At the confluence of Pellicer Creek and the Matanzas River, Princess Place Preserve is a Flagler County park protecting 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 using 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.
After Henry died, his widow Angela married an exiled Russian prince. Together, they lived in Cherokee Grove, entertaining royalty in a royal setting, leading to the name Princess Place. The homestead became a park in 1993.
Resources
Resources for exploring the area
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Overview
Location: Cherokee Grove
Length: Up to 15.8 miles in 8 trails
Trailhead: 29.654000, -81.241431
Address: 2500 Princess Place Rd, Palm Coast
Fees: None, except for camping
Restroom: Yes
Land Manager: Flagler County
Phone: 386-313-4020
In addition to a tour of the classic home and grounds, Princess Place Preserve has many miles of equestrian trails leading into adjacent Pellicer Creek Conservation Area, and kayaking opportunities throughout the marshes.
The campground is one of the most beautiful on the coast, with some sites featuring their own docks. The park is open 7 AM to 6 PM daily. Contact them by phone for camping reservations.
Directions
Princess Place Preserve is south of St. Augustine and north of Palm Coast. From exit 298 on Interstate 95 at US 1, head south 1.7 miles to Old Kings Road, on your left just after you cross Pellicer Creek. Turn left. Drive slowly along the dirt road, which briefly exhibits some pavement as you cross a bridge over I-95. You 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 mile to the Red/Orange Trail parking area on the left to start your first hike.
Hike
Since our initial visit for 50 Hikes in North Florida, the trail system at Princess Place Preserve has continued to expand. Information in that book is now out of date.
Although many of the trails are open to equestrians, some of the shorter trails near Cherokee Lodge are hikers-only, and one, the Oak Trail (formerly the Blue Trail) is fully accessible.
Long Leaf Trail
2 miles. Look for the entrance to the left past the equestrian trails. Look for the kiosk, which 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. There is a link to the Hardwood Trail in the longleaf pine forest.
After 0.7 mile, reach the junction for the Long Leaf Loop, which expands the length of the Long Leaf Trail. Keep right at the bench.
Turning the corner, enjoy a view of Pellicer Creek, part of an extensive protected aquatic preserve, an important spawning ground for saltwater species such as mullet and blue crab.
Across the channel is Faver-Dykes State Park. The trail curves to the left to parallel Pellicer Creek, providing open views across the broad expanse of marsh.
It 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.
It curves back around past a freshwater marsh and meets the other end of the loop. Continue back along the trail to complete a 2 mile hike.
The 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.
Hardwood Trail
0.9 mile. 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.
Slash 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.
The 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.
Oak 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, and well worth a visit, especially to relax on the rocking chairs overlooking the Matanzas River.
Look 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.
The Creek View Trail is a new addition to the trail system, provides a nice walk in the woods out to the edge of Pellicer Creek.
There, 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.
The Oak Trail goes its own way back through the oaks, while the Creek View Trail sticks close to the creek – close enough 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 before turning left to parallel the park road loop under the oaks back to the trailhead.
Artesian 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.
More 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.
Trail Map
Explore More!
Slideshow
See our photos of Cherokee Lodge at Princess Place Preserve
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Faver-Dykes State Park
From Faver-Dykes State Park, you can easily explore the estuaries of the Matanzas River. Shaded by oak hammocks along Pellicer Creek, this peaceful park offers camping, hiking and biking trails, and some of the best paddling along this coast.
Haw Creek Preserve
Protecting nearly 1,000 acres in Flagler County, Haw Creek Preserve follows Haw Creek, with a boardwalk above the floodplain providing access to this scenic spot