Florida Hikes

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

Bridge in a lush hammock

Shell Bluff Park

Walk beneath an unbroken hardwood canopy evocative of Old Florida on the well-maintained pathways of rural Shell Bluff Park near Crescent Lake.

Bunnell (29.495371, -81.483472)   0.7 miles  

Along the floodplain of Crescent Lake, Shell Bluff Park is a beauty spot within a vast farming district west of Bunnell.

Ancient live oaks anchor a lush hammock above the floodplain forest surrounding Little Lake, a dark pool plied by paddlers.

Picnic pavilions front this scenic spot within the woods. A playground adjoins the restrooms. But it’s the footpath that whisks you into the past.

Park sign and pavilion along lake Main trailhead

Resources

Resources for exploring the area
Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover 50 Hikes in North Florida book cover North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover Paddlers Guide Florida
 
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Overview

Location: Bunnell
Length: 0.7 miles
Trailhead: 29.495371, -81.483472
Address: 14331 W SR 100, Bunnell
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the trailhead
Land Manager: Flagler County
Phone: 386-313-4020

Open dawn to 11 PM. Leashed dogs welcome. No alcohol permitted. Expect mosquitoes.

Directions


 
From US 1 in downtown Bunnell, take SR 100 west for 14 miles to the first entrance on the left. Or, from US 17 in San Mateo, take SR 100 east for 9.6 miles to the second entrance on the right. Follow the narrow dirt entrance road into the hammock, passing two entrance points for the nature trail before reaching the main parking area at Little Lake.

Hike

From the parking area at Little Lake, start by walking through the gap in the fence facing the lake to enjoy the waterfront views.

Benches on the bluff face the floodplain forest on the far side. Alligators float on the placid water, which is hydrologically connected to Crescent Lake.

Bench along a bright blue lake ringed with cypress Little Lake

Following the shoreline past the pier, reach the start of the trail. It’s marked with a posted map and directional signage, which you’ll encounter at each turn of this trail.

Walk into the hardwood hammock. Cedars, cabbage palms, and live oaks edge the broad path. Saw palmetto defines the understory, with some ancient plants rising above the others.

Trail signage and map at gap in fence into woods Entrance to the hiking trail

Live oak trunks and limbs are swaddled in resurrection fern. The deeper the trail progresses into the hammock, the taller the trees become.

At 0.2 miles the loop begins, marked by a picnic table in a small clearing and another map kiosk. To follow it clockwise, continue straight ahead.

Massive live oaks create overarching forest canopy Ancient hammock

Lined by saw palmetto, the corridor curves beneath a large live oak and tall loblolly pines.

Cross a bridge over a deep, narrow ditch in the hammock. Cabbage palms sprout among the saw palmetto; loblolly pines tower to incredible heights.

Bridge amid pines and oaks Bridge

Broadening to the width of an old road, the grassy path rounds a slight curve into a straightaway.

The understory opens as the habitat shifts to a drier xeric hammock. Fragrant Carolina jessamine drapes over young oaks.

Broad path under pines and oaks Xeric hammock

The back of a kiosk faces a parking area along the park road to the boat ramp on Crescent Lake. The turn before it isn’t marked, so we backtracked to it.

Entering a palm hammock within sight of that road, cross a second bridge over the narrow ditch. Live oaks make up the canopy, but palms now dominate.

Bridge in woods Northbound leg of the loop

Gently winding through the hammock, reach a long straightaway. At its far end is another trail access point.

Emerging at the map kiosk at 0.4 miles, face the park entrance at SR 100. Turn right and walk along the entrance road beneath the ancient oaks.

Gap in fence from trail to dirt road Exit to entrance road

At the small parking area on the right, turn in at the map kiosk. Walk through the immersive hardwood hammock, listening to birdsong.

Rounding a slight curve, face the picnic table at the start of the loop at a half mile. Turn left to exit. Complete this hike at the parking area by the picnic pavilions at 0.7 miles.

Path under pines with picnic table in distance Approaching the loop junction

Trail Map

Shell Bluff Park Trail Map

Explore More!

Video

Hiking Shell Bluff Park

Slideshow

See our photos from Shell Bluff Park

Nearby Adventures

Boardwalk in palm forest 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.
Pond framed by trees Dunns Creek Blue Pond Trail A well-marked system of loop trails extends across sandhill habitats to scenic views of a secluded sinkhole lake at Dunns Creek State Park.
Pine flatwoods with colorfully blazed tree Dunns Creek Piney Bluff Trails Starting near a scenic bend on Dunns Creek, a network of wide trails explores diverse natural landscapes from expansive pinelands to sandy scrub forests.
Entry point to a preserve through gap in a fence Crescent Lake Conservation Area In the lush watershed of Crescent Lake, a winding loop trail crosses verdant pine flatwoods edged by floodplain swamps south of Crescent City.

Official Website

Sandra Friend
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