Charles H. Bronson State Forest is one of Florida's newest state forest. It was dedicated on October 20, 2010 to Charles H. Bronson, a fifth generation Floridian and long term veteran of public services including law enforcement, state senator and agricultural commissioner. On March 25, 2011, the forest was opened to the general public. Recreational activities include hiking, bird watching, horseback riding and seasonal hunting.
Entrance signs and information kiosk
The state forest is comprised of approximately 10,945 acres located along the St. Johns River in southeastern Seminole County and northeastern Orange County.
To Joshua Creek Tract Trailhead:
From Interstate 95, take exit 79 and head west on State Road 50 for about 10.2 miles. Turn right at Fort Christmas Road and follow the road for about 4 miles. Then turn right again onto Phillips Road and follow it until it dead ends (about 1 mile). The entrance to Charles H. Bronson State Forest is at the end of Phillips Road. Follow dirt road until you reach the parking area. GPS coordinates: N28° 35.513 W81° 02.254.
To Curryville Road Entrance:
From the intersection of State Road 50 and County Road 419 (Chuluota Rd), head north on CR 419 for about 5 miles. Turn right onto Lake Mills Road and head east for about 1.8 miles. Turn right onto Curryville Road and follow the road until dead ends about 2.7 miles. Parking is available at the nearby Chuluota Wilderness Area. GPS coordinates: N28° 37.433 W81° 03.573.
The area is open from dawn to dusk, 365 days of the year.
Self-pay at the entrance kiosk: $2 per person.
A 7.7 mile section of the orange-blazed Florida National Scenic Trail has been routed through the Charles H. Bronson State Forest thanks to the hard work of volunteers from the Florida Trail Assoc and the Student Conservation Assoc. The section begins near the northeast boundary of Orlando Wetlands Park and Seminole Ranch, and ends at the southeast corner of the Chuluota Wilderness Area. A short (0.25 mile) blue-blazed trail provides access from the main parking lot.
A new 3.7 mile white-blazed hiking trail, known as the River Trail, was also added by the Florida Trail Assoc. The trail starts at the Orlando Wetlands boundary and ends near the the Orange - Seminole county line. From there hikers can take a 0.85 mile blue-blazed trail, known as the County Line Connector Trail, to get on the Florida National Scenic Trail near Chuluota Wilderness Area. In the future, the River Trail will extend north all the way to the Econlockhatchee River.
Florida Trail Sign Buscombe Creek Crossing Mitigation Fence Crossover
Buscombe Creek Sign Christmas Creek Giant Cypress Tree
Currently there are no campsites in the Charles H. Bronson State Forest, but the Division of Forestry is planning on building a primitive group campsite in the Joshua Creek Tract near the Orange and Seminole county line. Also the Florida Trail Assoc will be adding some primitive campsites for hikers along the Florida National Scenic Trail and the River Trail.
The Charles H. Bronson State Forest has over 6.75 miles of marked horseback riding trails. More trails are expected to be added. Right now horseback riding is allowed along Road 1 and some of the forest roads near Buscombe Creek and the County Line. There's also a horseback riding trail that goes to the Orlando Wetlands Park. Water for horses can be an issue. During prolong drought periods most of the creeks, including Christmas, Joshua and Buscombe Creek, will dry up. Ample horse trailer parking is available at the Joshua Creek Tract trailhead..
State Forest Rules: All horses must be accompanied by a current 1-year negative Coggins report. No person shall ride or lead a horse off of the designated horseback riding trails. All equestrian riders under the age of 16 must wear a certified helmet.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages hunting at Charles H. Bronson State Forest. For information on regulations and current hunting schedules, please go to MyFWC.com.
Hunting Schedule 2011 - 2012 Archery Oct. 7 - 22 Muzzle Gun Nov. 4 - 6 General Gun Nov. 11 - 13, 18 - 20, Dec. 2 - 4 Small Game Dec. 10 - 18, Jan. 7 - 13 Spring Turkey Mar. 10 - 11, 17 - 19, 23 - 25, 30 - Apr. 1
These are some of the maps for the Charles H. Bronson State Forest. You can enlarge them by clicking on the thumbnail image. Printer versions of these maps can also be downloaded and printed using Adobe Reader.
Two topographical maps showing the northern half and the southern half of the Charles H. Bronson State Forest. Map features include hiking trails, roads and points of interests.
Print Map Print Map
Aerial photo maps showing hiking trails and roads within the Charles H. Bronson State Forest.
Print Map
Print Map
A photograph of the large map located inside the kiosk at the Joshua Creek Trailhead.
Google Map of Charles H. Bronson State Forest showing hiking trails and Panoramio photos.
File Formats Downloads TopoGraphix ExpertGPS trails.gpx Garmin MapSource trails.mps, tails.gdb Google Earth trails.kmz National Geographic TOPO! trails.tpo
Last updated on 4-Jun-2011.
