A network of short interpretive trails lacing through 20 acres of woodlands at North Florida College in Madison makes for a pleasant hike showing off habitat diversity.
Hike as little as a half mile loop or up to 1.8 miles across Ladell Brothers Outdoor Environmental Center , home to towering pines and marshes, bayheads and hardwood forest in the middle of a college campus.
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Overview
Location: Madison
Length: Up to 1.8 miles
Trailhead: 30.475300, -83.422700
Address: 325 NW Turner Davis Dr, Madison
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the Hamilton Library
Land manager: North Florida College
Phone: 850-973-1613
Open sunrise to sunset. Stop in at the Hamilton Library to borrow a pair of binoculars and browse through their field guides before walking over to the trail system.
If you bring your barbecue gear, you can make good use of the picnic tables and grills tucked back in the forest.
Directions
Follow US 90 west from Madison to the entrance to North Florida College, on the north side of the road; park on campus near the Hamilton Library (Building 4).
Hike
It’s a little tricky to find the start of the trail. From the Hamilton Library, orient yourself with the gazebo near the staff parking area.
From the gazebo, walk between the Student Success Center and Building 5 (Biology) and along the edge of the Wood Duck Pond. The trailhead is hidden in the trees in a direct line back from the water’s edge.
There are interpretive guides and maps available in the box at the trailhead. If missing, consult the large map sign located at the first trail junction.
Starting off on a boardwalk across a cypress swamp, the trail enters the deep shade of a thick hardwood hammock. Signs identify enormous trees, and numbered posts correspond to the interpretive guide.
At the trail junction, choose your route. Two loops lead through the dark hammock along the edge of cypress swamps; the third works its way around one end of the Wood Duck Pond.
Frequent benches make it an easy hike for all ages. Despite the trail’s proximity to campus buildings, you feel like you’re in a different world, and you will see wildlife.
Explore More!
Slideshow
See our photos from this hike
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