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Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

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Ravine Gardens West Bridge

Palatka

Along the St. Johns River, Palatka is just east of the Florida Trail and 15 minutes from the Ocala National Forest, providing a gateway to outdoor adventures

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St Johns River Palatka

Spending a week in Palatka to explore the Bartram National Recreation Trail on a Bartram Adventure Tour gave us a new appreciation for this city on the St. Johns River.

Having embraced their historic significance through the visits of naturalists John and William Bartram in the late 1700s, Palatka has improved its waterfront and added interpretation from these early explorers of Florida.

Restoration of its riverfront now includes a ribbon of green leading south from the Memorial Bridge that US 17 and SR 100 use to cross the St. Johns River, with a riverwalk connecting a kayak launch, fishing pier, Bartram-themed playground, and the marina.

Multiple long bike paths meet here, and the Florida Trail passes through public lands only three miles west of the city, so both hikers and cyclists consider this a trail town, an important stop for rest and resupply.

Add in nearby state parks, state forests, water management areas, and the Ocala National Forest, and the sheer volume of public lands around Palatka make this a great base camp for outdoor recreation.

Resources

Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover 50 Hikes in North Florida book cover North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover The Hiking Trails of Floridas National Forests Parks Preserves book cover Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us continue to provide public information on this website.

Palatka Riverfront sunrise

The Bartram Trail in Putnam County

A National Recreation Trail, the Bartram Trail in Putnam County is made up of interpretive sites based on the writings of John and William Bartram.

Father and son naturalists from Philadelphia, they came to Florida to collect botanical specimens and reconnaissance on this new land under British rule, as John Bartram was the designated Royal Botanist for King George III when the duo made an expedition starting in 1765.

John’s Journal recounts following the St. Johns River up to its assumed source, 215 miles upriver from the Atlantic Ocean. In 1774, William Bartram returned to the river and retraced the route under the patronage of Dr. John Fothergill, who paid handsomely for botanical specimens. His Travels, more well known than his father’s published work, defined many Florida creatures and flowers for the first time, including the gopher tortoise and Ixea caelestina, now called Bartram’s Ixia.

In 2018, we participated in a week-long guided tour led by local Bartram experts, and learned more than we ever knew before about the Bartram’s influence on the world’s earliest perceptions of Florida. When tours are again available, we highly recommend taking one. The local Bartram Committee also puts on an annual Bartram Frolic, loosely based on the “Indian Frolic” William Bartram describes at Palatka in the fall of 1774.

Bartram Adventure Tour

On a Bartram Adventure Tour

Bartram Trail Welaka

Paddling the Bartram Trail in Welaka

Bartram Trail in Putnam County

Trails and Parks Around Palatka

Best Trails Around Palatka

These are our top picks for hiking and biking in the Palatka area

Florida Trail, Rice Creek

Florida Trail, Rice Creek

Home of ancient cypress trees and the remains of a 1700s rice plantation, Rice Creek Conservation Area has a fascinating loop trail along the statewide Florida Trail

Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail

Palatka-Lake Butler Trail

With a corridor spanning nearly 50 miles through North Florida, the Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail provides paved trail for riders and an unpaved corridor used by the Florida Trail

Palatka to St Augustine Trail

Palatka to St. Augustine Trail

Connecting two of North Florida’s most historic cities, the Palatka to St. Augustine Trail follows the route of Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railway through rural farming communities

Palm hammock trail

William Bartram St. Johns River Loop

Discover the beauty of Welaka State Forest on a 5 mile footpath that winds along ecotones and hugs the bluffs of the St. Johns River to showcase natural wonders that botanist William Bartram documented in 1774.

Important Public Lands Around Palatka

You’ll find multiple recreational opportunities on these public lands near Palatka

Florida Trail north of Farles Prairie

Ocala National Forest

Ocala National Forest
Florida Trail Marshall Swamp

Cross Florida Greenway

Cross Florida Greenway
Swinging bridge at Ravine Gardens

Ravine Gardens State Park

Ravine Gardens State Park
Well-groomed trail corridor in pine forest

Welaka State Forest

Welaka State Forest
Horseshoe bend on a broad creek

Dunns Creek State Park

Dunns Creek State Park

Recent Additions and Updates

Our most recently updated public lands and trails in the Palatka area

Grassy corridor amid tall planted pines

Florida Trail, Buckman Lock to SR 20

Florida Trail, Buckman Lock to SR 20
Cross Florida Barge Canal near Buckman

Florida Trail, Rodman to Buckman Lock

Florida Trail, Rodman to Buckman Lock
Riverside Island north of FR 11

Florida Trail, Lake Delancy to Rodman

Florida Trail, Lake Delancy to Rodman
Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Florida Trail, Ocala

Florida Trail, Ocala
St. Johns River Center in Palatka

St. Johns River Center

St. Johns River Center
Bartram's Bass sculpture in Riverfront Park, Palatka

Palatka Riverfront Park

Palatka Riverfront Park
Palatka Water Works

Palatka Water Works

Palatka Water Works
Murphy Creek Trail

Murphy Creek Conservation Area

Murphy Creek Conservation Area

More Trails More Parks

Related Articles

Ocean Pond Olustee

National Forests in Florida Implement New Fees

July 24, 2019//  by Sandra Friend

Friends in the Forest

April 29, 2013//  by John Keatley

Cross Florida Barge Canal segment near Buckman Lock

Hiking Buckman Lock to Rodman Dam

January 31, 2009//  by Sandra Friend

All Articles

Bartram Inn Palatka

Where to Stay in Palatka

In the South Historic District, The Bartram Inn is a favorite for its quick access to Ravine Gardens and to the riverwalk, across the bridge and over to the Palatka-St. Augustine Trail. It’s run by a friend of ours who is an avid cyclist. There is also a Hampton Inn overlooking Riverfront Park. Both allow you to easily walk into downtown for meals.

We’ve also made use of the Sleep Inn and Holiday Inn off SR 100 on the west side of town, closer to the Florida Trail, Ocala National Forest, and the Palatka-Lake Butler Trail.

Rodman Campground is the nearest woodsy place to pull your RV into, but there are also some quiet fish camps with cabins along the St. Johns River in Welaka.


NEARBY: Bunnell, Green Cove Springs, Keystone Heights, Salt Springs, St. Augustine, Welaka | ALONG: Florida Trail, Palatka-Lake Butler Trail , Palatka to St. Augustine Trail, St. Johns River | PART OF: North Florida

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