Just south of the Withlacoochee River lies the Two Mile Prairie Tract of Withlacoochee State Forest, where the Johnson Pond Trail provides a walk through sandhills and oak scrub, touching on prairies along the way.
The most notable stop is the trail’s namesake, Johnson Pond, a birder’s delight.
Resources
Overview
Location: Citrus Springs
Length: 2.7 mile loop
Trailhead: 29.005133, -82.384067
Fees: Free
Restroom: No
Land Manager: Withlacoochee State Forest
Phone: 352-797-4140
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome.
There are benches along the trail and at the overlook on Johnson Pond.
Directions
Follow SR 200 south of Ocala. At the junction with CR 484, continue 6.2 miles south on SR 200 to the Withlacoochee River bridge. Immediately after crossing the bridge, turn right onto CR 39, between the two gas stations. Drive 2.6 miles to the trailhead on the left side of the road.
Hike
Starting at the kiosk, pass through the split-rail fence and follow the trail as it swings left onto a jeep road into the sandhill habitat, where young longleaf pines rise to touch the sky.
After 0.5 mile, the trail makes a sharp right past a bench. Thickets of saw palmetto cluster under the turkey oaks. Turning left, the trail passes through a stand of gnarled old sand live oaks, past a prairie edged by longleaf pines.
By 0.7 mile, you reach Johnson Pond, a broad, marshy flatwoods pond with lily pads floating on the open water.
An observation platform provides a perch for watching the colorful birds that frequent the pond, including purple gallinules and green herons. The trail continues along the edge of the lake past a set of picnic benches.
Where a jeep road comes in from the right, the trail makes a left. Another left leads you into an oak hammock behind the pond cypresses on the south side of the pond.
The trail leaves the jeep road to follow a pine-needle-strewn path along the cypresses. Emerging to follow a soft sand ridge, the trail turns right over a rock causeway and intersects a blue-blazed trail from the left at 1.2 miles.
It’s an equestrian trail that shares the right of way for the next 0.2 mile.
After you pass a barbed-wire fence on the left, the hiking trail turns away from the horse trail, to the right and downhill along the orange blazes, descending through a live oak hammock towards what once was a rosemary scrub.
Perhaps prescribed burns caused its demise, or a change in how water flows across the landscape. Only a couple of Florida rosemary remain in this once-thriving spot.
The dense carpet of deer moss formerly found beneath the oaks has vanished entirely.
At 1.9 miles, you reach a bench. Keep to the right to walk through a small rosemary scrub.
After rising up and over a hill cloaked in longleaf pine and wiregrass, the trail drops down through turkey oaks and pines to complete the loop. Continue straight ahead to return to the parking area.
Trail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Withlacoochee State Forest
Withlacoochee State Forest
With more than 155,000 acres spread over several counties, Withlacoochee State Forest is Florida’s second largest state forest, and arguably the most popular for outdoor recreation
Slideshow
See our photos of the Johnson Pond Trail from when the rosemary scrub flourished.
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Oxbow Trail
With two loops along an oxbow in the Withlacoochee River, the Oxbow Trail is the northernmost trail in Withlacoochee State Forest and a scenic short walk.
Florida Trail, Dunnellon
2.3 miles. Tunneling through dense floodplain forests to bridge the Withlacoochee River, this paved segment of the Florida Trail offers accessible users an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.
Blue Run of Dunnellon Park
Enjoy a gentle family-friendly hike along the Rainbow River at Blue Run of Dunnellon Park, where woodland footpaths and paved trails keep you mostly in the shade with dry feet as you explore the river floodplain.
Withlacoochee State Trail
Tracing 44 miles of railroad history down forested corridors, past big lakes and city parks, and through quaint communities, the Withlacoochee State Trail is one sweet ride