On this 12 mile day hike loop within St. Marks Unit of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, emerge from the pine flatwoods to a coastline like no other.
A little past the halfway point of the hike, stand within marshes west of the Pinhook River and take in the sweep of the Big Bend.
The Big BendLargely following forest roads and levees, this is an easy, flat walk that can also be tackled by bike.
Along an arc of coastal levees partly shared with the statewide Florida Trail, expect minimal shade paired with a delightful number of wildlife sightings.
Even in the woods, alligators appear from roadside ditchesResources
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Overview
Location: St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
Length: 12 miles
Trailhead: 30.140917, -84.138847
Address: Lighthouse Rd, St. Marks
Fees: $5 vehicle, $1 bicycle or pedestrian
Restroom: None
Land manager: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Phone: 850-925-6121
Open sunrise to sunset. No pets. The gate on Lighthouse Rd opens at 6 AM and closes after dark. Keep alert for alligators as they are a common sight.
National Park Passes and Federal Duck Stamps are honored for admission. An annual pass for the refuge can be purchased for $25.
Directions
From Tallahassee, take SR 363 south to Wakulla. Turn left on SR 267. At the T with US 98, turn left. A prominent entrance sign points to Lighthouse Rd just after you cross the St. Marks River in Newport. Continue 3.7 miles to the Visitor Center. Stop at the fee station. Continue south another mile along Lighthouse Rd to the small pulloff at the St. Marks Unit Primitive Walking Trails gate on the left.
Hike
From the small parking pulloff adjoining the St. Marks Unit Primitive Walking Trails sign, cross the bridge and circle the gate for FR 105.
The Deep Creek Trail shares its start with the Stoney Bayou Trail, which covers half as much distance as an inner loop.
Starting pointA set of stanchions allows a chain to bar the road a little further along where a side road leads to a maintenance yard under the pines.
Enjoy dappled shade cast by live oaks on the approach to FR 106 at a half mile, a forest road to the right that’s the return route for this loop.
Typical stretch of FR 105 to startStay with FR 105 heading east. Where FR 109 branches off, a broad grassy needlerush marsh fills an open expanse amid the pine flatwoods.
Beyond the 1.1 mile sign, the two-track stops being a straightaway and curves around a bend. Pass FR 110 at a marshy junction.
A succession of forest roads continue to branch off into habitats shifting to wet flatwoods dotted with forested swamps.
A deer watches from a side roadAt the 1.9 mile sign, the Stoney Bayou Trail peels off to the right at an odd angle. Stay left to remain on the Deep Creek Trail.
Gaining a little elevation, pine flatwoods transition into mixed hardwood forest, offering the shade of live oaks over the trail.
A smattering of cedars and an increasing number of cabbage palms adjoin the trail.
Stoney Bayou junctionEdged with sawgrass, dark pools of water are home to alligators, one of the most common wildlife sightings to expect along this trail. Don’t approach them.
White-tailed deer startle the unwary when they burst across the forest road.
Around 2.6 miles, cross a concrete bridge over Deep Creek, a broad blackwater stream outlined by floodplain forest, and continue through a curve.
The bridge at Deep CreekAs the habitat shifts to drier terrain, redbud sports showy blossoms in spring near a clearing under the pines shaded by live oaks.
Passing more forest road junctions, continue to follow the distinct two-track under the pines and oaks.
A ditch adjoining it broadens, particularly when the view opens up to a sawgrass prairie.
Sawgrass prairieA signposted junction at 4.5 miles marks an important right turn where the Deep Creek Trail turns right on Main Levee, headed towards the coastline.
Raised up enough for nice views of the surrounding forests and marshes, Main Levee parallels a deep ditch where alligators sun along its sides.
Junction at Main LeveeSix miles into this loop, a sign that says “Half Way” means just that. Not far past it is a junction with the Swamp Hammock Trail at a footbridge
It emerges from a coastal palm hammock. A bench in the shade is worth savoring, as the remainder of this hike is largely in full sun.
It has varied over the years, but the orange blazes of the Florida Trail join in on Main Levee here if they didn’t back at the earlier signposted junction.
Half Way pointWithin a half mile, a grated bridge over an outflow from the marshes signals the start of a parade of coastal panoramas.
First framed by stunted cabbage palms and then simply laid out at the foot of Main Levee is a sweep of salt marshes extending to the far horizon.
Emerging into the salt marshThey define the shallowest coastline of the Gulf of Mexico, where the Pinhook and Aucilla and Econfina Rivers empty dark waters into the curve of Florida.
The peninsula and Panhandle meet on the horizon. Since Main Levee is offshore, the salt marsh views on its inner curve are beautiful as well.
Watch for splashes of pink in the marsh. While likely to be roseate spoonbills sifting through soft mud, flamingos have been seasonally spotted, too.
Curve of Main Levee westCross several large spillways within a half mile. When Main Levee reaches a cabbage palm hammock at 7.8 miles, a path left leads to Ring Dike Campsite.
It’s available for overnight stays for backpackers crossing the entire refuge on the Florida Trail and for paddlers following the Florida Saltwater Circumnavigation Trail.
Blue blazed path to campsiteStop for a rest break, as it’s worth a visit for its beauty and its bench overlooking the sparkle of Apalachee Bay.
Beyond the campsite, the open water on both sides of the levee make it easy to watch mergansers and ducks.
Waterfront at Ring DikeAt a trail junction in the levee with a white “Trail” sign at 8.5 miles, meet the eastern edge of Stoney Bayou Pool #2.
The Florida Trail turns north here to meet the Stoney Bayou Trail along the north end of this large, shallow impoundment.
Continue straight ahead to stay on the Deep Creek Trail in full sun. The pool on the right bustles with the activity of wading birds.
JunctionAlligators lounge amid water lilies and tufts of needlerush on muddy islands. Flotillas of coots startle easily into skipping across the surface in semi-flight.
A channel parallels the base of the levee. Beyond it, the expanse of needlerush marsh continues.
It is broken in several places by intentional ditching around deeper waters in the marsh.
Alligators in the shallowsReach the next trail junction at 9.7 miles and an important right turn at the open expanse of Stoney Bayou Pool #1.
Built by an all-Black workforce under the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1940s, these impoundments assisted in mosquito control.
Coots in a row in the marshThey also provided migratory birds a variety of depths of waters to encourage their stopoff before winging across the Gulf to their next destination.
This impoundment tends to far more open water than the others. When sandbars are exposed, they draw the interest of flocks of skimmers and seagulls.
Sandbar along the leveeWithin 0.7 mile, Deep Creek Trail turns right off this levee and meets a four-way junction with a 10.4 mile sign.
A trailhead at Lighthouse Road is visible to the left; the Florida Trail crosses here and proceeds towards it.
Marked with brown signs, the Stoney Bayou Trail turns off to join the Deep Creek Trail in its final stretch back to the Primitive Trails trailhead.
Where trails mergeA low, broad causeway leads through the expanse of grassy marshes for 0.2 miles to a slight rise into the pines.
With views out into the marsh, enjoy a straightforward walk through the pine flatwoods for the next mile.
At the junction with FR 105, turn left for the final half mile along the two-track road to the Primitive Trails trailhead, wrapping up this scenic 12 mile adventure.
FR 105/106 junctionTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Stretching across 86,000 acres in Florida's Big Bend, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge protects one of Florida's longest wild shorelines, more than 43 miles in three counties.Learn more about the Florida Trail in the Big Bend
Florida Trail, Big Bend Crossing rural farms and forests, this 116 mile segment of the Florida Trail reveals the secrets of the Aucilla River before tracing the Gulf coastline at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.Slideshow
See our photos from this hike
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