These are some of the interesting sites you'll see while hiking on the St. Francis Trail.
Pictured on the left is one the old artesian wells located near the St. Francis historic landmark. If you don't mine the smell of rotten eggs, there's a tiny sulfur spring (shown on the right) flowing just off the trail. You can't miss it... just follow your nose.
Located in southeast portion of the Ocala National Forest in Lake County, Florida. Nearest city is Deland which is about 5 miles northeast of St. Francis.
From I-4 exit 56 near Deland, go west on State Road 44 for about 10 miles. After you cross the St. Johns River bridge, turn right onto State Road 42 and following it for about a half mile. Turn right onto River Forest Blvd (Forest Rd 542). Follow the dirt road until you see the trailhead parking on your left.
Hiking is the only way you're going to see this trail. No bicycles, horses or motorized vehicles are permitted on the trail. The St. Francis Trail consists of a 5.8 mile, blue blazed trail which takes you all the way out to the St. Francis historical site on the St. Johns River. You won't be able to see much of the old town, just a few artesian wells and the remains of the old pier along the river. Near the trailhead you can still see the old furrows of when the area was used to grow watermelons.
There's also a short, yellow blazed, side trail (about a half mile long) that will take you by a small spring. The spring is only a foot wide and a few inches deep, so don't plan on doing any scuba diving here.
Hunting Schedule 2009 - 2010 Archery Sep. 26 - Oct. 25 Muzzle Gun Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 General Gun Nov. 12 - Jan. 10 Fox, Bobcat, Raccoon Nov. 14 - Apr. 18 Small Game Jan. 11 - Mar. 7 Spring Turkey Mar. 25 - 28, Apr. 1 -4, 8 - 11, 15 - 18
Nice detailed map showing the St. Francis Trail.
Color infrared aerial map of St. Francis showing trails, campsites and roads.
Interactive aerial map of St. Francis from Terraserver.
Interactive topographical map of St. Francis from Topozone.
File Formats Downloads Garmin MapSource trails.mps G7toWin trails.txt DeLorme Street Atlas USA trails.sa6
Last modified on 4-Sep-2009 at 10:17 P.M.
