5 De Leon Springs State Park: Wild Persimmon Trail

Although Ponce de Leon probably never tasted the spring waters here, an 1889 advertisement promised visitors that the soda- and sulphur-impregnated waters would act as a veritable fountain of youth. If this were true, you would expect to see a lot of really old people around since the area has been occupied off and on for the past 8,000 years. In fact, one of the oldest canoes ever discovered in the United States, a 6,000-year-old dugout, was found here. A 5-mile section of the Florida Trail loops through a scenic landscape of hammocks, flood plains, and fields. Don’t forget to check out the park’s famous pancake restaurant before or after your walk.

Nearest town: De Leon Springs

Start: Near the park’s interpretive center

Distance: 5-mile loop

Approximate hiking time: 2 to 3 hours

Difficulty: Easy turning to moderate when sections flood during rainy periods

Trail surface: Natural and boardwalks

Seasons: Anytime

Other trail users: Nature lovers

Canine compatibility: Leashed pets allowed on trail but not around swimming area

Land status: State park

Fees and permits: Admission fee under $5

Schedule: Open 8:00 a.m. to sundown all year

Maps: Included with park admission

Trail contacts: De Leon Springs State Park, 601 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, De Leon Springs, FL 32130; (386) 985-4212; www.floridastateparks.org/deleonsprings

Finding the trailhead: From Interstate 4, take exit 56 and follow State Road 44 to DeLand. At DeLand, drive north from DeLand on U.S. Highway 17 for approximately 6 miles, following the State Park signs. Turn left onto Ponce de Leon Boulevard and go 1 mile to the park entrance. The trail begins behind the bathhouse. GPS: N29 08.022' W081 21.682'

The Hike

Laid out and constructed by the Florida Trail Association, this 5-mile walk passes through several types of terrain. Beginning as a paved nature trail with interpretive signs, it moves through an area of bald cypress before the official hiking trail starts. This trail can be rich in wildlife, including deer, turkey, and fox squirrels.

Don’t bypass the boardwalk on the left to “Old Methuselah,” a huge 150-foot- high bald cypress estimated to be 500 years old. Its girth is 108 inches dbh (diameter at breast height), a standard scale of measurement determined at 4.5 feet off the ground. The pine trees here are equally towering and almost as large around, with some measuring 90 inches or more in diameter. These are truly golden oldies, since pine trees need be only 5 inches dbh to be sold for pulpwood.

You’ll join the orange-blazed Florida Trail section just 0.2 mile from the start as you turn right into a thick, junglelike setting. This very wet jungle provides a boardwalk and a series of bridges to keep your feet dry in most of the perpetually wet areas and to take you across a small stream. Oak hammock, a mix of hardwood and pine, and a cypress dome are all featured along the walk. The trail also crosses an old shell mound left by long-departed Indians who naturally favored the springs for its fresh water and abundance of snails, which were a diet staple. The shell mounds are essentially Amerindian trash piles.

The wild or common persimmon after which the trail is named is at the northern end loop. The persimmon tree, with oval tipped leaves from 3 to 6 inches long, produces a small green fruit that becomes soft, sweet, and orange in color as it matures in the fall. The fruit is a favorite of foxes, skunks, raccoons, opossums, and many bird species. It’s normally tart when picked from the tree.

A cypress tree estimated to be over 500 years old called “Old Methuselah” is located a short way off the nature trail.

Miles and Directions

0.0Start at the interpretive center nature trail from behind bathhouse.

0.1Pass short boardwalk to “Old Methuselah,” an ancient cypress tree.

0.2Begin orange-blazed Wild Persimmon Trail.

0.4Use bridge to cross stream.

0.5Pass bench. Trail turns more muddy.

0.7Trail crosses first in series of four boardwalks.

1.0Cross stream. Continue straight.

1.4Loop trail return comes in from the right. Go straight (bear left).

1.8Pass second bench.

2.3Reach grove of persimmon trees in meadow.

3.5Trail passes cypress dome.

3.9Arrive at end of loop trail. Go right to parking lot.

4.0Re-cross stream.

4.8Reach end of Wild Persimmon Trail.

5.0Terminus at interpretive center.

Tarzan would probably find more vines to swing from in Central Florida than Africa. Produced by strangler figs, the vines can easily hold the weight of a person.

More Information

Local Information

Volusia County Tourism: http://echotourism.com.

Local Events/Attractions

The property has served as a cotton, corn, and sugar plantation known as Spring Garden. The old sugar mill powered by the freshwater spring (19 million gallons daily) has found a new incarnation as part of a grill-your-own pancake house that is extremely popular on weekends. Restaurant hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., serving until 4:00 p.m. Contact: Old Spanish Sugar Mill Post Office, Box 691, De Leon Springs, FL 32130; (386) 985-5644; fax (386) 985-3315; www.planetdeland.com/sugarmill.

Swimming is permitted from 8:00 a.m. until one half hour before sunset. The swimming area is spring fed and is a constant 72 degrees. Depths range from 18 inches to 30 feet at the spring boil.

Canoe rentals are available for exploring Spring Garden Creek, the spring run, which also provides access to 18,000 acres of marshes, creeks, and lakes at the adjacent Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge.

Lodging

Look for lodging at Volusia County Tourism: http://echotourism.com.

Camping

None available on site.

Organizations

Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Recreation and Parks: www.dep.state.fl.us.

Friends of De Leon Springs State Park, Inc.: P.O. Box 1444, De Leon Springs, FL 32130.

The Wily Armadillo

Fossil records indicate that armadillos have been around in one form or another for 65 million years, and some of their ancestors weighed several tons.

Armadillos are so unique among mammals that they have been incorrectly named both popularly and scientifically. The name armadillo comes from the Spanish for “little armored one,” referring to the armadillo’s carapace, or tough shell, something no other mammal wears. However, this outer covering is not at all like the exoskeleton of a tortoise. Instead, the shell is made of modified skin tissue and, despite its imposing appearance, accounts for less than 20 percent of the animal’s weight. The average adult is about 2.5 feet long and weighs about fourteen pounds. Males are larger than females.

Armadillos mate anytime between July and December. A single fertilized egg is implanted in the uterus, and four sexually identical embryos develop from this one egg. After a gestation period of at least 150 days, the female bears four identical appearing offspring, which are born with their eyes open. The newborns’ shells, initially pliable, begin to harden after a few days. The hardening process isn’t completed until the animal reaches its full size.