Bartram National Recreation Trail

Bartram Gardens & Trail

DeLand 0.4 miles

Along the St. Johns River at Lake Beresford, discover the river anew through William Bartram's eyes as he recorded his observations of alligators, fish, and flora in 1774.

A stop along the Bartram Trail, the Beecher Run Nature Trail at Welaka National Fish Hatchery provides a walk beneath ancient pines along the edge of the hatchery ponds, which are fed by historic Beecher Spring.

Dunns Creek State Park

Notable for its habitat diversity, Dunns Creek State Park protects a vast landscape along the south shore of its namesake, a major tributary of the St. Johns River.

John’s Landing Trail

Welaka 4.3 miles

Named for Philadelphia resident and royal botanist to King George III, John Bartram, the John's Landing Trail leads to his landing site documented in 1765.

Mount Royal

One of Florida's largest mounds, Mount Royal was first documented by William Bartram in 1765, when it was an important central feature of a large village along the St. Johns River.

Mud Spring Trail

Welaka 1.7 miles

At Mud Spring, mud isn't what you'll see in the gently rounded basin that cradles an underwater garden, but a glassy natural pool.

Murphy Creek Conservation Area

Welaka 1.8 miles

With hiking in scrubby flatwoods and sandhills above forested slopes draining to Murphy Creek, as well as on Murphy Island in the St. Johns River, this water management preserve provides two places to explore.

On a Bartram Adventure Tour

Sandra Friend

On a guided Bartram Adventure Tour, we hiked, biked, and paddled to follow the travels of William and John Bartram along the St. Johns River in Palatka, Florida

Paddling the Bartram Trail in Welaka

miles

Learning how botanists William and John Bartram traveled along the St. Johns River in the 1700s, I followed an experienced river guide for a look at part of the Bartram National Recreation Trail from the water on our Bartram Adventure Tour in Palatka.