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

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Pumpkin Hill Creek panorama

Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park

Within city limits yet truly wild, Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park protects more than 4,000 acres along the edges of enormous estuaries draining into the St. Johns River

Jacksonville      ( 30.473874,-81.486535 )      

More than 15 miles of trails interconnect Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park with neighboring public lands, enabling visitors to spend all day out on the woods.

Or spend it on the water, using their kayak launch to ply Pumpkin Creek and the tidal marshes of the Nassau River basin.

Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve John photographs the estuary


Resources

Explorers Guide North Florida and Panhandle Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State

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


Overview

Location: Jacksonville
Trailhead: 30.473874,-81.486535
Address: 13802 Pumpkin Hill Rd, Jacksonville
Fees: Free
Restroom: vault toilet at trailhead
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 904-696-5980

Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome. Most trails are multi-use. Expect to encounter equestrians and off-road cyclists along the trail system.

Much of the landscape is open scrub or scrubby flatwoods. Carry plenty of water for your rambles.

Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park

Use insect repellent and clothing appropriate for warding off ticks. We know someone who picked up a tick in this area and later tested positive for lyme disease.


Directions

 
From Interstate 295 north of the St. Johns River, exit on Hecksher Dr east. Turn left at the first traffic light onto New Berlin Rd. Follow it 4 miles north to a Y intersection; bear right. Continue 5 miles along Cedar Point Rd to make a left onto Pumpkin Hill Rd. The trailhead is on the left just after the residential area ends.

About the Park

Located north of the city along A1A, it’s one of a string of state parks where you can lose yourself in the landscape.

The bluffs provide a panoramic sweep of salt marshes where Pumpkin Hill Creek flows into the Nassau River estuary.

Explore miles of trails on foot, by bike, or on horseback through the scrub forest, pine flatwoods, and out to views from the river bluffs.

Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve The Main Trail Loop includes an East Loop of 1.5 miles and a West Loop of 1.2 miles through this open landscape


Hiking and Biking

An extensive network of multiuse trails connects from Jim Wingate Preserve to the west through Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve.

They extend up to the park boundary at Betz Tiger Point Preserve, where you can continue north on their trail system, and south to Cedar Point Preserve for even more mileage.

Pumpkin Hill Creek Blue Trail

Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve Trails

With interconnections to adjoining public lands, the extensive trail network at Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park connects more than 15 miles of trails to many miles more

Paddling

The kayak launch is located at the north end of the park off Pumpkin Hill Creek Road down a side road to the right, just outside the gate of Betz Tiger Point Preserve.

It’s a beauty spot to visit for birding, a picnic, or just to enjoy the salt breeze off the creek. Launching here puts you right into Pumpkin Hill Creek.

Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve Riverside picnic area and launch


Head upstream to explore along the edge of Betz Tiger Creek Preserve, or downstream to the Nassau River estuary.

Be cautious of oyster bars in the estuary and oyster beds along the shorelines.

Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve Oyster shells stud the approach at low tide


Trail Map

Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve Trail Map Kiosk with trail map


Explore More!

Video

See our slideshow video from Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve

Biking Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve

Slideshow

See our photos of Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Red Trail Betz Tiger Point

Betz-Tiger Point Preserve

On a peninsula where the Timucua used the surrounding estuary for sustenance, Betz-Tiger Point Preserve provides more than six miles of breezy trails

Fort Caroline

Timucuan Preserve

A patchwork of public land on both sides of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Timucuan Preserve encompasses sites of historic, cultural, and ecological interest scattered between Amelia Island and Mayport.

Hanna Park Mayport

Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park

With cool ocean breezes and a plunge in the surf after your hike, the 2.7-mile hiking loop at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park in Jacksonville is a great choice for a summer outing

Jacksonville Baldwin Rail Trail

Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail

Following a historic railroad route that sparked the Battle of Olustee during the Civil War, the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail spans 14.6 miles from Jacksonville to Baldwin

Trail Map (PDF) Official Website

Category: Biking, Day Hikes, Equestrian, Florida State Parks, Hikes, Launch Points, Loop Hikes, North Florida, Paddling, Parks, PlacesTag: Birding, Dog-friendly, Fishing, Florida State Parks, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Northshore, Rivers, Wildlife Viewing

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