Florida Hikes

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

Large Spanish-style fortress with cannon outside

St. Augustine

Recreation around St. Augustine, Florida’s oldest city, concentrates on coastal habitats, both on the barrier islands and the estuaries that stretch many miles inland.

Resources

Resources for exploring the area
50 Hikes in North Florida book cover North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover Paddlers Guide Florida
 
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.

Exploring St. Augustine

Established in 1695 as a Spanish outpost in the Americas, St. Augustine lays claim to being Florida’s oldest continually occupied city.

With a compact core known as the Ancient City sitting inside thick coquina walls that attach to the fortress of Castillo De San Marcos that protected its early settlers, it is an extremely walkable destination.

A melting pot of cultures, with included Minorcans who left New Smyrna, the oldest free black settlement in the United States at Fort Mose, and waves of Spanish and British occupation, it feels like a corner of the Caribbean.

Natural lands protect portions of the beach and estuary frontage, providing launch points for paddlers and places for hikers and cyclists to explore.

Several pleasant waterfront campgrounds offer outdoorsy visitors a place to camp.

With a high concentration of bed and breakfasts in the Ancient City, it is also a place where you can sleep with history, and walk right out your door for an adventure on foot.

Parks and Trails in St. Augustine

Long stretch of beach with tidal pools Anastasia State Park Anastasia State Park is windswept and sandy, with an arc of beach that stretches four miles to Matanzas Inlet, curving in on itself to face the ancient city of St. Augustine.
Staircase on a forested slope Anastasia State Park Ancient Dunes Trail Scramble sharp inclines and woodland staircases beneath a canopy of ancient oaks and magnolias on the surprisingly rugged Ancient Dunes Trail at Anastasia State Park.
Beach on lagoon with dunes in distance Anastasia State Park Marsh Trail On the Marsh Trail at Anastasia State Park, sea oats sway in the breeze alongside a scenic path flanked by tall dunes and a saltwater lagoon teeming with wildlife.
Wild iris at Bayard Point Bayard Conservation Area Bayard Point Conservation Area preserves an untouched riverfront forest on the St. Johns River. Follow this route through the John P. Hall Nature Preserve to visit the river.
Bella Vista Trail Bella Vista Trail Burrowing deep into a jungle-like hammock along the Matanzas River, this loop to the north end of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park circles a historic piece of old A1A.
Dense hardwood canopy over paved path Canopy Shores Park No matter your age or ability, the short paved loop at Canopy Shores Park makes for a shady immersion in an old-growth coastal forest in St. Augustine.
Leafy path in forest with dark stream Deep Creek Conservation Area North Amid farmland southwest of St. Augustine, this 2.8 mile loop traverses a peninsula of pine flatwoods edged by floodplain swamps along the St. Johns River.
Waterfront on river with pine trees both shores Deep Creek State Forest Well hidden at the north end of St. Johns County, Deep Creek State Forest protects 379 acres along the flow of its namesake to where it meets the Tolomato River.
Saw palmetto fronting an estuarine creek Faver-Dykes Pine Loop Nestled in oak hammocks along Pellicer Creek, the Pine Loop Trail at Faver-Dykes State Park lets landlubbers trace the route of the creek through old-growth pines.
Pine flatwoods Faver-Dykes State Park At Faver-Dykes State Park, explore the estuaries of the Matanzas River and the uplands above Pellicer Creek.
Lone pine on a bluff along a vast estuary Fish Island Preserve Only a few miles from downtown St. Augustine, a set of well-marked paths explore shady hammocks and expansive salt marshes on the grounds of a former orange plantation.
View over forested dune of inlet Fort Matanzas National Monument On the shores of Fort Matanzas, a significant historic site south of St. Augustine, the dunes are now swaddled in coastal hammock. Visit them on an accessible boardwalk.
Wooden fort in a clearing amid old oaks Fort Mose Historic State Park Interpreting the first free African settlement in what would become the United States, Fort Mose educates through storytelling along 1.1 miles of trails and within its museum.
Forest road under a lush canopy of live oaks GTM Reserve Trails Circling a peninsula between the Guana River and the Tolomato River, the extensive trail system at GTM Research Reserve is one of Florida's most beautiful hiking destinations.
Sweep of estuarine creek Hiram Faver Trail An easy stroll through shady coastal forests leads to a picturesque picnic spot overlooking Pellicer Creek on this 2.5 mile hike at Faver-Dykes State Park.
Vivid green trail in pine forest Matanzas State Forest A system of linear and loop trails connected to a primitive campground offers scenic views of flatwoods, hammocks, and marshes alongside the Matanzas River.
Deep blue creek in a salt marsh 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.
Coastal estuary along river Nocatee Landing Whispers of the past carry on salt breezes across a wild landscape once home to an ancient civilization straddling the bounty of the Tolomato River estuary.
Dirt path elevated above swamp forest Nocatee Preserve A linear buffer between a massive planned community and the Tolomato River in Palm Valley, Nocatee Preserve protects 2,400 acres of riverfront habitats north of St. Augustine.
Palatka to St Augustine Trail Palatka to St. Augustine Trail Connecting two of North Florida's most historic cities, the Palatka to St. Augustine Trail follows the route of Henry Flagler's East Coast Railway through rural farming communities.
Pines along a coastal estuary Princess Place Preserve Explore wild spaces and cultivated grounds along eight different trails at Princess Place Preserve, an 1880s homestead at Cherokee Grove on Pellicer Creek.
View of river framed by trees RiverTown Riverfront Park Statuesque live oaks canopy an unparalleled 1.7 mile walk along the eastern shore of the St. Johns River at Riverfront Park in Rivertown, northwest of St. Augustine.
Walkway in the woods Stokes Landing Conservation Area Fronting a vast estuary along the Tolomato River basin, Stokes Landing Conservation Area contrasts deeply shaded maritime hammock and marsh rims with panoramic views.
Washington Oaks Gardens Washington Oaks Gardens State Park Notable for its historic landscaped gardens under a canopy of ancient live oaks, Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is also the home of one of Florida's rare rocky shorelines.

Recent Articles

Cover of the book Floating in Florida hovering over a wild riverscape Floating in Florida (11/6/2025) Drifting across placid waters, find your bliss with the perfect adventure on Florida's hidden waters, with Lucy Tobias your guide.

More Articles

NEARBY: Bunnell, Flagler Beach, Green Cove Springs, Jacksonville, Palatka, Palm Coast | PART OF: North Florida