• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida Hikes logo

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

  • Trails
  • Maps
  • Guidebooks
  • Search
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
Freshwater marsh in a saltwater estuary

Fort George Island Cultural State Park

With layer upon layer of human habitation atop the highest natural hill on the southeastern Atlantic Coast, Fort George Island offers a long look at the past.

Timucuan Preserve  |  Jacksonville Northshore
( 30.428386,-81.425456 )      

166 shares

On Jacksonville’s Northshore, Fort George Island Cultural State Park protects both natural habitats and thousands of years of layers of human habitation.

Set amid a vast estuary when the St. Johns River meets the Atlantic Ocean, it is a green gem surrounded by what is now a National Park, the Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve.

1920s building with palm trees Entrance to the visitor center


Looped by a scenic drive, it offers hiking, paddling, off-road cycling, and an interpretive center and museum set within in a 1920s country club clubhouse.

It also provides a gateway to Kingsley Plantation, an important southern anchor along the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, which stretches to Wilmington, North Carolina.

Exhibits in visitor center Visitor center exhibits


Resources

Resources for exploring the area

North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in North Florida book cover 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: Jacksonville
Trailhead: 30.428386,-81.425456
Address: 11241 Fort George Rd, Jacksonville
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the Ribault Club
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 904-251-2320

Open 8 AM until sunset. Leashed dogs welcome outdoors. Collecting artifacts, fossils, and plants is prohibited.

The Ribault Club Visitor Center is open Wed-Sun 9-5 (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas).

Palms in front of 1920s building


Directions

 
From Interstate 295 north of the Dames Point Bridge in Jacksonville, follow Heckscher Drive (SR 105) east for 9.4 miles along the north shore of the St. Johns River. Turn left on Fort George Rd. After a half mile, at a fork in the road, stay right. Continue 1.5 miles to the parking area at the Ribault Club, which is also one of the trailheads for the Fairway Loop Trail.

About the Park

Opened in 1928, the Ribault Club attracted affluent guests with a yacht basin, lawn bowling courses, and nine-hole golf course.

But the island was first thousands of years before by the Timucua and their ancestors. In 1736, a fort protecting the Georgia colony lent the island its name.

Winding road under ancient oaks The Scenic Drive


At the north end of the island is the historic Kingsley Plantation, first established in 1791 on a Spanish land grant.

Historic buildings and palm trees

Kingsley Plantation

One of the historic treasures of Timucuan Preserve in Jacksonville, Kingsley Plantation interprets the everyday lives of free and enslaved peoples on an early Florida plantation.

A driving tour circling the island along the canopied Saturiwa Trail will introduce you to its ancient history and provide access to Kingsley Plantation.

Paddlers and boaters can make use of a small launch behind the clubhouse to explore the island’s rim by water.

Paddleboarder and Jet ski Watersports along the Fort George River


On the National Register of Historic Places, the Ribault Club offers a charm paralleled in era by the lodge at Wakulla Springs.

The architecture is understated but graceful, befitting its use as a getaway for the Jacksonville elite of the 1920s to “escape to the greens” for golfing.

1920s architecture The Ribault Club


The club’s original greens were not fully abandoned until the 1980s, when the State of Florida acquired the property.

Those were allowed to return to nature, but the large wooden clubhouse enjoyed a full restoration to its former glory.

A portion of it is used as a visitor center and museum. But its grand main hall and grounds may be reserved for meetings and events, including weddings. Call for details.

Clubhouse room with chairs Main Hall of the clubhouse


Hiking and Biking

Both hikers and cyclists are welcome to loop the maritime hammock along the well-marked Fairway Loop Trail, which starts at the Ribault Club parking lot.

Shaded trail in martime forest

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.

Trail Map

Fort George Island State Park Map


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of Fort George Island Cultural State Park


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Fort Caroline

Timucuan Preserve

A patchwork of public land on both sides of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Timucuan Preserve encompasses sites of historic, cultural, and ecological interest scattered between Amelia Island and Mayport.

Little Talbot Island State Park

Little Talbot Island State Park

With one of the closest wild beaches to Jacksonville, Little Talbot Island State Park is a heavily visited park, and not just for its beaches. Paddling in the estuaries and camping amid the dunes are popular pastimes, too.

Pumpkin Hill Creek panorama

Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park

Within city limits yet truly wild, Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park protects more than 4,000 acres along the edges of enormous estuaries draining into the St. Johns River

Red Trail Betz Tiger Point

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

Trail Map (PDF) Official Website

Category: Biking, Day Hikes, Florida State Parks, Hikes, Launch Points, Loop Hikes, North Florida, Paddling, Parks, PlacesTag: Best Dog Hikes, Birding, Boating, Botanical, Dog-friendly, Fishing, Florida State Parks, Fort George Island, Historic Sites, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Northshore, Scenic Drive, Timucuan Preserve, Wildlife Viewing

Reader Interactions

Have an update? Contact us.

Primary Sidebar

NORTH FLORIDA

NORTH FLORIDA OVERVIEW
East Coast Greenway. Florida Trail

Amelia Island. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Lake Butler. Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Micanopy. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. White Springs

Our Newest Books

The Florida Trail Guide

The Florida Trail GuideOur definitive guidebook to planning backpacking trips on the Florida National Scenic Trail, now in its fourth edition. Full data charts and maps. B&W, 356 pages. $19.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail Hikes 2nd edition coverFifty of the best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Discovering the Florida Trail

Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock
A visual journey the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


50 Hikes in Central Florida 3rd edition
Explorer's Guide North Florida & The Panhandle guidebook
Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala guidebook

Florida Trail Apps

Farout GuidesFarout Guides Comprehensive logistics and offline maps for the
Florida National Scenic Trail (1,500 miles), the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (108 miles), and the ECT Florida Connector (92 miles).

Explore More

Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Sinkhole pond with cypress knees and duckweed

Manatee Springs North End Trails

Manatee Springs North End Trails
Morning light in the upland forest at Manatee Springs

Manatee Springs Scenic Trail

Manatee Springs Scenic Trail
Grassy path edged by dense diminutive scrub forest

Cedar Key Scrub East Loop

Cedar Key Scrub East Loop
Archway at Fort Clinch

Fort Clinch Walking Tour

Fort Clinch Walking Tour

Footer

FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Crescent City. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Gardens
  • Springs
  • Ecotours
  • Attractions
©2006-2023, Sandra Friend & John Keatley | Disclosure | Site Index | Work with Us | Advertise with Us
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy | Florida Hikes PO Box 93 Mims FL 32754| Contact