26 Ocala National Forest: Ocala North Trail

The 389,000-acre Ocala National Forest was the first designated national forest east of the Mississippi River. The Big Scrub, as it is affectionately known, is the world’s largest stand of sand pine scrub forest. It also contains one of the most scenic extensions of the Florida National Scenic Trail, a 75-mile leg that’s considered the “crown jewel” of the system.

Divided into two main sections, north and south, the trail passes through rolling hills and longleaf pine forests, skirts as many as sixty ponds, and ventures into numerous cypress and gum swamps. Hikers usually don’t need to worry about soaked feet in the swamps—many of the wet spots are spanned by boardwalks.

Nearest town: Palatka

Start: Buckman Lock

Distance: 34.0 miles one-way

Approximate hiking time: 2 to 3 days

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Trail surface: Dirt path, forest roads

Seasons: Fall through spring

Other trail users: Some areas of forest roads shared by ATVs, trucks, equestrians

Canine compatibility: Leashed dogs permitted

Land status: National forest

Fees and permits: No fees or permits required for through hiking. Day-use fees at Juniper Springs, Silver Glen Springs, Wildcat Lake, Clearwater Lake, and Alexander Springs Recreation Areas. Annual passes available for Juniper Springs, Silver Glen Springs, Wildcat Lake, Alexander Springs, and Clearwater Lake. Fee schedule is available at www.fs.fed.us/r8/florida/passes.

Schedule: Forest open 24 hours a day; hunting season mid-November to mid-January, with some restrictions for other users. Lock at the northern end is closed Wednesday.

Maps: Available from Forest Service office and the Florida Trail Association

Trail contacts: Lake George District, 17147 East Highway 40, Silver Springs, FL 34488; (352) 625-2520; open weekdays only 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Seminole Ranger District, 40929 State Road 19, Umatilla, FL 32784; (352) 669-3153; open weekdays only 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Visitor centers in Silver Springs, Salt Springs, and Altoona open daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except holidays; www.fs.fed.us/r8/florida/recreation/index_oca.shtml.

Special considerations: If you intend to camp in the forest, be aware this is prime black bear habitat. The bears are interested in your food, not you. Don’t leave anything out overnight that isn’t sealed.

This is also a public hunting area. During hunting season, hikers should wear 500 square inches of blaze-orange clothing above the waist, and it must be visible in both front and back. Hunting schedule available at www.myfwc.com/hunting.

Finding the trailhead: Take State Road 19 about 8 miles south of the town of Palatka. Look for a side road that leads to Buckman Lock, part of the old Florida Barge Canal. Parking is available. Gates on both sides of the canal are unlocked only during specific hours, presently 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Call the lock attendant at (386) 329-3575 for current schedule or the Rodman Campground at (386) 326-2847. GPS: N28 58.620' W081 33.011'

The Hike

This hike can be broken into several easy day-hike sections, so don’t feel that you have to tackle this entire route in one trek.

Hikers may need to use a whistle to attract the attendant’s attention at Buckman Lock. At about Mile 7 the trail arrives at the spillway of Rodman Dam, built as part of the barge canal project. Environmentalists want to remove the dam so that the Ocklawaha River can be returned to its natural state. In the meantime, the spillway is a popular place to fish and camp.

Trees knocked over by windstorms are not always immediately cleared. This tree has been down for several years.

Going south, you almost immediately come upon a primitive camping area at Caravelle Ranch. You’ll pass the entrance of the Rodman Campground with more developed sites at Mile 5. Continuing south, the trail crosses Forest Roads 77, 31, 88, and 75 and then reaches the shores of Lake Delancy (Mile 14), a good spot for water and camping. Another campsite is at Grassy Pond (Mile 18).

From Grassy Pond the trail crosses FR 88, County Road 316, County Road 318, FR 88 again, and then Forest Road 51. Shortly after Mile 30 is a junction with a 3-mile side trail leading to the Salt Springs Recreation Area, which has complete facilities and swimming pool–like natural springs.

Back on the main trail, continue across Forest Roads 90 and 65 to Hopkins Prairie, which offers complete facilities and lakeside camping at Mile 35.

The USDA Forest Service and the U.S. Navy have an agreement for use of the Pinecastle bombing range. The Navy has used the range, established by the Army Air Corps in 1943, for training since the 1950s.

Miles and Directions

The following milepoints are traveled north to south.

0.0 Start at Buckman Lock. (FYI: The lock is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Check in at the visitor center first.)

0.2 Pass Caravelle Ranch camping area.

2.0 Pass SR 19.

5.0 Pass Rodman Campground entrance station.

6.4 Cross the Rodman Spillway. (FYI: Spillway hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; closed Wednesday.)

7.3 Reach Rodman Reservoir. (FYI: Good lakeside camping is available here.)

8.8 Cross FR 77.

9.2 Cross Forest Road 31A.

13.7 Pass Lake Delancy Campground. (FYI: Water and latrines are available; no electricity.)

14.0 Cross Forest Road 85A.

14.3 Cross Forest Road 56.

17.7Reach junction with blue-blazed trail coming from the right to Grassy Pond. (Option: Follow blue-blazed trail to lake camping.)

18.0 Cross Forest Road 88C.

18.7 Cross Forest Road 88-4.

19.4 Cross CR 316.

19.7 Reach junction with blue-blazed trail coming from the left. (FYI: The 0.4-mile side trail leads to a convenience store.)

20.3 Cross Forest Road 63.

20.6 Cross Forest Road 97A.

21.0 Reach a junction with two segments of the Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST), the eastern and western loops. (FYI: This hike describes the eastern loop.) Turn left.

21.5 Cross FR 63.

23.2 Cross Forest Road 50.

23.7 Cross Forest Road 19.

24.7 Cross paved County Road 314.

25.1 Cross FR 88.

26.7 Cross FR 50.

27.0 Cross FR 51.

27.8 Reach junction with blue-blazed trail coming from the left. (FYI: This 3.5-mile trail leads to Salt Springs Campground, a restaurant, and other niceties of civilization.)

29.0 Cross FR 90.

29.3 Cross FR 65.

30.0 Cross Forest Road 90A.

34.0 Arrive at junction with blue-blazed trail on the left to Hopkins Prairie developed campground and the end of the Ocala North hike.

More Information

Local Information

Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce: www.ocalacc.com/ocala_florida/templates/tourism.aspx?articleid=16.

Local Events/Attractions

Ocala National Forest (www.fs.fed.us/r8/florida/recreation/index_oca.shtml) is an outdoor paradise. Scores of tiny lakes are hidden away in the forest, many of them ideal for fishing and primitive camping. Developed camping areas are located at Alexander Springs and Juniper Springs, two freshwater springs that double as natural swimming pools.

At Alexander Springs, the bottom slopes away to a depth of 30 feet near the middle, making it an ideal training ground for scuba diving classes. Fish life along the riverbank is prolific and easily accessible to snorkelers. Canoes can be rented from a concessionaire on the grounds.

Nearby Juniper Springs, which is much smaller, doesn’t attract the same crowds as Alexander Springs because of the lack of diving and swimming opportunities. Juniper’s spring boil, where the water gushes out of the ground, has been modernized into a huge concrete-lined swimming pool.

Lodging

Cabin rental is available at Lake Dorr and Sweetwater Springs. Contact Recreation Resource Management, Inc., 26701 East Highway 40, Silver Springs, FL 34488; (352) 625-0546.

Camping

Only tents are allowed in the general forest area. Motor homes, RVs, campers, trailers, and pop-ups are limited to designated areas. Log onto www.fs.fed.us/r8/florida/recreation/index_oca.shtml for a list of available locations. Detailed campsite descriptions are available at www.forestcamping.com/dow/southern/ocalcmp.htm, an excellent online guide to national forest camping throughout Florida.

Salt Springs Campground, Alexander Springs Recreation Area, Juniper Springs Recreation Area, and Clearwater Lake accept reservations (call 877-444-6777). The other developed campgrounds are available for a fee on a first-come, first-served basis. Firewood for campfires may be taken from dead and down trees without a permit.

Organizations

National Forests in Florida, 325 John Knox Road, Suite F-100, Tallahassee, FL 32303; (850) 523-8500; www.fs.fed.us/r8/florida/contact.

Sinkholes

Earthquakes are one of the few violent natural forces that have not had a hand in shaping Florida. So, instead of concerns about the ground trembling, the people of Central and North Florida have a different worry: the ground could swallow them up. This uncommon but always annoying problem is created by sinkholes, giant maws in the ground that appear suddenly anytime, anywhere. In the past few years, they’ve opened under highways, apartment buildings, and in the middle of nowhere.

Florida’s largest sinkhole, in the city of Winter Park near Orlando, claimed several expensive sports cars, a house, several trees, and a road before it stopped gobbling away the earth. Today, the sinkhole is filled with water, resembling a placid pond. Several roads that were eaten away are now dead-end instead of through streets. A large, hungry sinkhole can never be filled.

Sinkholes are a sobering reminder of the awesome power of the Floridan aquifer, the huge underground river that flows beneath much of the state. The aquifer normally flows dozens of feet below ground level. Rising water sometimes pushes it toward the surface, causing it to bulldoze away tons of soil, which often produces a cave-in. Typically, these cave-ins happen incredibly fast and without warning.

Sinkholes, however, can also be created by the rainwater needed to recharge the underground aquifer, one of the state’s most important sources of fresh drinking water. When Florida was covered by sea water thousands of years ago, living organisms deposited thick layers of limestone on the ocean floor. After the water receded, this limestone became the state’s land base. Rainwater slowly seeped into the limestone, dissolving it to form many small caves, hollows, and fissures.

Although rain water is quite pure to drink, the drops become slightly acidic as they absorb carbon dioxide both from the air and from decaying vegetation. The mild acid is able to eat away and dissolve Florida’s limestone bedrock. Eventually, the ground surface may collapse, to form a sinkhole or a crater-like depression. Limestone terrain that has been shaped by both rain and groundwater is known as “karst.”