Nocatee Preserve buffers the planned development of Nocatee from the Tolomato River basin, part of the Intracoastal Waterway.
While there are oak hammocks and pine flatwoods on high ground, this is a recharge zone for rainfall, with habitats that are largely damp.
Cypress swamps, floodplain forest, wet flatwoods, and expansive estuaries surround the slightly elevated Main Trail, which provides a backbone to trails branching off it.
Main TrailA mountain bike loop created by SORBA starts less than a mile south of the Davis Park trailhead. Side routes veer onto forest roads.
Just north of the Nocatee Landing trailhead, a scenic causeway crosses the estuary to an island along the Tolomato River.
At its south end, the Main Trail continues beyond its final mileage marker to the only land access into Deep Creek State Forest.
Start of mountain bike loopThree parking areas along the Main Trail make a linear hike of either 3.5 or 4.1 miles feasible with two vehicles. Cyclists may prefer a round-trip of 8.5 miles to the Deep Creek gate.
Hikers have scenic options from both ends. A deeply shaded round trip of 2 miles showcases cypress swamps and ancient trees south of the Davis Park trailhead.
A mile round trip north from the Nocatee Landing trailhead explores one of Florida’s most picturesque estuary panoramas.
Estuary near Spanish LandingResources
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Overview
Location: Ponte Vedra
Length: Up to 10.5 miles
Trailhead: 30.10927, -81.39275 (Davis Park Rd) 30.06531, -81.37204 (Nocatee Landing)
Address: 501 Davis Park Rd, St. Augustine
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the trailheads
Land Manager: St. Johns County
Phone: 904-209-0333
Open dawn to dusk. Leashed dogs welcome. Main Trail shared with off-road cyclists and equestrians; this trailhead has a large section designed for equestrian use.
Use insect repellent to stave off mosquitoes, yellowflies, and ticks.
Directions
From Interstate 95 exit 329 north of St. Augustine, follow Palm Valley Rd (CR 210) east for 3.2 miles, crossing US 1 before joining Valley Ridge Rd. Follow it for 1.3 mile and take the ramp to Nocatee Parkway eastbound. Continue 2.6 miles to the traffic light at Davis Park Rd. Turn right and follow this road 1.1 miles, edging around Ponte Vedra High School, to where it ends at the trailhead.
Hike
Pass beneath the archway signposted “Nocatee Preserve,” pausing to read the interpretive signage and study the map.
Milepost 0.0 kicks off a series of every quarter mile posts along the 4.5 mile linear Main Trail. White areas on the trail map denote dry habitats.
Trail Map kioskWell worn by use, the ribbon of trail roughly defines the midpoint of what appears to have once been a road leading south from Palm Valley.
Curving into the shade of a forested corridor, it passes a small pond, likely an old borrow pit. Ancient live oaks stretch lengthy limbs draped in Spanish moss from their thick trunks.
Trailside pondA large number of loblolly bay, also known as sweetbay magnolia, lends a clue that the surrounding forest is damp, as does a cypress swamp.
Beyond a slight bend, a ditch parallels the path to funnel rainfall towards a swamp glowing green with water spangles, an aquatic fern. A massive live oak tops a trailside mound.
Curve in the trailA cabbage palm adjoins the 1/4 mile post at the next bend. Black water flows in a channel separating trail from forest, spilling into a dark cypress swamp topped with small lily pads.
Gently curving, the pathway ascends into a forest of sweetgum and oaks interspersed with tall sweetbay. Cinnamon ferns and star-rush edge the grassy corridor.
Cypress swampBy a half mile, loblolly pines rise from mounds of duff. Sizable live oaks crown the higher ground. A depression dense with blue flag iris bursts into colorful blooms each March.
The sparser understory reveals sky and marsh beyond. Channels on both sides now divert rainwater away from the trail and along it.
Entering drier habitatsOn the approach to a sharp curve is a boardwalk with “Do Not Enter” on a post. It’s part of the one-way mountain biking loop, starting straight ahead at a marked trailhead.
The Main Trail turns left, passing the 3/4 mile post. On weekends, expect to spy cyclists whizzing through this upland forest on both sides.
Straightaway with bike path paralleling in woodsA long straightaway carries the trail out of deep shade into pine flatwoods with an impenetrable understory. A mile from the trailhead, reach a clearing with a bench beneath a graceful live oak.
The upper end of the bike loop crosses here, the 1 mile post within view. Unless you are hiking between two vehicles, this spot makes an excellent turn-around point.
Clearing a mile from the north trailheadContinuing south, the pathway is saturated by sunshine, edged by younger oaks and pines. After 1.3 miles, a spur trail branches east from a clearing with a picnic table and bench.
Dominated by tall pines, the forest crowds in more closely. Curve into a line of live oaks providing a corridor of shade past the 1.5 mile marker.
Between oaks and pinesAfter a wide, grassy area under the trees, descend into a damp pine forest, the pathway narrow and sometimes mucky approaching the 1-3/4 mile post.
Grassy shoulders define a broader corridor with no shade. The salt air is a clue the trail is drawing closer to the estuary, confirmed by two miles by the change in habitat.
Salt creekA line of needlerush separates the trail from cedars beneath cabbage palms. Cross a salt creek, its waters winding through a deep cut towards the Tolomato River.
Broadening, the trail passes a side path branching east towards that basin. Ascend slightly into pine flatwoods, reaching a clearing with a bench in the middle.
The south end of the side trail returns here to the Main Trail.
Large clearingPass milepost 2-1/4, jogging around low spots that collect puddles beneath the welcome shade of live oaks. Within the next quarter mile, transition into damp pine flatwoods.
The sides of the trail are busy with wildflowers. More puddles collect in drainages fed by needlerush marshes.
Curve at milepostRound a curve to a straightaway adjoined by a drainage area, entering the pine flatwoods again.
A substantial tannic waterway with cedar-lined shores flows beneath the trail towards open waters in the estuary. Paralleled by a ditch, a straightaway in the pines passes milepost 3.
Crossing a cedar-lined creekMore than a quarter mile of narrowing trail with minor curves follows. It’s almost a surprise when it empties through a gap in a fence onto Nocatee Landing Road.
Turn left, following the road past a trailhead at 3.5 miles and a pond. On its own path along the north side of the road, the trail reaches another gap in a fence and enters it.
Gap in fence from the roadThis final stretch starts out in familiar wet pine flatwoods but rapidly emerges into an amazing panorama of the estuary along the Tolomato River. At 3.8 miles, a bench marks a trail junction.
The side trail to the left is worth the extra half-mile round trip, as it leads through the showy marshes to an island with a small bluff along the river’s edge.
Island at Spanish LandingThe Main Trail stays to the right, a causeway with views across expansive marshes. Entering a tunnel of cedars, emerge through a gap in a fence next to the 4 mile marker.
Nocatee Landing trailhead is slightly to the left. Cross the park road and proceed through the fence gap at the trailhead.
View across marshes before reaching Nocatee LandingFollow a path to resume the linear Main Trail southbound along the west side of a marsh. Passing a trail branching over to the river, continue into the cedars and pines.
Reach the 4.2 mile post on a small rise. Dipping into the salt marsh, the Main Trail resumes tunneling beneath cedars. It ends at a yellow gate at 4.3 miles.
Passing the final marker postWhile there is no sign stating this is the entrance to Deep Creek State Forest, the yellow state forest marker confirms it. There are no marked trails beyond the gate.
Inside the forest are a collection of roads created by vehicles and a side path to the river’s edge. Return north on the Main Trail to wherever your vehicle is parked.
Deep Creek State Forest Well hidden at the north end of St. Johns County, Deep Creek State Forest protects 379 acres along the flow of its namesake to where it meets the Tolomato River. 
Nocatee Landing Whispers of the past carry on salt breezes across a wild landscape once home to an ancient civilization straddling the bounty of the Tolomato River estuary.Trail Map
Explore More!
Video
Exploring Nocatee Preserve
Slideshow
See our photos from Nocatee Preserve
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