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Yellow Trail sign in pine forest

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.

St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park  |  Fellsmere
( 27.824207, -80.607460 )      8.1 miles

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Covering a vast landscape of pine flatwoods, oak hammock, cypress domes, and strand swamps, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park protects nearly 22,000 acres of natural habitats.

Broken into four quadrants by a canal and a major highway, each corner of the park features a long loop trail.

At 8.1 miles, the Yellow Trail is the shortest of the four loops and features two primitive campsites within a mile of parking areas off the park’s main access road.

Trail junction with yellow blazed pine Trail junction on the Yellow Trail



Resources

Resources for exploring the area

50 Hikes in Central Florida Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

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: Fellsmere
Length: 8.1 mile loop
Trailhead: 27.831586, -80.541639
Address: 1000 Buffer Preserve Dr, Fellsmere, FL 32948
Fees: Free. Primitive camping costs $5 per person per night
Restrooms: : Restroom with water at the visitor center. Vault toilet near the trailhead at the manatee lookout.
Land Manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 321-953-5005

Open 8 AM until sunset daily, unless camping is pre-arranged. Leashed pets welcome.

The trail is multi-use, shared with equestrians and off-road cyclists.

Pine and cypress in yellow wildflowers


Directions

 
From Interstate 95 at Fellsmere, head west on CR 512 for 3 miles before turning right into the historic community onto N Broadway St. After 0.4 mile, turn left onto S Carolina Ave, then right onto CR 507 in another 0.4 mile. Continue on CR 507 for 3.5 miles, and the park entrance will be on the right side of the road. After passing the visitor center, follow the dirt road for 4.2 miles and the trailhead is located on the left.

Hike

Starting at the trailhead, follow yellow blazes northward along a wide, pine-needle strewn pathway.

Walls of saw palmettos flank the trail, separated by patches of wiregrass carpeting a savannah dotted with longleaf pines.

Yellow Trail kiosk at trailhead Trailhead kiosk


Blueberries and beautyberry bushes sprout from open spaces on the forest floor.

Paw paws sport creamy white flowers that bloom in the spring, followed by small fruits in the early summer. In a half mile, turn right to begin the loop.

close-up of wild paw-paw fruits Paw paws with fruit


Shortly after the turn, a campsite known as Pine Camp sits within a small clearing adjacent to the trail.

Situated under open sky in the pine flatwoods, this primitive site provides benches, a picnic table, and fire ring a short distance from the trailhead.

Benches around fire ring under pines Pine Camp


As the trail heads eastward, a few trailside pines stick out from the rest, with white bands painted around their trunks.

The white paint indicates a pine tree that has been known to harbor a nest of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

Pine trees with broad white bands around their trunks White-banded pines


Trees gradually become sparser while the trail crosses a wide expanse to the eastern edge of the park.

At 1.9 mile, turn left to follow yellow blazes on an alternating sugar sand and grass path.

Within a little over a half mile, a connector trail through a fence links this trail with adjoining Micco WMA off Fleming Grant Rd.

Trailside bench in a shaded spot Bench under the oaks


After 3.1 miles, the Yellow Loop reaches a shady oak hammock with a bench.

Tall oaks line the trail for a half mile before entering a wet pine flatwoods habitat.

As the pathway winds through the woods, yellow milkworts begin to contrast the rich green landscape of palmettos and grass.

These curious flowers bloom throughout the year, though they are strikingly dense in in the warmer months.

Small yellow blossoms in grass up close Yellow milkworts


As the trail turns westward, it enters a unique area where pines and cypress stand alongside one another in a flatwoods-type habitat.

Yellow is even more prevalent here as low pinebarren milkworts carpet the landscape with clusters of vibrant blooms.

Prairie carpeted with yellow blossoms Cypress and pine


Oaks and cabbage palms begin to appear among the pines as the trail heads towards the south end of the loop, reaching Storytelling Camp at 6.5 miles.

A side trail of a few hundred feet leads to a rustic campsite complete with a well pump, picnic tables, fire ring, and a metal shelter underneath an old live oak.

Clearing in pines with shelter and picnic bench Storytelling camp


Leaving the campsite, the trail meanders eastward, following a sandy access road for one mile before completing the loop.

A right turn here leads to the trailhead in another half mile.

Sand road between pines and palms Sandy road through the pines


Trail Map

St Sebastian River Preserve State Park Trail Map
Green: Green Trail. Yellow: Yellow Trail. Red: Red Trail. Light Blue: Blue Trail. Purple: Catface Loop. Dark Blue: Trans-Florida Central Railroad Trail.

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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


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Pine savanna

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.

Red blaze with sign and trail in scrub

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.

Deck with benches overlooking marsh

Fellsmere Trailhead Preserve

Immediately west of Interstate 95 at the Sebastian/Fellsmere exit, Fellsmere Trailhead Preserve provides a nature break for travelers and a trailhead for recreation

Bike path bridge over interstate 95

The 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.

Trail Map (PDF) Official Website

Category: Backpacking, Biking, Central Florida, Day Hikes, Hikes, Loop Hikes, Off Road Biking, TrailsTag: Birding, Dog-friendly, Fellsmere, Florida's Space Coast, Primitive Camping, Sebastian, St. Sebastian River Preserve, Wildflowers

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