Today I ventured further, much further afield. I drove some rural roads to get to Crescent Lake Conservation Area, which is located near the settlement of Seville, Florida, off of SR 17. It’s a farm and ranching area, with lots of wide open spaces and some forested and swamps still left.

I followed the White Trail, which was marked by white diamonds nailed or painted on trees. From the photo above, you can see the area has quite a stand of mature Longleaf Pine, with some undergrowth of grasses and short shrubs. The White Trail sticks to the highland areas of the conservation area, although it is crossed by miniature creeklets and is crossed several times by a primitive road.

The park (if you can call it ‘a park’) has a camping area with a shelter, porta toilet and a picnic table. A man and his dog were camping there. We briefly exchanged greetings. His dog, Leo, was 11 years old and grey in the muzzle.

The area isn’t particularly scenic, just very quiet and secluded. The only man-made noises I heard while there were some airplanes and/or drones flying occasionally overhead.

The forest is crisscrossed by shallow tea-colored creeks and there were some puddles and wet spots to negotiate on the White Trail. I delicately stepped from tussock to tussock to avoid getting my feet drenched. I was hiking with regular walking shoes not boots. Most of the trail surface was either grass or sand, with very little mud except in the puddles.

There were some good-sized trees in the forest. Mosquitoes were present especially in the damper spots, but not as fierce as the previous day’s walk in Bulow Woods. I didn’t even apply repellent today.

The creek in the photo above is actually on a primitive road that passes through the forest. The road is possibly used for fire-fighting access during dry periods. Access to the camping area is via a locked gate. Permission to camp must be obtained from the St. John’s Water Management District.

The forest underbrush was thicker on the edges of the White Trail in places. The land dives down into marsh below the trail, to the east and north. The trail follows a broad circular route, 3.5 miles in length. I probably did about four miles since I got a bit mixed up in one area, but eventually followed the access road and found my way out to my parked car.

After finishing up the trail, I headed out to SR 17 north to Crescent City. I wanted to see the town in better weather. The last time I visited, the place was a fog bank; I couldn’t even see huge Lake Crescent.

Crescent Lake Conservation Area

From the look of the architecture, some houses/buildings in Crescent City date back to the late 1800’s. It is a sleepy Florida town, with about 1,650 inhabitants. There are a few restaurants, bed and breakfasts, small businesses and fish camps. The town is located right on the shore of Lake Crescent, a beautiful freshwater lake.

To the west of Crescent City is the St. Johns River, a brackish inland “river” that begins somewhere near Orlando and ends at Jacksonville. Crescent City is about 52 feet above sea level. Much of the low-lying land is subject to periodic flooding during the rainy season and certainly during hurricanes and tropical storms.

After eating lunch at The Three Bananas, a local watering hole (restaurant/bar) I headed north on SR 17 and then connected up to US 100 and back to Bunnell, making this a loop trip. It was a lot of driving, but pleasant country scenery and a nice dampish hike.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_City,_Florida

In all, it was a good outing. On my way home, I passed access roads to a couple of other places I have visited in the past, Welaka State Forest and Dunn Creek State Park. I may go back and check them out, again.

Hope you enjoy the photos. I didn’t dink around with the color saturation this time. BTW, the day was coolish, starting out in the upper 50’s F and the atmosphere was still humid so the photos appear a bit faded. It is what it is… Florida.

Eliza

Camera: Nikon Coolpix L830

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