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Jacksonville skyline

Jacksonville

One of Florida’s largest cities, Jacksonville will surprise you with its trails on public lands ranging from vast estuaries and beaches to narrow green corridors

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Jacksonville Arboretum

At the mouth of the St. Johns River, Jacksonville is the site of the landing of the first French fleet to reach the shores of North America, as commemorated at the Ribault Column on the river’s bluffs. The colony at Fort Caroline was short-lived because the Spanish, having settled in St. Augustine, weren’t about to allow their enemies to claim this land for France.

Jacksonville contains dozens of neighborhoods, from Arlington to Southside, and small communities with their own identities, like the oceanfront towns of Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Jacksonville Beach. All 918 square miles of Duval County is incorporated into the City of Jacksonville, making it Florida’s largest city.

Jacksonville has two National Parks, the Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, which interprets French settlement history and the native Timucua they encountered, and the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, tracing the history of enslaved Africans. The East Coast Greenway follows the coastline. Using the St. Johns River Ferry, it crosses the St. Johns River near within sight of where Florida’s longest river meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Timucuan Preserve

Resources

Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover 50 Hikes in North Florida book cover North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us continue to provide public information on this website.

Trails and Parks Around Jacksonville

While public lands in the metro area tend to be small with shorter trails, you’ll be surprised at the more extensive day use trail systems along the St. Johns River and the Northshore. For backpacking, head west to Jennings State Forest and Simmons State Forest or to intercept the Florida Trail at Keystone Heights and Osceola National Forest.

Best Trails and Parks in the Jacksonville Metro

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.

Jacksonville Baldwin Rail Trail

Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail

Following a historic railroad route that sparked the Battle of Olustee during the Civil War, the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail spans 14.6 miles from Jacksonville to Baldwin

Jacksonville Arboretum boardwalk

Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens

For a surprising diversity of habitats and hilly terrain, the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens is a hidden treasure for hikers and a bonanza for botanical delights

Hanna Park Mayport

Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park

With cool ocean breezes and a plunge in the surf after your hike, the 2.7-mile hiking loop at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park in Jacksonville is a great choice for a summer outing

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

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


Recent Regional Additions and Updates

Shaded trail in martime forest

Fairway Loop Trail

Fairway Loop Trail
Canal along Egans Creek Greenway

Egans Creek Greenway

Egans Creek Greenway
Broad path between pines

Sal Taylor Creek Preserve

Sal Taylor Creek Preserve
Trail along the side of a creek

Jennings Pioneer Trail

Jennings Pioneer Trail
Longleaf pine and saw palmetto

Dunns Farm Trail

Dunns Farm Trail
Young longleaf pines

Jennings State Forest

Jennings State Forest
Tannic waterway nicely framed by forest

Maple Set Trail

Maple Set Trail
Big cypress in a narrow tannic waterway

Bethea State Forest

Bethea State Forest

More Trails More Parks

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INCLUDES: Baldwin, Fort George Island, Jacksonville Beaches, Mandarin, Mayport, Northshore, Talbot Islands | NEARBY: Amelia Island, Callahan, Fernandina Beach, Green Cove Springs, Middleburg, Orange Park, St. Augustine | ALONG: Atlantic Coastal Ridge, Atlantic Ocean, St. Johns River | PART OF: North Florida

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