At the confluence of Pellicer Creek and the Matanzas River, Princess Place Preserve is protects the oldest homestead in the county, Cherokee Grove.
In 1791, this land grant from the King of Spain was quickly planted in orange groves.
By 1886, it passed into the hands of Henry Cutting, who constructed an Adirondack-style hunting lodge on the shores of the Matanzas River.
Cherokee LodgeHe used local materials, including pink coquina, cedar trunks, and cabbage palm trunks.
He also built Florida’s first in-ground pool, fed by an artesian spring. Cherokee Grove became a popular stop for New England socialites.
Spring-fed concrete poolAfter Henry died, his widow Angela married an exiled Russian prince. Together, they lived in Cherokee Grove, entertaining royalty in a royal setting.
That legacy led to the name Princess Place. Their homestead became a park in 1993.
Waterfront in front of the lodgeResources
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Overview
Location: Cherokee Grove
Length: Up to 15.8 miles
Trailhead: 29.654000, -81.241431
Address: 2500 Princess Place Rd, Palm Coast
Fees: None, except for camping
Restroom: Near Cherokee Lodge
Land Manager: Flagler County
Phone: 386-313-4020
Open 7 AM to 6 PM daily. Leashed dogs welcome. Call for camping reservations. Check ahead for when house tours are offered.
The campground is one of the most beautiful on the coast, with some sites featuring their own docks.
Princess Place Preserve has many miles of equestrian trails leading into adjacent Pellicer Creek Conservation Area and kayaking opportunities throughout the marshes.
Waterfront campsiteDirections
Princess Place Preserve is south of St. Augustine and north of Palm Coast. From exit 298 on Interstate 95, head south 1.7 miles on US 1 to Old Kings Road, on your left just after you cross Pellicer Creek. Turn left. Cross a bridge over I-95. Pass the Pellicer Creek Conservation Area sign. After 1.5 miles, turn left at the sign for Princess Place Preserve. Drive 1.3 miles on Princess Place Road to the park gate. Continue another 0.3 miles to the Red/Orange Trail parking area on the left to start your first hike.
Hike
Since 50 Hikes in North Florida was published, the trail system at Princess Place Preserve has continued to expand. Information in that book is out of date.
Many of the trails are open to equestrians. Some of the shorter trails near Cherokee Lodge are hikers-only, with the Oak Trail (former Blue Trail) fully accessible.
Sidewalk along the Oak TrailLong Leaf Trail
2 miles. Look for the entrance to the left past the equestrian trails. The kiosk shows the map of the trail.
Both the Long Leaf Trail (former Orange Trail) and Equestrian Trail (former Red Trail) begin after the gap in the fence.
Starting as a broad grassy strip, it whisks you past open meadows, hardwood hammocks, and a freshwater marsh.
Access pointThere is a link to the Hardwood Trail in the longleaf pine forest. After 0.7 miles, reach the junction for the Long Leaf Loop. Keep right at the bench.
Turning the corner, enjoy a sweeping view of Pellicer Creek, part of an extensive protected aquatic preserve.
It’s an important spawning ground for saltwater species such as mullet and blue crab. Across the channel is Faver-Dykes State Park.
Pellicer CreekThe trail curves to the left to parallel Pellicer Creek, providing open views across the broad expanse of marsh.
Reaches an observation deck over the marsh at 0.9 mile. When the Equestrian Trail and Long Leaf Trail part ways, stay with the Long Leaf Trail.
Curve back around past a freshwater marsh and meet the other end of the loop. Continue back along the trail to complete a 2 mile hike.
Six-lined racerunner on pine duffThe Equestrian Trail (former Red Trail) now continues across the entrance road and deeper into the preserve.
It leads to set of campsites open to equestrians along the waterway, adding mileage across open expanses best traversed by equestrians.
You can drive to the Artesian Trail (former Green Trail) to get to the good parts of the Equestrian Trail.
Covered bridge along park roadHardwood Trail
0.9 miles. At the end of the peninsula past the Dock Sites, campsites with slips to launch a kayak or fish from a dock, the Hardwood Trail (former Yellow Trail) begins.
It sticks close to the edge of Pellicer Creek as it makes its way out to the end of the peninsula, offering fabulous views.
Pellicer CreekSlash pine dominates the canopy, and wildflowers burst forth in fall.
Since the forest borders an estuary, expect soggy feet after a rainfall, since these are wet coastal flatwoods.
Creekside pathThe loop turns inland along a bayhead and hardwood hammock before emerging into a longleaf pine forest where it meets the Long Leaf Trail at a junction.
Follow the Hardwood Trail back around the flatwoods to complete the loop and walk along the creek again to the trailhead for a 0.9-mile hike.
Long Leaf Trail junctionOak and Creek View Trails
0.7 and 1.2 miles. Formerly the Blue Trail, this pair of trails starts along the driving loop for Cherokee Lodge and its in-ground pool.
Built in 1887, the lodge is the only period example of Adirondack Camp Style architecture in Florida.
Enjoy a seat on the wrap-around porchLook for the kiosk that marks the start of this pair of trails. The Oak Trail is the accessible one.
If you’re not in need of that surface, start with the Creek View Trail. A newer addition to the trail system, it slips through the woods to the edge of Pellicer Creek.
TrailheadThere, it meets the Oak Trail to head out to the point where you can see Faver-Dykes and the peninsula where the Hardwood Trail is located.
Here, Stiles Creek and Pellicer Creek meet in a brackish estuary, where tides push the salt water in through thickets of black needlerush and smooth cordgrass.
Pellicer CreekThe Oak Trail returns to the trailhead through the oaks. The Creek View Trail remains close enough to the creek it can flood on an extreme high tide.
It provides access to the park road and a pretty view of the covered bridge over the creek. Turn left to parallel the park road under the oaks back to the trailhead.
Where trails divergeArtesian Trail
(1.1 miles)
The parking area for the Artesian Trail (former Green Trail) is by the canoe put-in, but it can also be accessed from the campground.
Numerous interpretive markers provide plant identifications, including the uncommon evergreen wild olive.
Follow the green signs, which expand upon the original trail to the sulfuric artesian well by looping through the oak hammock surrounding it.
Oak hammockMore Trails
Trails we have not yet scouted in this preserve include Hominy Branch (2.5 miles) and the Legacy Trail (0.6).
The new segments of the Equestrian Trail (former Red Trail) now make for a 6.8 mile route.
Eagle’s Nest at Eagles ViewTrail Map
Trail map at kioskExplore More!
Slideshow
See our photos from Princess Place Preserve
Nearby Adventures
Faver-Dykes State Park At Faver-Dykes State Park, explore the estuaries of the Matanzas River and the uplands above Pellicer Creek.
Haw Creek Preserve Secluded and special, Haw Creek Preserve at Russell Landing nestles up along the shores of Haw Creek facing Haw Creek Preserve State Park.
Moses Creek Conservation Area Follow a system of wide trails across pine forests, hammocks, scrub, and sandhill habitats to a scenic overlook and campsite along tidally-influenced Moses Creek.
Graham Swamp East Hiking Trail A surprisingly rugged hike along a ridgetop threads between two sides of a mountain bike loop on the eastern side of Graham Swamp Preserve.
- Baseline Trails - November 7, 2026
- Hal Scott Yellow Trail - November 3, 2026
- Hal Scott Preserve - October 28, 2026