• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida Hikes logo

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

  • Trails
  • Maps
  • Guidebooks
  • Search
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
Washington Oaks Gardens

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

Notable for its historic landscaped gardens under a canopy of ancient live oaks, Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is also the home of one of Florida’s rare rocky shorelines

Palm Coast      ( 29.634763,-81.204332 )      

245 shares

A gorgeous former Spanish land grant and homestead, Washington Oaks Gardens State Park impresses the senses with memories.

The bloom of the rose garden, the stinky sulfur spring, the live oak canopy blotting out the Florida sun: all will stick with you after you leave.

This park and its woodland gardens stretch across the barrier island, enabling visitors to watch manatees and dolphins in the Intracoastal Waterway or walk along its unusual rocky shores along the Atlantic Ocean.


Resources

50 Hikes in North Florida book cover North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers 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: Hammock
Trailhead: 29.634763,-81.204332
Address: 6400 N. Oceanshore Blvd, Palm Coast FL 32137
Fees: $5 per-vehicle state park entrance fee
Restroom: at the visitor center
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 386-446-6780

Open 8 AM to sundown. Leashed dogs permitted. Swimming is not advisable at the beach due to a strong undertow and large rocks.

Cyclists are welcome to ride Old A1A through the park. Two hiking trails provide places to explore natural habitats in the uplands and along the Intracoastal.

The gardens are at their peak in March. If you go hiking, take precautions for mosquitoes and ticks.


Directions

 
The park is along the west side of A1A, south of Marineland and 4.1 miles north of the Hammock Dunes Bridge at Palm Coast.
 
When you drive in on the park entrance road, the first parking area is for the Bella Vista trailhead. The next one is for the gardens. The road continues north to the picnic grove at the north end of the park, which has the largest parking area.
 
Coquina Beach is on the ocean side, across from the main entrance. You’ll need to display your day pass or your state park pass in your window when parking there.

About the Park

It’s mesmerizing to watch the waves carve the coquina beach into unusual patterns, emerging over time. A natural arch. A tidal pool. A narrow channel to walk through.

As grand as the gardens get in the formal side of this sliver of barrier island, you’ll always be drawn to the oceanfront, one of the weirdest beaches in Florida.

You can’t swim here, of course. Just appreciate the geology. Then head across the street and see what’s become of one of Florida’s original Spanish land grants.

The Bella Vista Plantation, the homestead of General Joseph Hernandez, passed into the hands of Owen D. Young, the chairman of the board of General Electric, in 1936.

Young and his wife expanded on the centuries-old citrus groves, adding formal gardens between their riverside retreat, which now serves as the Visitor Center.

They also planted gardens and added water features beneath the grand live oaks that canopied the original route of A1A, which now serves as the park’s entrance road.

After Young’s death in 1964, his wife donated the property to the state to become a state park.

In 2009, the complex of gardens and historic buildings formally became the Washington Oaks Historic District.

Trails at Washington Oaks

There are several distinct trails at Washington Oaks State Park.

The Mala Compra Trail connects the gardens with the picnic area at the north end of the park. It is open to bicycles as well as hiking.

The Bella Vista Trail has its own trailhead at the northern edge of the gardens. It’s a 1.8 mile loop that traverses most of the upland and waterfront habitats. It is for hikers only.

Cyclists can use Old A1A to the north and south ends of the park. It is shared with cars between the entrance station and the picnic area.

In addition, you can walk more than a mile of oceanfront along the ever-changing rocky shore at Coquina Beach.

Bella Vista Trail

Bella Vista Trail

With a 1.8-mile loop through the uplands of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, the Bella Vista Trail offers a close look at the variety of habitats found on this barrier island


Trail Map

Washington Oaks Gardens Trail Map


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Fort Matanzas

Fort Matanzas Nature Trail

On the shores of Fort Matanzas, a significant historic site south of St. Augustine, the dunes are now swaddled in maritime forest, a gentle place with ancient oaks and an accessible boardwalk.

Bulow Plantation Ruins museum exhibit

Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park

History and natural beauty meet under a dense oak canopy at the ruins of one of Florida’s oldest sugar mills

Steflik Preserve Flagler Beach

Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve

Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve protects more than 200 acres of mangrove marsh, mud flats, and coastal uplands right on the edge of downtown Flagler Beach

Pond lined by pine trees and dotted with water lilies

Graham Swamp Preserve

A freshwater swamp forest less than two miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Graham Swamp Preserve is where Bulow Creek rises to flow south.


Park Map (PDF) Official Website

Category: Beach Hikes, Beaches, Biking, Florida State Parks, Gardens, Hikes, Launch Points, Nature Trails, North Florida, Paddling, Parks, PlacesTag: Arboretums, Atlantic Ocean, Big Trees, Birding, Botanical, Dog-friendly, Family-Friendly, Favorites, Fishing, Florida State Parks, Geology, Historic Sites, Intracoastal Waterway, Mangroves, Palm Coast, Picnic, Playgrounds, St. Augustine, Wildlife Viewing

Reader Interactions

Have an update? Contact us.

Primary Sidebar

NORTH FLORIDA

NORTH FLORIDA OVERVIEW
East Coast Greenway. Florida Trail

Amelia Island. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Lake Butler. Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Micanopy. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. White Springs

Our Newest Books

The Florida Trail Guide

The Florida Trail GuideOur definitive guidebook to planning backpacking trips on the Florida National Scenic Trail, now in its fourth edition. Full data charts and maps. B&W, 356 pages. $19.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail Hikes 2nd edition coverFifty of the best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Discovering the Florida Trail

Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock
A visual journey the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


50 Hikes in Central Florida 3rd edition
Explorer's Guide North Florida & The Panhandle guidebook
Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala guidebook

Florida Trail Apps

Farout GuidesFarout Guides Comprehensive logistics and offline maps for the
Florida National Scenic Trail (1,500 miles), the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (108 miles), and the ECT Florida Connector (92 miles).

Explore More

Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Loblolly bay and sweetgum trees along a footpath

Graham Swamp West

Graham Swamp West
Riverfront with picnic tables

Chastain-Seay Park

Chastain-Seay Park
Tannic stream sluicing through riverine forest

Santa Fe River Preserve Gracy Trail

Santa Fe River Preserve Gracy Trail
Pine forest with blue blazed pine tree

Buck Bay Flatwoods Preserve

Buck Bay Flatwoods Preserve

Footer

FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Crescent City. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Gardens
  • Springs
  • Ecotours
  • Attractions
©2006-2023, Sandra Friend & John Keatley | Disclosure | Site Index | Work with Us | Advertise with Us
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy | Florida Hikes PO Box 93 Mims FL 32754| Contact