 |
 |
| Trail View | Boardwalk |
Fox Lake Sanctuary is composed of approximately 2,568 acres of mostly wet prairie, pine flatwoods and palmetto scrub nestled between Fox Lake, South Lake and the St. Johns River. It is bordered by Fox Lake Park to the east, Salt Lake Wildlife Management Area to the north, Seminole Ranch Conservation Area to the west and the St. Johns River Wildlife Refuge to the south.
The sanctuary is now officially open as of April 30, 2013. Although work is still in progress getting the area ready for a prescibed burn, you may enter via an new access trail near the Fox Lake Park boat ramp.
The sanctuary is located in northern Brevard County, Florida, west of Interstate-95 near Titusville.
To Fox Lake Park:
From Interstate 95, take exit 215 and head east on State Road 50 for about 0.3 miles. Turn left at the stop light onto SR-405 (South Street). Drive north for about 2.2 miles until you reach the intersection of Fox Lake Road. Turn left (west) and follow Fox Lake Road until it ends at the park. GPS coordinates: N28° 35.154 W80° 52.335.
The sanctuary is open from dawn to dusk, 365 days of the year.
None.
Fox Lake Sanctuary has nearly 5 miles of single-track hiking trails. The trails have been divided into 3 loops: one bordering Fox Lake, another by South Lake and a third over by the entrance. There's also a 0.66 mile access trail coming from Fox Lake Park, and a short 850-ft side-trail leading to the group campsite. Trail signage has been installed at key intersections and trailheads. Trails are also marked with yellow diamonds. If you decide to hike this area, make sure to bring a map. There are several places where the trails can get a little confusing.
Trail View Boardwalk
Fox Lake Sanctuary has a primitive group campsite located on the edge of South Lake at coordinates N28° 35.875 W80° 52.849. Only organized youth groups with a permit can camp at this location. The site is equipped with a fire ring with benches, sheltered picnic table, a working pitcher pump and a new outhouse. The old outhouse is still there but I would advise not using it.
Group Campsite Sheltered Picnic Table Pitcher Pump Well
Old Outhouse
Nearby Fox Lake and South Lake are great places to go kayaking or canoeing. The sanctuary will have two landings setup on the property. One will be at coordinates N28° 35.435 W80° 52.332 almost straight across from the Fox Lake Park boat ramp. Another will be added at coordinates N28° 35.875 W80° 52.849 near the group campsite on South Lake. Water lilies can sometimes impede access to the latter site, especially during drought periods when the water is low.
Fox Lake South Lake South Lake Landing
The Brevard County EELs program has plans to create about 5.5 miles of marked equestrian trails on the property. Most of the trails will follow existing jeep roads and fire breaks. A special parking area for horse trailers is also being considered in nearby Fox Lake Park.
Allowing non-motorized mountain bike riding in the sanctuary is also mentioned in the management plan. It doesn't go into details but I suspect riders will have to use the existing roads or horse trails.
Hunting is not permitted in the sanctuary. Other restrictions may apply. See posted signage when it becames available.
Currently no pets other than service animals are allowed in the sanctuary.
These are some of the maps for the Fox Lake Sanctuary. You enlarge them by clicking on the thumbnail image. Printer versions of these maps can also be downloaded and printed using Adobe Reader.
Print Map
File Formats Downloads TopoGraphix ExpertGPS trails.gpx Garmin MapSource trails.mps, tails.gdb Google Earth trails.kmz National Geographic TOPO! trails.tpo
Water Lily
Last updated on 4-May-2013.
