Notable as one of Florida’s first state parks, O’Leno State Park is a showcase of geologic beauty amid natural habitats along the upper Santa Fe River.
Within the confines of the park, the river plays peek-a-boo, diving into a swallet and re-emerging as a flow within sinkholes before emerging threee miles south at River Rise.
Rapids in the Santa Fe RiverShowy park architecture (“parkitecture”) dates to the 1930s. The Civilian Conservation Corps used native pines and limestone to construct buildings, picnic shelters, trails, and a swinging bridge.
A uniquely shaped “log cabin fort” contains a museum dedicated to the efforts of the CCC across Florida.
The CCC MuseumResources
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Overview
Trailhead: 29.919707,-82.608359
Address: 410 SE O’Leno Park Rd, High Springs
Fees: $5 per vehicle
Restroom: At the recreation area
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 386-454-1853
Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome.
Directions
From Interstate 75 exit 399, follow US 441 north into High Springs. After 5.2 miles, in downtown High Springs, US 41 merges in. Cross the Santa Fe River. Continue 4.6 miles north of the river and watch for the sign at Sprite Loop on the right. Take this side road to turn right into the park entrance road. The entrance road leads 2.6 miles to the riverside recreation area at its end. If you’re southbound on I-75, use exit 414 for US 41/441 to head south to the park entrance road.
About the Park
Under the leafy shade of a hardwood forest, its location along the Santa Fe River makes O’Leno State Park a compelling destination.
It was that way in the 1930s, when young men put in long hours for the sake of building park infrastructure to send a paycheck from the Federal government back to their families.
Monument to the CCC workersPresident Roosevelt’s program to pull citizens out of the Great Depression resulted in outstanding parks and trails that have stood the test of time.
Here, a forestry camp and training center which served as the CCC camp led to what you see today along the banks of the Santa Fe.
One of the picnic sheltersThe camp supplanted a frontier-era Florida town named Leno, established along the Bellamy Road between St. Augustine and Tallahassee because of the natural bridge.
Not far from the picnic shelters and CCC museum, a walk on the River Trail along the old “Wire Road” follows the arc of the river to River Sink.
Start of the River TrailIt’s at this swallet that the Santa Fe dives underground, reappearing to the south as a hazy smear of water inside sinkholes in a cypress swamp floodplain.
The might of the river doesn’t re-emerge until it bubbles up at River Rise, becoming navigable for paddlers the rest of its route to the Suwannee River.
At River Rise, the Santa Fe re-emerges from the Floridan Aquifer (Dan Bell)Between River Sink and River Rise, a well-established network of trails is open to hikers, cyclists, and, from the Old Bellamy Rd south, equestrians.
Permitted types of trail users are noted on signage and the park map. Off-road cyclists may encounter rough, sandy, and soggy terrain.
We tallied nearly 14 miles of hiking on the trail network while researching 50 Hikes in North Florida.
Winding through the floodplain on the River TrailHiking
The easiest hikes for visitors cluster close to the campgrounds and picnic area. The Limestone Trail is an interpretive 0.6 mile hiking only loop off the park entrance road.
It loops a quarry used for chimney stone. The Dogwood Trail runs 1.2 miles linear beside the park entrance road, connecting the Dogwood and Magnolia campground loops.
Limestone Trail trailheadThe River Trail is a must, since the showy swinging bridge attracts anyone who wants to explore this park.
This 1.4 mile hike crosses the bridge, loops a horseshoe curve in the river, and returns back to the picnic area and bridge by passing the River Sink.
The swinging bridgeThe River Trail provides access to the larger trail network via the Sink to Rise and Parener’s Branch Trails. The Sink to Rise Trail connects O’Leno with adjacent River Rise Preserve State Park.
O’Leno Sink to Rise Trail Starting where the waters of the Santa Fe River dive underground at O'Leno State Park, this scenic hike roughly follows the river's subterranean flow to its emergence at River Rise Preserve.Old Bellamy Rd is the dividing line between the two, with a multi-use trailhead located along it.
Bellamy Road was THE road across territorial FloridaWithin River Rise State Park, the trail system is trickier to follow but showcases the weirdness of the karst through which the river flows under your feet.
Inside this part of the trail system is a backcountry campground at Sweetwater Lake, and an extensive puzzle of equestrian trails all the way to and across US 41.
Named “lakes” along the trail are sinkholes of river water (Dan Bell)Camping
Along the entrance road, the Dogwood and Magnolia Loops have 61 sites between them, each with electric and water hookups.
They are lovely old-fashioned campsites, tucked in the forest and along narrow roads where 50′ is the maximum for a trailer.
Hammock camping is permitted in a handful of sites, and each of the loops have an accessible campsite. Sites start at $18 per night plus reservation fee.
Magnolia is more central to park activities, with its own playground. Both campgrounds have bathhouses. Bring a bicycle if you’re camping along the Dogwood Loop.
Multi-use trails near the camping areas are largely flatNearby, the park’s complex of historic cabins can handle a group of up to 120 people.
This was formerly Camp O’Leno, a forestry camp along the lines of a Boy Scout camp. Dating to 1938, cabins are CCC-era: basic and outdoorsy.
One of the camp buildingsBuildings do not have heating or air conditioning. But use of the camp includes a set of historic buildings including as a recreation hall, dining hall, crafts building, and concession.
The park also has primitive group camps for tent camping in the forest. For group camping, call the park directly to make arrangements.
The backpacker’s campsite at Sweetwater Lake is 3 miles out along the trail. Up to ten people can camp there, and a privy is provided. Camping is $5 per night. Call the park to reserve.
Sweetwater Lake (Dan Bell)Trail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about adjoining River Rise Preserve State Park
River Rise Preserve State Park Birthing the Santa Fe River from a journey underground, River Rise Preserve State Park offers trails open to hikers and equestrians via adjoining O'Leno State Park. Video
Hiking the Sink to Rise Trail
Slideshow
See our photos of O’Leno State Park
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