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St Johns River

John’s Landing Trail

Named for Philadelphia resident and royal botanist to King George III, John Bartram, the John’s Landing Trail leads to his landing site documented in 1765.

Welaka State Forest  |  Welaka
( 29.4688, -81.6603 )      4.3 miles

Following a series of forest roads through the heart of Welaka State Forest, the John’s Landing Trail has several scenic spots along its 4.3 mile loop.

Optimized for multi-use, it leads to two campsites on bluffs along the St. Johns River, along with shimmering lily-covered flatwoods ponds.

All of these are documented archaeological sites, from the ancient days of the Timucua to the more modern Bartram’s Travels of the 1700s.

River view with trees More than 4 miles of waterfront is protected where John and William Bartram paddled


Resources

Resources for exploring the area

50 Hikes in North Florida book cover North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide 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: Welaka
Trailhead: 29.4688, -81.6603
Length: 4.3 mile loop
Fees: $2 per person for day use
Land Manager: Florida Forest Service
Phone: 386-467-2388

Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome. Trail open to cyclists and equestrians.

There are two campsites along this loop, Orange Point and John’s Landing. Primitive camping is available at both of these scenic sites and costs $10 per site for a maximum of 5 people.

Group camping can also be arranged. Contact the forest to reserve in advance of your visit.

River through palm fronds


Directions

 
From Palatka, follow US 17 south to Satsuma. Turn right onto CR 309 and follow the brown signs through Satsuma and Palatka. Pass the forest headquarters and Mud Spring trailhead. John’s Landing Trailhead is another 1.2 miles south along CR 309 on the right, at the fire tower.

Hike

From the trailhead clearing beneath the fire tower, head for the large kiosk that says Forest Education Trail.

Follow this winding path through the pines, passing interpretive signs, before you emerge onto the forest road that connects up to Mud Spring, Eagle Nest Row.

Hikers in front of kiosk Hikers at John’s Landing Trail trailhead kiosk


There is a trailhead kiosk for the John’s Landing Trail immediately ahead at this T intersection. Turn left. You’ll see a double blue blaze off to the right along with an arrow.

That’s the William Bartram St. Johns River Loop, primarily a footpath.

Bartram Loop Welaka State Forest Trail junction


It parallels this older trail but deeper in the woods, off of the main forest roads. To stay on the John’s Landing Trail, pass it by and start following the orange blazes.

At a T intersection with Indian Pond Rd, you can see a forest road gate onto CR 309 to your left. Turn right.

Tall pines Pines at a trail junction


The trail quickly swings right at a fork onto Longleaf Lane, passing a sign for Orange Point.

After you pass the next Longleaf Lane sign, water seeps across the trail from a swampy bayhead. Continue straight ahead, crossing another road junction.

Trail junction blue and red blazes Junction of the Johns Landing and Bartram trails


For a brief period at 0.6 mile, the light blue blazes of the William Bartram Loop join in, only to leave Longleaf Lane again at an orange arrow.

Meandering through the pines, Longleaf Lane comes to the next junction at 1.3 miles with the Bartram Loop, Deer Run Trail, and an Orange Point sign.

Bartram Loop Welaka State Forest Junction with Deer Run Trail


Continue straight ahead to visit Orange Point, a promontory on the St. Johns River that also serves as a campsite with a beautiful view.

A picnic bench overlooking the river makes this a nice place to stop and relax.

Campsite along river Approaching the campsite at Orange Point


While the Bartram Loop exits Orange Point along the riverfront – and we recommend that route for its scenery – the John’s Landing Trail returns out to Longleaf Lane and turns right onto Deer Run.

The trail is a grass-covered dike above the wet flatwoods, paralleled by a ditch. A dense oak hammock sits off to the right, stretching towards the river.

fossil snail shells and shoe for size Fossil snails spilled from a midden


After you pass an unmarked side trail to the right, the dike becomes a shell mound, a Timucuan middens with a spill of fossil shells.

When you reach the Johns Landing sign at 2.3 miles, turn right, walking through the pine flatwoods right up to the river’s edge.

Riverside campsite in Welaka State Forest The campsite at John’s Landing


This campsite isn’t as beautiful as the one at Orange Point, but it has more room for tents, a good place for group camping.

From the bench, you get a sweeping view across the St. Johns to the Ocala National Forest on the far side of the river, and up through a cove to the north.

River framed by trees and moss St. Johns River at John’s Landing


Return back along the trail to the Hammock Hideaway sign, and head straight across the trail intersection. You’re walking through wet slash pine flatwoods sprinkled with bayheads.

Ditches on each side of the trail collect the tannic water as it drains towards the low spots. Bog buttons thrive in the wet areas.

Hammock Hideaway sign and forest road Junction at Hammock Hideaway


From a low-lying drainage, a beaten path leads to the edge of Goose Pond, a large flatwoods pond around 3.1 miles.

When the path broadens, you pass a grove of sand live oak, and the trail rises up into a dry oak hammock with lots of crunchy leaves in the footpath.

Pond surrounded by pines Goose Pond


Stick with the wide road as other unmarked trails meander off of it. At the Indian Pond Run sign, turn left to pass by the northernmost of this series of ponds, topped with water lilies

According to satellite images, the Indian Ponds were an integral part of the Mount Royal archaeological complex. Mount Royal itself sits to the south of the state forest boundary.

Ponds in Welaka State Forest The Indian Ponds are part of the Mount Royal complex


Coming to the junction with the Longleaf Lane sign at 4 miles, continue straight ahead, following the orange blazes back up to Eagles Nest Row.

Turn right at the kiosk and take the winding path back out to the trailhead clearing under the fire tower to wrap up a 4.3 mile loop.

Bartram Loop Welaka State Forest Trailhead and picnic area at the fire tower


Trail Map

Johns Landing Trail Map
John’s Landing Trail in red, Bartram Loop in blue

Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of the John’s Landing Trail


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

40 Acre Park wetlands

40 Acre Park

A community park in Welaka, 40 Acre Park is a great stop for birding, with little-used trails that ramble around a series of wetlands once used in the fish hatchery

Mount Royal historic marker

Mount Royal

One of Florida’s largest mounds, Mount Royal was first documented by William Bartram in 1765, when it was an important central feature of a large village along the St. Johns River.

Beecher Run Nature Trail

Beecher Run Nature Trail

A stop along the Bartram Trail, the Beecher Run Nature Trail at Welaka National Fish Hatchery provides a walk beneath ancient pines along the edge of the hatchery ponds, which are fed by historic Beecher Spring.

Bartram Trail Welaka

Paddling the Bartram Trail in Welaka

Learning how botanists William and John Bartram traveled along the St. Johns River in the 1700s, I followed an experienced river guide for a look at part of the Bartram National Recreation Trail from the water on our Bartram Adventure Tour in Palatka.

Trail Map (PDF) Reserve Campsite Official Website

Category: Backpacking, Biking, Day Hikes, Hikes, Loop Hikes, North Florida, Off Road Biking, TrailsTag: Bartram Trail, Crescent City, Dog-friendly, Florida State Forests, Palatka, Picnic, Primitive Camping, St. Johns River, Welaka, Welaka State Forest

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