead” sign. Many have been steeper, but it signals a descent and another steep climb dropping into a natural bowl filled with bluestem palms.
After the next sharp dip and climb, reach a trail junction at 5.2 miles. A bench marks the spot where a trail leads to the road, facing the Willow Pond trailhead. Keep right to stay on the loop.
Facing the Willow Pond trailheadRising away from that junction, skirt a fenced-in archaeological interpretive site only accessible from the road. Pass through a striking little valley of palms, climbing and curving beyond.
Sunlight gleams off white sand, the leading edge of the dune front pouring into the hammock on its march west.
Dune frontStaying at the base of the forested dune being engulfed, the trail turns away from it towards the sun-splashed park road.
Towering pines dominate the canopy briefly, the path cushioned by deep pine duff. Return to the coastal hammock in time to reach a bench at 5.6 miles.
Final benchCurve and descend to road level and back up the dune ridge, a tangle of marsh obvious in a swale.
Walk between the trunks of a sand live oak before the next big climb and drop to a brief causeway across a ditch, which the trail parallels through a thicket of palms.
Ditch dropPass the Mile 3 marker at 6 miles. Moist earth between the palms follows along the final curve and drop.
The Shared Use Trail emerges at the park road within sight of the trailhead parking lot. Cross the road and finish this 6.2 mile loop by walking past the trail entrance.
End of the loopTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Fort Clinch State Park
Fort Clinch State Park With 1,100 acres of pristine beaches, towering dunes, maritime forest, and estuarine tidal marshes, Fort Clinch State Park is one of Florida’s paramount recreational areas. Video
Hiking the Shared Use Trail
Slideshow
See our photos from Shared Use Trail
Nearby Adventures
Fort Clinch Willow Pond Trails Explore a coastal ridge and murky swamp along footpaths and levees around ponds created by the Civilian Conservation Corps near Fort Clinch. 
Egans Creek Greenway Northeast of Jacksonville in Fernandina Beach, Egans Creek Greenway is a protected area of over 300 acres that runs north to south along Egans Creek. 
Fairway Loop Trail Showcasing a slow restoration to maritime forest, this uplands loop on Fort George Island traverses what remains of a 1920s-era Scottish-style golf course near Jacksonville.
Betz-Tiger Point Preserve On a peninsula where the Timucua used the surrounding estuary for sustenance, Betz-Tiger Point Preserve provides more than six miles of breezy trails.
- Shell Bluff Park - June 4, 2026
- Red Bug Slough Preserve - June 1, 2026
- Tavares Nature Park - May 28, 2026