Summer temperatures have arrived, and neither of us wanted to spend a sweaty afternoon trying to stay hydrated in blazing sun. We got an early start and chose a short trail. Even though Salt Springs Observation Trail is a short two miles, we still found ourselves exhausted and soaked with sweat as we left the trail. But we agreed that we’d do it again!
We found ripe wild blueberries, blooming buttonbush and mimosa, pollinators of all types, and a beautiful view of the Salt Springs Run as it makes its way to Lake George.
A short trail with a lot to see
The trail is a short 2 miles. After about a quarter mile, you have a choice whether to follow a loop to the right or the left. Either way you choose, at the far end of the loop there’s about another quarter mile of trail to get to the observation deck.
Downhill to the spring run
It’s a lovely trail with a downhill feel. The segment between the loop and the observation platform runs through a swamp and looks like it could be quite wet during rainy season. We were fortunate, as the trail was dry in spite of recent rains, and came off the trail with dry shoes.
Bloodthirsty critters
As with other trails in the Ocala National Forest, ticks were plentiful. Both of us found ticks on our bodies after the hike, and we were grateful they were just on our hands! We saw them in the car on the way home, and tossed them out the window. Two ticks of different types, but neither was embedded. Could be worse!
Plants we noticed
Vanillaleaf was growing everywhere along the trail, and looked healthy and strong. I can’t wait to see it in bloom when the weather cools a bit. Deerberry was fruiting, and beautyberry is coming into bloom. Mimosa was everywhere with its pink pompoms tipped with yellow pollen, and the pollinators were hard at work all over it. There are a few huge magnolias back on this trail, and the occasional palm, but the area is predominantly pine. Buttonbush becomes noticeably more plentiful as you near the spring run, and we were pleasantly that pollinators were so numerous that we often heard groups of them before we saw them.
End of hiking season
We’ll miss the full bloom of the beautyberry because this was likely our last hike of this season. Although we were off the trail by 10 am, I was very hot and sweaty. In the fall, we will hike again and hope to see the vanillaleaf in bloom. Cooler weather makes for longer hikes, and happier hikers at the end.
