On a chilly Sunday morning I set out to walk in Bulow Woods. Parts of the 8 mile trail are still unavailable due to hurricane damage, but I made the most of what I could reach. Starting out at the Boardman Lane trailhead, I walked south through the open pine and Cabbage Palm forest until reaching an intersection. Taking a right (west) I headed to the Cedar Creek Salt Marsh crossing, which can be flooded after storms. The trail was somewhat dried out — only being muddy rather than filled with puddles, so I crossed it, heading towards the southernmost section of the Bulow Woods Trail (towards Fairchild Oak) to see how far I could go.

This section of trail is an old forest road edged on both sides with swamp. Sometimes the water covers the trail and there are several springs. I walked as far as one of the really muddy portions and then turned back to Cedar Creek.

The forest abruptly edges the salt marsh. At this time of the year, the dominant grasses are dry and ragged. The green tones of the Palmetto (Cabbage) Palms completes with the darker Live Oak greens. The maples look ragged, bereft of their leaves. The gray trunks of palm and oak support the forest canopy looking stark against the dry grasses. All the waters in this area are heavily stained with tannin, making them appear dark in contrast.

This bush with its brilliant red berries confused me last year when I first spotted it, here in Bulow and also prevalent in the Betty Steflik Preserve. It is an invasive species, Brazilian Pepper, brought to Florida as a horticultural garden plant. The wild birds, relishing its bright berries have managed to scatter the plants hither and yon. Still, its bright color stands out in the muted tones of the early winter forest.

This forest is a strip of wildness edged on one side by a vast salt marsh and on the other by the Old Dixie Highway, a narrow two-laned road that travels through this region, heading south to Ormond Beach. Housing developments are popping up to the east and north, filling with the unpreserved lands with homes despite the fact Florida real estate is struggling right now.

The old road is deteriorating into a grassy trail in this area. Having visited the area about 8 years ago, I noticed the road is disappearing in places and even has a sense of disrepair as the huge job of maintaining the park strains the budget and limited manpower available.

When I reached the place where the springs crossed the trail, I decided to turn back. I made my way back to Cedar Creek and snapped a couple of photos of the still dark waters acting like a mirror for the pale blue winter skies. Even a few flowers lingered on shrubs edging the pond.

Next, I tackled the loop that takes off of the old forest road and goes south through open forest filled with sprawling Live Oak, young Palmetto Palms and little undergrowth. I was especially aware of the different favor of each bit of forest. The forest loop which I have named the Tractor Trail has been rerouted due to the storm damage. This strip of forest edged by salt marsh on its eastern side is within sound of the surf crashing upon the nearby ocean beach, so it takes the brunt of the hurricane force winds as they loop around, usually approaching from the northeast. The large oaks take a beating but still the forest endures. Still, all the branches and palm fronds on the forest floor make a lot of work for the rangers. To expedite clean-up, this time, they used a tractor to clear the biggest branches, piling them up along the way, and straightening out the once curvy path into a wider trail. It’s still a nice quiet walk through the open forest.

Where does Bulow Creek end and the Halifax River begin? It is a bit unclear as the salt marsh is quite wide and contains several channels, some man-made, some natural. The Halifax River is partially man-made, being another portion of the Intracoastal Waterway, a canal that ties together a string of salt marsh, lakes and rivers along the Florida coast and extending northward. The salt marsh is popular with fisher folk, using small boats to access the tidal waters. There are a couple of put-in spots along the creek for boaters to use.

Autumn color in Florida can be rare except in these patches of old hardwood, pine and palm forest. The hickories and maples are the most colorful, as the deciduous oak simply turn brown and drop. The hickories feed a wide variety of wildlife including the feral pigs that roam some of these forests. I saw three of the little beasties during this walk on the edge of Cedar Creek as I re-emerged from the forest. The pigs scurried off into the underbrush when they sighted me.

Turning northward, I returned to Boardman Lane and my car, then crossed the road and started up the middle stretch of forest trail. Here it is obviously an old road which trucks and tractors can drive up to Cisco Ditch, the canal that bisects this portion of forest.

A little trail follows the ditch out to where it empties into Bulow Creek Salt Marsh. Depending on the tide, there is a little beach here. The latest storm has rearranged the shoreline here, with the main creek out of sight unless you have a boat. The marsh grasses are quite vigorous and tall.

There was a little family playing on the beach across the creek which they had reached via a nice blue boat.

I was getting tired at this point and decided to turn back to my car, but on the way out I was treated with this sight:

… two or three armadillos busily foraging through the leaves and grasses for their food. I got within four feet of one of the little creatures which only scurried away if I moved suddenly. They appear to be dependent on their noses rather than eyes for finding food. Such curious little beasties!

So, I probably covered 4 to 5 miles of trail and was quite tuckered. After getting home, I mainly rested, only putting up a couple of posts. It was a great outing. I probably encountered only 15 people total and had the forest pretty much to myself for long stretches.

It’s nearly Christmas. Enjoy your holidays how ever you spend them.

Eliza Ayres

https://sunnysjournal.com

P.S. If you’re in the area and want to take an easy walk, here’s the link for the park:

https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/bulow-creek-state-park

Call for latest trail conditions or go prepared to change plans if portions of the trail are closed due to weather conditions. Boardman Lane and Old Dixie Highway are subject to flooding during storms and high tide conditions.