Hidden among canopied neighborhoods that cherish its presence, Central Park in Ormond Beach provides recreation amid a distinctly forested setting.
From the habitats within and the shapes of the lakes, it seems to have been engineered for water retention.
Picnic spotCanals connect the man-made lakes, with multiple put-ins enabling paddlers to ply waterways with a jungle-like feel. Boaters, too.
At the north end of the park along Hammock Lane, a paved circuit loops 0.6 miles between two man-made lakes within a manicured park setting.
Landscaped part of the parkBetween Fleming and Hand Avenues at the south end of the park, another 0.6 mile loop circles a pond edged by floodplain forest.
The central portion of the park is its wildest, with tall pines and oaks in the hardwood hammock and sizable bay and holly in the floodplain.
In the hammockAcross 149 acres, the four segments of park include playgrounds, picnic areas, fishing piers, tennis and basketball courts, community gardens, and a labrinyth.
The park is also home to the Ormond Beach Environmental Discovery Center, which hosts classes and workshops along with its nature displays.
Environmental Discovery CenterThe G.F. Althouse Trail ties it all together. Part paved path, part boardwalk, part shell path, the trail is entirely accessible.
A 2.4 mile loop encompasses pathways and boardwalks south of the environmental center. Add another 1.9 miles by continuing north for a second loop.
One of many trail map monumentsResources
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Overview
Location: Ormond Beach
Length: Up to 4.3 miles
Trailhead: 29.26980, -81.07154
Address: 601 Division Ave, Ormond Beach
Fees: Free
Restroom: Near parking lots
Land Manager: City of Ormond Beach
Phone: 386-610-0790
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome.
Directions
From Interstate 95 exit 268 Ormond Beach, follow SR 40 east 2.5 miles to Nova Rd. Turn right. Continue 0.9 miles to Division Ave. Turn left. Drive a half miles through the neighborhood into the park. Just after a bridge over a canal, the turn-in for the Environmental Discovery Center is on the left.
Hike
Begin with a visit to the Environmental Discovery Center for some background in the natural habitats of this region.
After looking out across the lake from the porch, exit the center. Join the concrete pathway curving past interpretive signs along a retention pond.
Path towards the pondAt the far end of the pond, join a boardwalk edged with low boards to keep wheelchairs from slipping off.
Enter a tunnel of shade in a coastal hammock dominated by moss-draped oaks and Southern red cedar.
Transition to boardwalkEmerge into the sun to round a curve, leaving the forest along the lake behind for a winding route towards Division Ave.
At 0.2 miles use the crosswalk to join the next boardwalk, the original portion of the G.F. Althouse Trail.
CrosswalkPlant identification markers call out trees, ferns, and shrubs through a fern-carpeted forest.
Towering cabbage palms and the hurricane-battered forms of immense live oaks speak to the age of this hammock.
The hammockWinding through a succession of curves, pass pop ash and sweetgum trees with clusters of wild coffee beneath them.
Cross a wooden bridge over one of the waterways connecting the lakes, a shimmer of blue revealing open water in the distance.
View from bridgeTake a broad concrete path to the right under the cypress trees, a spur to the fishing pier and observation deck.
At a half mile, a roofed overlook is at the end of a boardwalk, the expanse of lake rectangular with a few houses facing its south shore.
Big Dipper LakeReturn along the concrete path, passing where you came in. More towering trees provide perspective as the path proceeds south.
Graze along the edge of another one of the lakes, this one far smaller. At a junction, bear left.
Trail junctionCross a waterway connecting this lake to the next body of water south. An arch in the nearby stone road bridge provides ample clearance for paddlers.
Stanchions mark where the pathway meets a sidewalk. Turn right. Once across the bridge, cross Hand Ave at 0.7 miles to tackle the southern loop.
Entry point for the southern loopFollow the broad sidewalk, emerging from the forest to a parking area. Restrooms and playground adjoin a community garden.
Make a left for a clockwise circuit of Fleming Pond. A turnoff leads to an accessible kayak launch. Beyond it, join a long wooden bridge.
The two bridgesA path across an island leads to a second long bridge. Where it ends, a walk through the hammock begins. This one edges a neighborhood.
A canopy of oaks and cedars provide shade, sparkling when the sun shimmers through the Spanish moss above.
Hammock walkMake a right to join a boardwalk bumping out of the forest for a clear view across the water. It’s the first of several around the pond’s south end.
Curve past exercise equipment and the park’s access road, a glimmer of rainbow over the water when the sun hits the fountain.
Observation boardwalkAt 1.3 miles, pass a Central Park sign and a launch before the next boardwalk. A low fence separates the path from the park road.
The next boardwalk arches slightly above the water. Returning to the parking area, make a left past it to return to Hand Ave through the forest.
LaunchReturn up the shaded path to Hand Ave and cross it. Turn left to parallel it west along the broad sidewalk.
A bumpout of sidewalk grazes the shoreline of the large lake, a bench looking out across the expanse. Pass a hand launch in a small cove.
Bench with viewAt 1.9 miles, meet a path heading straight north through the woods along a deep ditch. Turn right.
Lined with palms, the path delineates the western side of the park. A grassy spot provides a panorama of the big lake.
The straightawayOnce past a neighborhood, the surrounding forest gets more wild, with many tall skinny cabbage palms.
Reach Division Ave at 2.1 miles. Use the crosswalk to continue up a spur extension of the path.
Crosswalk to spurIt ends near a view from a cove across the reflective waters of the lake behind the environmental center.
Return to Division Ave and turn left. Reach the parking area in front of the center, completing a 2.4 mile circuit on the G.F. Althouse Trail.
Cove at end of spurTo add another 1.9 miles, follow the concrete path adjoining Division Ave past the crosswalk for the G.F. Althouse Trail.
About the same distance past it, the connector enters the woods on the left, heading north from Division ave just before the neighborhood begins.
Connector trailCrossing Cherrywood Dr, it loops around the east end of the lake behind the Environmental Center and heads west.
At 0.7 miles, reach the loop portion of the trail. Start a clockwise circuit around Hammock Lane by bearing left at the T junction towards a lookout on the lake.
Lakeside lookoutRamble past a tennis court and around the lakeside Community Garden. A short loop explores the forest along the waterway connecting the lakes.
Return to the garden and use the crosswalk across Hammock Ln. Turn left, paralleling the road.
Community GardenCurving around the labryrinth, cross a bridge over the final connector waterway for paddlers. An overlook on this lake is soon after.
Past the playground, continue into a patch of woods to the crosswalk. At the first left south of Hammock Ln, seal the loop after 1.3 miles.
Playground and picnic pavilionReturn along the linear route that brought you here, crossing Cherrywood Dr on the way south to Division Ave.
Follow the sidewalk west to the environmental center to complete a 1.9 mile walk, or 4.3 miles overall.
Return route to environmental centerTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking Ormond Central Park
Slideshow
See our photos from Ormond Central Park
Nearby Adventures
Ormond Memorial Gardens Spilling across the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, Ormond Memorial Gardens leads you into a contemplative world mere steps from a major highway
Tomoka State Park Walk in the footsteps of the Timucua beneath the ancient oaks at Tomoka State Park, where the village of Nocoroco was a thriving community on a bountiful set of rivers.
Bulow Creek State Park At Bulow Creek State Park, walk among the ancients in Bulow Hammock, starting with the imposing Fairchild Oak, one of Florida's largest live oak trees.
North Peninsula State Park Neatly accessed via a scenic drive extending north from Ormond Beach, North Peninsula State Park has two tantalizing miles of oceanfront along a palm-rimmed line of dunes.
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