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There are some great Northeast Florida hiking trails and one of our favorites is the Guana River Research Preserve (Guana River State Park) trail system.
Northeast Florida Hiking Trails | Guana River State Park
The Guana River State Park trail system follows a loop that you can combine with other trails to get a 9.72 mile loop. The loop includes a short lead in trail from the trail head parking lot.
When we did the hike in the above video, we only hiked the main loop for about 4 miles. It was shortly after Florida had reopened after the quarantine. It was also my first opportunity to try out my new Hyperlight Mountain Gear Windrider 4400 backpack. You can see in the map, below that you can add on to the main loop to increase the length of your hike.
You can see that the trail offers multiple opportunities to go out to the Intracoastal Waterway (Tolomato River on the map). This is one of our favorite parts of this Northeast Florida hiking trail. You can relax on the beach while eating your lunch and watch the boats pass by on the river. Just be sure to bring some bug spray.
The trail takes you through salt flats and Florida scrub oaks. Much of the trail can be under water during wet seasons, so prepare for some water crossings. Much of the trail can also be soft, sugar sand, as well. As a Florida hiker, you kind of get used to that type of trail. The scenery surrounding you makes up for the sand and water.
Guana River Hiking Trails Conclusion
One of the unique features of the Guana River hiking trails is it’s length. Other than the Florida Trail, it’s hard for a hiker in Florida to find long hiking trails that don’t include a roadway. The Guana trails offer almost 10 miles of beautiful Florida trails away from roads and civilization, even though it’s only a few minutes from Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine.
Be sure to come prepared for some water and sugar sand. You may also get lucky and see a deer or rattlesnake.
As I mentioned in the opening, it’s one of my favorite Northeast Florida hiking trails.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on these links and make a qualifying purchase, I will receive a small commission from those purchases.