Oh, St. Andrews State Park! Over 30 years ago, I first saw this barrier island which protects an area of the Big Bend region of the Florida Panhandle. My husband and I were newlyweds, and he was on a business trip to Port. St. Joe. I was lucky enough to be able to join him in Mexico Beach for a weekend – a real treat since money was tight and vacationing really was not an option for us then.
While Steve was busy with audit business, I took the rental car and just started driving. The weather was terrible; it was drizzly and the sky had that unvaried gray that would herald a snowfall if it occurred in a less tropical clime. I really don’t remember much about that day, but here’s what I do remember: I walked through the drizzle over a dune on a boardwalk, and saw emerald green water so clear I could see sand dollars and white sand under the water. For over 30 years, I have carried this memory with me and I’ve wanted Steve to have the same experience of that shocking green water against the monotone gray sky.
Bear-N-Oak trail in Indian Lake State Forest is one of the Florida Trailwalker program trails, and we highly recommend it. It is an easy hike, and while the trail is blazed in a haphazard way, it was easy to follow and never far from the road. Part of this short loop trail was flooded on the day we hiked – but more about that in a minute. Beautiful swamp views are worth the mosquitoes, and I’m happy to report that my homemade beautyberry insect repellent was effective!
Flooded!
Indian Lake State Forest is located in Marion County very close to Silver Springs State Park. Comprising nearly 4500 acres, the main feature is a beautiful sinkhole lake which drains into the Floridan aquifer. The Bear-N-Oak trail is a wonderful place to observe a karst topography. We came upon several depressions that ranged from the size of a small room to full-blown sinkholes. This results when our Florida limestone is dissolved by water and falls away.
From the parking lot at the southern end of the trail, we proceeded counter-clockwise on the loop trail. The oaks — which outnumber the bears, thank goodness — were cloaked in resurrection fern. Many of them had long, graceful branches that created archways over the trail.
Really nice resurrection fern
All along the trail we could see remnants of sinkholes. Some were small and others were quite large. A side trail led to a large sinkhole that had water in it; the rain was insane in the days before our hike, so we aren’t sure if this is a permanently water-filled hole, but it looked like it. The picture below is of a puddle in the bottom of a much smaller sinkhole.
Depression in karst landscape
This trail was remarkable for the variety of fungi we noticed. There were many branches and fallen trees being worked on by these decomposers. What I loved was that so many of these fungi were on trees that have not yet fallen. Of course we’ve seen fungi on standing trees before, but never such an abundance and variety!
Just one example of beautiful fungi at Bear-N-Oak trail.
The lake itself is beautiful. Many cypress surround the shoreline, which was flooded on the day we were there. Still and reflective, the water mirrored the sky and trees perfectly.
As we neared the halfway point of the loop trail, it became flooded. There was a lovely little footbridge, but as the trail leading to it was flooded, we decided to turn around and hike to the other side of the bridge so we could feel confident about requesting our Trailwalker credits.
The standing water was deep! The flooding was so severe that there was quickly moving water in this general area. We tried to follow it to see the source, but the area was so swampy that we could not. With chest waders and hiking sticks, we might have dared, but we were in simple boots and had not brought our sticks on this day.
As we reached the north shore of the lake, we noticed a really nice recreation area. There are picnic tables, hanging gliders so you can really settle in and enjoy the lakeview, a vault toilet, and primitive campsites.
Terrific spot to enjoy the serenity of Indian Lake
Florida’s coastline is protected in many places by barrier islands. These islands are generally long and narrow and are separated from the mainland by a narrow lowland area. This lowland can take the form of a lagoon, a marsh, an estuary, or a combination of these. Occasionally, a peninsula may be long and narrow enough to be considered a barrier island.
Our recent trip to the Florida’s panhandle put us on three barrier islands that highlight the variety and beauty of these coastal protectors. We visited St. Andrews State Park (partially situated on a peninsula), Dr. Julian G Bruce St. George Island State Park, T.H.Stone Memorial St. Joseph State Park at Cape San Blas (another peninsular barrier island). All of these parks are known for their crystalline green water, but we arrived right after Hurricane Sally and the water was not beautiful. It looked like any north Florida Atlantic beach, and the water was too rough to allow swimming.
In 2019, Steve and I had a glorious plan for our annual Thanksgiving Dinner Picnic. We were going to start the day with a hike at Crystal River Preserve and follow that with our picnic at Crystal River Archeological State Park. But then there was that pesky triple bypass and our Thanksgiving plans changed to a quiet day at home – and if you think you need a boost of Thanksgiving spirit, let me tell you, having a loved one undergo triple bypass will make you grateful for every second you can share with them.
Springheads are beautiful places that appear almost timeless. I am always awed by the thought of an apparently infinite supply of living water pouring forth from the earth. . .but even when the spring is emerging from a rocky cave, the immediate area is a fragile ecosystem. When faced with a beautiful pool of icy cold turquoise water on a blistering Florida summer afternoon, it is only natural to want to run to the shoreline and throw yourself into that water (until your body registers that cold, cold temperature!), but after generations of feet trampling on the plants and soil, there is a price that is paid by the spring.
Silver Glen Springs was experiencing problems with an eroding shoreline, and part of the solution is a system of rustic fencing to eliminate foot traffic and a series of planted berms to restore more natural conditions, preventing stormwater from pushing soil and sand into the spring.
What a lovely hike Buck Island Pond Trail offers. We are just beginning to learn about State Forests, and Goethe State Forest is a spot we definitely want to explore. On our first visit, we went to a trail recommended by my friend Sharol because she was able to find a small stand of pitcher plants, and I didn’t want Steve to have to wait another year to see them.
Another of the Lake County Water Authority preserves, Sawgrass Island is not far away but feels remote. Steve and I recently hiked the North Loop Trail and enjoyed a pleasant hour or so on a mostly shaded trail through an upland forest of mostly slash pine with some oaks for variety.
Sabal Bluff Preserve is a nice surprise, tucked in between two communities of manufactured homes and with a lovely trail along Lake Griffin. A property of the Lake County Water Authority, the 55-acre preserve is located at 2582 Lakeside Dr, Leesburg, FL 34788-8260.
Look, I get it. Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) aren’t quite high fashion, and in the summer they can be really hot to wear. I don’t like the tan lines I get when I wear mine for an afternoon on the water. But Steve and I won’t paddle without them, and that’s not just because Florida law requires adults to have PFDs in their kayaks with them.
Let’s get the legalities out of the way first, and then we’ll deal with the practicalities of PFDs in a kayak.
