Seminole Ranch Conservation Area
Seminole Ranch is a huge wildlife management area
(over 28,000 acres) that covers both sides of the St. Johns River and spans 4
different counties. The southern section, where most of these pictures
were taken, is located just north of the town of Christmas. Most of the hiking
trails
that Seminole Ranch has to offer are in
this section. The northern section, located west of the town of Mims,
has trails also but they are mostly for horse back riding.
Where there is hunting, you can expect to find a
check station nearby. Since the picture on the left was taken, they have
gotten rid of the old trailer home and built a small shed in its place.
At one time Seminole Ranch had some
very scenic back roads that went out towards the St. Johns River and Lake
Cone. They have since been removed in order to return the area back to it's
natural state.
A large portion of the area was once grazing land for
cows. You can still find water troughs and petrified cow chips through out the
area.
Located on the southern edge of Seminole Ranch
near the town of Christmas is Eckerd Academy - a youth rehabilitation
facility. The
Florida Trail passes through this area before
heading south towards Tosohatchee State Reserve. Nearby is a lake with huge marble-size grapes
growing along the western bank. Yum! Don't see those often around
here.
Another old house being saved and hauled away to
nearby Fort Christmas. This one happened to be near the entrance to Orlando
Wetlands & Seminole Ranch off of Wheeler Road.
Directions
For the southern section, take State Road 50 to
County Road 420 (Fort Christmas Road), go north until the road makes a sharp
turn to the left, turn right on Wheeler Road (it's a dirt road) and go
straight until it dead ends. On your left you'll see Orlando Wetlands and on
the right is the parking for Seminole Ranch.
For the northern section, take State Road 46 to
Hatbill Road (it's easy to miss, so keep an eye out for the tiny Seminole
Ranch sign on the side of the road). Follow Hatbill Road for about 4
miles. You should see the trail head parking on your right. If you
pass a watch tower or end up in a boat ramp area, you've gone too far.
Camping
According to St. Johns Water Management
District literature there are four primitive campsites available. All are
available on a first come first served basis. No reservation or fee required.
David's Cabbage Palm Campsite is located only a
few hundred yards from the parking area just off of Hatbill Road. It's
equipped with a fire ring with grill and couple of benches. No potable water
available.
This nameless campsite is the only one available
for thru hikers on the Florida Trail. As you can see it does have a covered
picnic table, but won't find a fire ring or potable water nearby. It's located
about 0.5 miles northeast of the trailhead on SR 50.
Hunting
| Hunting
Schedule 2006 - 2007 |
| Archery |
Oct. 6 - 8, 13 - 15 |
| Muzzle Gun |
Oct. 28 - 29, Nov. 4 - 5 |
| General Gun |
Nov. 17 - 19 |
| Small Game |
Nov. 25 - 26, Dec. 2 - 3, 9 - 10, Jan. 6 - 7 |
| General Gun - Hog |
Feb. 10 - 16 |
| Spring Turkey |
Mar. 17 - 19, 23 - 25, 30 - Apr. 1 |
Maps
Color infrared aerial maps of northern
and southern
Seminole Ranch showing hiking
trails, camp sites and roads.
An interactive
topographical map of Seminole Ranch from TopoZone.
The entrance to the southern portion of Seminal Ranch is marked with a red +.
An interactive
aerial map of Seminole Ranch from TerraServer.
Lake Cone and the St. Johns River is on the right with Orlando Wetlands Park
in the upper left hand corner.
GPS Data
Flowers
Skyflower
Local Weather
Trail Conditions
- 31-Aug-2003: Went back out to survey the area for
a possible geo-cache site. Almost stumbled over an alligator while hiking
the Florida Trail. I thought he was dead until I saw his eyes open up. I
gave him a wide berth, but he didn't seem to be interested in me.
- 10-Aug-2003: All of the bridges along the Florida
Trail have all been replaced. Judging from the quality of the work and the
materials used, I suspect the county or state constructed them. Very nice
job! Most of the trails were underwater with the white trail being the
worst. In some places I had wade through 3 feet of water for nearly a
half-mile. Not a good time to go hiking. There's now a primitive campsite
along the Florida Trail just north of SR 50. It has a covered picnic table,
but no fire ring. Only thru hikers can camp there.
- 09-Jun-2001: Most of the horse trails on the
north side of Seminole Ranch west of Hatbill Road are in good condition. The
levees have recently been mowed, but you may still run into some thick
patches of grass. The trails are amazingly dry (no standing water or
mud bogs). The temperature was a scorching 92º F and there is absolutely no
shade on these trails. I was expecting lots of mosquitoes but surprisingly
there were none.
- 13-May-2001: The blue blazed side trail along
Echo Road is completely overgrown. It appears to be abandoned. The orange
blazed trail section along Wheeler Road is in good condition. If you decide
to head out towards the St. Johns River make sure you bring plenty of bug
spray. The mosquitoes will eat you alive.
- 18-Feb-2001: Except for a few down trees, the
Florida Trail is in excellent condition. You can expect to see lots of
cows now that the neighboring grass lands have been reopened for
grazing.
Additional Information
Last updated on 13-Jan-2006 at 9:03 P.M.
