At 22,000 acres, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park is vast. The natural habitats it protects today bear limited scars of its long agricultural use.
The state acquired the ranch in 1995 to protect the watershed of the St. Sebastian River, which empties into the Indian River Lagoon.
Wide open landscapes are common at this preserveMade up of several marked trails in the southeast quadrant of the park, the 5.6-mile Catface Loop has the South Prong of the St. Sebastian River as its destination.
The ruins of a historic hotel adjoin a primitive campsite called Mullet Camp and a shaded picnic area.
South Prong of the St. Sebastian RiverSteps lead to a wharf for paddlers exploring the river. Habitats include hardwood hammocks, pine flatwoods, open scrub, and vast wet prairies.
Expect to encounter Florida scrub-jay families, see white-tailed deer, and discover showy wildflowers.
Florida scrub-jays perched on tree limbsResources
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Overview
Length: 5.6 mile loop
Trailhead: 27.78460, -80.52757
Address: WW Ranch Rd, Fellsmere
Fees: Free. Primitive camping costs $5 per person per night
Restrooms: None
Land Manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 321-953-5005
Open 8 AM to sunset. Primitive camping available for a fee, call for reservations.
Leashed pets welcome.
Trails are multi-use, shared with equestrians and off-road cyclists.
Directions
From Interstate 95 exit 156 (Sebastian) follow CR 512 east 1.7 mile. Left on WW Ranch Rd for 1.4 miles, driving through North County Regional Park into the state park past Ranch Camp.
Hike
Cross the entrance road to the picnic pavilion in the shade. The Alligator Link starts beyond it.
Shaded by cabbage palms and live oaks, this connector trail cuts off a corner of the Blue Trail for the sake of hikers, providing a more scenic start and end to this hike.
Entry to picnic area and Alligator LinkAfter a curve in the trail, a bridge spans the waterway which nourishes this lush habitat. Turning east, the footpath parallels the creek on a bluff above.
At a half mile, the Alligator Link ends at an east-west forest road marked with blue posts.
Shady hammockJoin the Blue Trail eastbound. Keep alert to movement and sounds in the open scrub. We encountered our first scrub-jay family within a few minutes of walking east.
The signposted Cat Face Trail starts in earnest at 0.7 mile. Stay right at the junction. Blue-tipped posts confirm your route; side trails mislead.
Palmetto prairieThe broad ranch road has deep soft sand in the healthiest scrub, roughed up in spots by vehicle tracks and horse hooves.
At a Y intersection, double blue blazes and arrows on a tall pine point to the left fork.
Important turnThe two-track narrows through an open mesic flatwoods with scattered pines. Meet the first cross trail, Marsh Link, at 1.2 miles.
Each of the signposted cross trails provide shorter loops back to the trailhead but miss out on reaching the river.
Descent to creek crossingTwo tenths of a mile past Marsh Link, the trail descends into a lush creekside forest, crossing a shaded tannic waterway on a sturdy bridge.
Climbing into scrubby flatwoods, watch for a large, showy lady lupine before the next cross trail, Coyote Link.
Coyote Link junctionContinue in a straight line through a very open landscape, the understory dense with chalky bluestem grasses waving between clumps of saw palmetto.
Private aircraft pass overhead, as the airport in Sebastian is across the river, and you may see skydivers or unusual experimental aircraft.
Chalky bluestemReach the north end of the loop at 2.3 miles at a T with Cat Face Link. Turn right to follow it another quarter mile through scrubby flatwoods.
The path curves into the oak and palm hammock surrounding what was once the Carlton House. Only foundations remain.
Hotel foundationsThis was an early 1900s residence and hotel on the bluffs, accessed by riverboat during its heyday.
In a dense hammock nearby is the nicely canopied Mullet Camp camping area, with a picnic table, benches, and a fire ring.
Mullet CampA shaded picnic table at the top of the bluffs provides a panoramic view and rest stop above paddler access on stairs to the river’s edge.
Return along Cat Face Link, following it past where you joined it to a 4-way junction at 3.1 miles.
View from the bluffsA trailhead is visible to the right and a sign for the Cat Face Trail points left. Turn left to join the blue blazes.
This portion of the Blue Trail gently winds southbound through pine-palmetto flatwoods dotted with dry prairies.
Junction within sight of WW Ranch equestrian trailheadScenic panoramas of this open landscape delight. Meet the Coyote Link coming in from the left at 3.8 miles.
Curving through pine flatwoods, cross a depression with a waterway. The understory becomes more lush.
Scenic palmetto prairieAt 4 miles, make a left. Blue-tipped posts confirm the route. Beneath scattered tall pines, the ranch road is grassy again.
While the trail gains elevation the habitat shifts to scrubby flatwoods.
The trail is broad through the flatwoodsPass the Marsh Link crosstrail and soon after, at 4.6 miles, the trail rounds a massive wet prairie with an open water marsh.
Climbing, enter a strip of scrub forest and close the loop on the Cat Face Trail at a T intersection at 4.8 miles.
Large marshTurn right. The remainder of the hike retraces the incoming route. Walk a quarter mile along the Blue Trail past the scrub-jay territory to the turnoff for Alligator Link.
The shade of the hardwood hammock along this last half mile is particularly appreciated.
Junction with Alligator LinkOrchids and bromeliads flourish in the oak canopy thanks to the humidity around the waterway.
Pass the picnic pavilion to emerge at the trailhead, completing this 5.6-mile hike.
Palms shade a portion of the finale of this hikeTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park
St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park Cut in two by Interstate 95 south of Melbourne, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park spans 35 square miles across two counties, protecting a mosaic of habitats for wildlife, particularly the Florida scrub-jay.Video
A walk through the Catface Loop
Slideshow
See our photos from this hike
Nearby Adventures
Trans-Florida Central Railroad Trail If you've seen the prominent Trans-Florida Central Railroad Trail over Interstate 95 at Fellsmere, you've probably wondered about it. Here's what we found when we stopped for a ride. 
St. Sebastian River Preserve Red Trail Wildlife abounds within scrub, oak hammock, and pine flatwoods habitats along the 14.9-mile Red Trail loop at St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park.
St. Sebastian River Preserve Green Trail Winding through 9.7 miles of panoramic pine savannas, the Green Trail at St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park offers a cozy campsite near its trailhead. 
St. Sebastian River Preserve Yellow Trail Navigating a longleaf pine forest blanketed with countless wildflowers, the Yellow Trail at St. Sebastian State Preserve is a great destination for spotting rare red-cockaded woodpeckers.
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