With a corridor spanning nearly 50 miles between Palatka and Lake Butler, the Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail provides two paved segments for riders and a lengthy unpaved corridor used by the Florida Trail between the north end of Keystone Heights and the New River.
Resources
Overview
Location: Palatka to Lake Butler via Carraway, Florahome, Putnam Hall, Keystone Heights, and Hampton
Florahome trailhead: 29.7333, -81.8864
Keystone Heights access: 29.7992, -82.0527
Lake Butler terminus: 30.022230, -82.340999
Land Manager: Office of Greenways and Trails
Length: Approximately 47 miles.
On our most recent visit to the trail, we discovered that paving is complete between Palatka and the northern end of Keystone Heights. Much of the northern end of the trail, 4.4 miles between the New River and Lake Butler, is also paved. Other portions remain unpaved but can be traversed with some jogs out to the highway around missing bridges.
Trail Map
Details
The trail corridor is paralleled by SR 100 from SR 19 in Palatka up to the north end of Keystone Heights, and rejoined by it again near the New River up to Lake Butler.
The Florida Trail joins the corridor at the Rice Creek trestle, following the newly paved section through the shade of the surrounding forest, passing a picturesque cypress swamp. There is a large unpaved parking area at Roberts Road in Carraway. After 3.1 miles, the Florida Trail jumps off the corridor at Carraway Church Road, the next road crossing, where there is room for a car or two to park.
Riding through Etoniah Creek State Forest
North of Carraway, the bike path skims the edge of Etoniah Creek State Forest, passing a primitive camping area. You’ll find a developed trailhead at Florahome with a restroom and water, as well as a nearby store. Another small store with cold drinks is at Putnam Hall.
The trail diverges from the highway for a while to circle around some large prairies as it approaches Keystone Heights. You’ll find full services along the trail in Keystone Heights except for lodging, and that can be arranged (cabins or camping) at Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, which a spur trail connects to by paralleling SR 21.
Florahome trailhead along the Palatka-Lake Butler Trail
Once you get to the north end of Keystone Heights, the pavement ends. Hikers following the Florida Trail meet the railbed as they leave the north end of the roadwalk through Keystone Heights at NW 75th St and stay on it for 25.5 miles. This unpaved section continues through Hampton, crossing US 301 to tunnel through timberlands southwest of Starke.
Unpaved corridor near Hampton
Orange blazes lead you out to the highway twice to use highway bridges to cross waterways, the New River being the most significant one. On the north side of the New River the pavement resumes as you pass the mid-point of the statewide Florida Trail near a sawmill. The paved trail crosses city streets and a highway as it comes into downtown Lake Butler, with the Union Depot serving as a nice terminus parking area.
Near trail’s end in Lake Butler, adjoining Union Station
Related Articles
Florida Trail, New River to Hampton (6/23/2016)- A surprisingly pleasant section of the Florida Trail that sees very few hikers, the most remote part of the Palatka-Lake Butler Trail stretches 9.3 miles between Hampton and the New River, southwest of Starke.
Lake Butler Trail (9/4/2015)- There aren't a lot of places you can (or should) bike down the Florida Trail, but the Lake Butler Trail in Union County is a nice country bike path that shares the trail with hikers.
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