In this, the next in our series of posts about exploring Florida’s A1A, we take a look at the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail, a route that you can take if you want to extend your Florida car hire holiday.
The loop is slightly less than 34 miles long and you can get to it by heading south from Flagler Beach along the A1A in your rental car. You can find a map and a guide to the trail on the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail website and these will enable you to plan your trip.
Highlights of the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail include Bulow Creek State Park, where you can take a break from your rental car and go for a walk. Bulow Creek State Park is home to one of the largest living oak trees in the south of the USA, the Fairchild Oak. Two nature trails start at the Fairchild Oak: the Wahlin Trail and the 6.8 mile Bulow Woods Trail.
If you follow the Bulow Woods Trail, you’ll eventually arrive at the Bulow Plantation Ruins, the ruins of an old sugar mill, now listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. You can visit the park’s interpretation centre in order to find out more about the history of the plantation.
The Bulow Creek Paddling Trail, one of Florida’s State Canoe Trails, also begins near to the plantation. This trail is approximately 12 miles long and is relatively easy to canoe along, although beginners may find that they experience some navigational difficulties.
Bulow Creek State Park is teeming with wildlife, such as racoons, deer and even diamondback rattlesnakes. It’s home to many different birds, including pelicans, herons, storks, peregrine falcons, bald eagles, ospreys and wild turkey.
If you decide to park your rental car in Bulow Creek Historic State Park’s car park while you explore, make sure that you return to it before the gates shut at 5 p.m. If you like the great outdoors, however, you can choose to stay in the park over night as it has a basic camping site. You’ll need a permit if you want to camp there, but these are available from the park office in Tomoka State Park, which is about 4.5 miles to the south of Bulow Creek Historic State Park.
In the next post in this series, we’ll be taking a look at some of the things that you can see and do further along the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail.
Image: Gamweb
Tags: Bulow Creek Paddling Trail, Bulow Creek State park, Bulow Plantation Ruins, Bulow Woods Trail, Fairchild Oak, Flagler Beach, florida, Florida A1A, Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail, Tomoka State Park, USA, Wahlin Trail
[...] Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail – Part 1 [...]
[...] At Ocee Park, located in Creek, Georgia, this is where baseball lives. This park is home to many …Great American Roadtrips – Florida's A1A – Ormond Scenic Loop …In this, the next in our series of posts about exploring Florida's A1A, we take a look at the Ormond [...]