Hiking St. Sebastian River Preserve Yellow Trail

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 on the Yellow Trail

Resources

Resources for exploring the area

Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover

Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sandy road through the pines

Trail 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.