Take a joy ride in the all-new and sporty 2022 Mazda 3 Hatchback to untouched natural areas around Jacksonville, FL, and explore the Flordia wilderness on miles and miles of hiking trails. Explore the breathtaking maritime forests and salt marches filled with bird and animal life on foot and stroll over golden beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.
3 Great Hiking Trails in Driving Distance of Jacksonville, FL
1. Big Talbot Island State Park
The pristine Big Talbot Island State Park is a beautiful sea island with untouched golden beaches covered in maritime forests and marshes. Explore the breathtaking scenery on the Shoreline Trail to Nassau Sound and Boneyard Beach through the skeletons of live oak and cedar trees along the shore, or stroll down the paved Timucuan Trail that cuts through shady forests filled with bird life.
The Black Rock Trail winds through the maritime hammock down to the beach, and on the Big Pine Trail, Old Kings Highway, and Jones Cut Trail, you’ll discover the salt marshes along Simpson Creek and hike through lush maritime hammocks and flatwoods. Keep your eyes peeled for white-tailed deer, raccoons, gopher tortoises, ospreys, and pileated woodpeckers along the way.
Address and Hours
Big Talbot Island State Park is at State Road A1A North in Jacksonville and is open from 8 a.m. to sundown every day of the year.
2. Little Talbot Island State Park
With its pristine natural beauty, little Talbot Island State Park is one of only a few undeveloped barrier islands in Northeast Florida. Explore the island on foot down three miles of nature trails that wind through diverse ecosystems and stroll along five miles of sandy beaches.
Interpretive signs on the island’s fauna and flora dot the one-mile Campground Nature Trail that begins at the salt marshes of Myrtle Creek, crosses over the dunes, and runs through the live oak maritime forest. The four-mile Dune Ridge Trail winds through the maritime hammock and marshes down to a sandy beach.
Address and Hours
Little Talbot Island State Park is at 12157 Heckscher Drive in Jacksonville and is open from 8 a.m. until sunset all year round.
3. Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park
Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park is part of the larger 5,600-acre Seven Creeks Recreation Area that offers 30 miles of natural surface trails. The Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park is an important bird refuge, and the abundant wildlife is easily spotted along the trails.
Be on the lookout for American alligators and endangered wood storks along 15 miles of multi-purpose trails. The scenic trails wind through coastal upland habitats, sandhill and scrubby flatwoods, salt marches, and basin swamps and connect to trail systems that run to other preserves.
Address and Hours
Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park 13802 Pumpkin Hill Road in Jacksonville is open from 8 a.m. to sunset throughout the year.
Put on your hiking boots, pack your outdoor gear in your Mazda, and head out to explore the natural beauty of Florida. Stop at Mazda City of Orange Park today and look at the latest line-up of top-quality Mazda vehicles, perfect for fun trips to beautiful places.
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