Five Hikes Around Amelia Island
Story by Bob McGinness • Photos by Charles Litrico

One of the best ways to see a barrier island is to take a short walk away from the beach. There you can enjoy birds and other wildlife among the shrubs and trees typical of the local islands.

Many of these trails are very short hikes, but you can plan a leisurely trip to last a half-day. Winifred Stephenson of the Nassau County Sierra Club suggests that, however short your excursion, plan ahead. Even if you are in a wooded area, out of the direct rays of the sun, you will not be out of the heat. Take plenty of water.

Once off the beach you are out of the breezes that keep the mosquitoes and other bugs away. Insect repellent is a must. A small daypack, binoculars, sunscreen, and a hat complete your preparation.
These five short hikes will transport you into the environs of a barrier island.

The Willow Pond Trail at Fort Clinch State Park
meanders through a series of coastal depression ponds.
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Willow Pond Nature Trail
Where: Fort Clinch State Park. Enter the park off Atlantic Avenue near Fletcher. At the park gate, ask the ranger for directions. The small parking lot for the trail is a few miles on the left side of the main road. Well marked.
Length: Willow Loop - 25 minutes; Magnolia Loop - 45 minutes.
Cost: $5 per vehicle State Park entrance fee.

This narrow, shady, wooded trail gently rolls around a series of coastal depression ponds. Numerous well-placed signs give you the history of the area as well as pointing out the native plants. Go in search of the saw palmetto, southern magnolia, abundant woodland birds, and the alligator.
There are benches where you can rest and enjoy the peacefulness of the local wildlife.

Little Talbot Island State Park - Hiking Trail
Where: A barrier island about 20 minutes south of Amelia Island on A1A.
You will pass the start of the trail on your drive into the main gate. Park in the lot just past the main gate and walk back to the trail.
Length: 3.8 - 4 miles
Cost: $4 per vehicle State Park entrance fee.

From the trailhead near the ranger station, the trail is wide, and slightly rolling. It is shady and wooded with many benches. Ample signs point out the various plant life along the trail. There are saw palmetto, southern magnolia, sparkleberry and live oak. Find out what an epiphyte is and what that means to the islands local woodlands.

There is a short section of trail where you will walk through sloppy dune sand near the northern end. You can return on the same trail through the woods or return on the other half of the trail along the beach. Look for sand dollars along the way. A map is available at the ranger station.

The Egan's Creek Greenway features large,
marshy areas filled with a variety of local birdlife.
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Egan's Creek Greenway
Where: The trail for the northern part of the Greenway begins behind the Atlantic Recreation Center on Atlantic Ave. Lots of parking available.
Length: Blue Heron Loop - 2 miles; Red Maple Trail - 1.4 miles.
Cost: no cost

The Blue Heron Loop runs between Atlantic Avenue to the north and Jasmine Street to the south. It is flat, wide, and sunny. There is no shade. This trail is an easy walk for anyone and are even suitable for a baby stroller. Red Maple Trail, to the south of Jasmine Street, is more wooded and has intermittent shade.

No matter what time of the year you visit Egan's Creek Greenway, you should see plenty of wading birds on the large expanses of marshy water. Do not ignore the brush on the sides of the trail because warblers other small birds use the shrubs as shelter. Watch for alligators along the banks.

The Black Rock Trail on Little Talbot Island is a sandy,
wide path that opens onto a beach covered with fallen, weathered oak trees.
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Black Rock Trail
Where: On Big Talbot, a barrier island, south of Amelia Island on A1A.
The trailhead is on the left side of the road 1.8 miles south of the Nassau Sound Bridge. Look for an almost indistinguishable parking area and a small, brown sign. There are usually a few vehicles parked on the side of the road.
Length: less than half a mile, one way.
Cost: no cost

This sunny trail is mostly flat, well-packed sand and wide enough for two people to walk abreast. The enchantment of this trail is how it wanders through scrub brush typical of the barrier islands before passing through tall oaks. It then opens onto a beautiful beach decorated with fallen, weathered oak trees.
Watch for reptiles and turtles along the trail. If you listen closely, you might hear an armadillo in the brush. Once on the beach see if you can spot an osprey perched on one of the tall trees.

The Fort Clinch Pier is a great place to watch for shore birds,
or to watch area anglers reel in the catch of the day.
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Fort Clinch Pier
Where: At Fort Clinch State Park. Ask the ranger for directions at the park gate. Take the first right turn off the main road. The road at the next right turn will lead you to the parking lot marked for the pier.
Length: 1,380 feet - one way.
Cost: $5 per vehicle State Park entrance fee.

What is a pier doing in an article about trail hikes? Without even getting your feet sandy, you will see the largest number of shore birds on the island. The pier follows a rock jetty where numerous birds gather.
You will see various sandpipers, terns, gulls, cormorants, pelicans and turnstones. Birders find their way here in the winter to see the purple sandpiper.

This is a flat walk with no shade along a fishing pier. Be sure to stop and see what the catch of the day is. Watch the shrimp boats come in and out of the channel to the north and perhaps you will see a submarine returning home to Kings Bay.