Today is Daddy Daughter day in the Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve in Jacksonville, Florida. It’s just Paul and our daughter doing our 1st daddy/daughter hiking and exploring trip. We are excited to spend time together and visiting 3 different areas close to each other. The 1st is the Fort Caroline National Memorial where we’ll check out the visitor center and hike to the fort. We will then stop by the Ribault Monument before heading to the Theodore Roosevelt Area to do more hiking. You can read more about all the places in the preserve at: Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve (nps.gov).
A couple weeks before we had to cancel a trip because we got sick. And we had previously bought some hiking boots and other gear for our daughter for that trip. Becky was still not feeling great, so we decided we would get out of the house for the afternoon. So, we both dressed in our hiking gear planning to do some hikes. We are excited about our Daddy/daughter day hiking and exploring in Timucuan Preserve!
Timucuan Preserve Visitor Center
The Timucuan Preserve Visitor Center is at Fort Caroline, which has no fees to enter. And we arrive there just after noon and ready to explore. The Timucuan Preserve is named after the Timucua people who lived in this area before the Europeans arrived. And there is information about their history and culture in the visitor center.
Unfortunately, the visitor center exhibits and store are closed today due to Covid. However, there is a table in front with some information and a door open to talk to a ranger. We grab the junior ranger activity booklet and start the trail to the fort and back.
Fort Caroline Trail and Boat Dock
The start of the trail is across the parking lot, and we take our first right to the Timucuan hut. If we wouldn’t have turned, we would have gone on the 1-mile loop Hammock Trail through the woods. But, the replica Timucuan hut with thatched roof made of palm fronds is more fun. The entrance is only about 4 feet high, and our daughter loves running through it. The hut is part of the Timucuan Village Exhibit where we also see a wooden canoe. Once past the hut, we catch the River Bluff Trail to the fort. But before we get there, we turn for their boat dock.
Unfortunately, the dock was damaged during a hurricane and closed to boats. But the pier to the boat dock is still accessible. So, we walk out of the woods onto the pier jetting out onto the St. Johns River. Looking down at the bank we can see fiddler crabs scurrying around. At the end of the pier is a nice view of the river and dolphins can often be seen here. We also see a good view of the outside of the fort from here as well. In the past we’ve enjoyed coming here by boat and hope they will get funding to fix it.
Leaving the pier, we see one tall dead tree with a large bird perched on top. It looks like a red-shouldered hawk which is always cool to see. Once back on the trail, we take the short path to the fort. Even with the stops, it’s less than 15 minutes to the fort.
Fort Caroline in the Timucuan Preserve
Fort Caroline memorializes the site of a 16th-century French colony, the 1st European settlement in North Florida. This French Colony, La Caroline, was built with the help of the Timucuans in 1564. Unfortunately for the French, the Spanish from St. Augustine capture the fort less than 15 months later. The Spanish would never again be challenged by the French in Florida.
We walk through the arched entrance into the walled fort. The fort is mostly green space in the middle with the wooden wall in front of the river. Around the sides, you can take a few steps up to walk around replica cannons and see the views around. Our daughter climbs up the steps and runs down the hill a few times. This is a great place to let the kids run free and relax for a bit. We also complete her junior ranger activities and after about 10 minutes we are ready to head back. We arrive back at the visitor center about 1:00PM.
Once back, we hit the restroom before we find a ranger to turn in the junior ranger activity book. The park ranger comes out to a space in front of the visitor center and swears her in. She’s being really shy, but she’s able to get her junior ranger badge as well as a paper ranger hat. She’s pretty happy though and we’ve done a lot in our hour or so here. But now it’s time to return to our car for some water and snacks. The girl loves some snacks!
Ribault Monument
The Ribault Monument is just 2 minutes down the road. You just turn left out of Fort Caroline and drive to another parking area at the end of the road. Once there, we pose for some pictures before taking the steps up to the monument. Once up the steps, you see a huge oak tree with branches extending in all directions. Our daughter walks under the branches in awe of the large tree.
Jean Ribault was the French explorer who first came to North Florida establishing the French colony here. Past the tree is a stone monument, a replica of the marker placed around here by Ribault May 1, 1562. This spot also overlooks the St. Johns River and offers great views of the surrounding area. The view alone is a reason to make a quick stop here. We see a handicap boardwalk ramp off the side that she wants to go down. So, we exit down the boardwalk back to the parking area. We’re only here about 10 minutes, before we jump back into our car for the next area.
Theodore Roosevelt Area – Spanish Pond Trail
The Spanish Pond entrance in the Theodore Roosevelt Area is basically across from Fort Caroline. So just back down the road, we park and have some more water and snacks. We also apply some bug spray before we go to the trailhead. The Spanish Pond Trail is a 2.5 mile loop to a marsh overlook and back. Our daughter is almost 5, and we have no idea how long she will make the hike. But the weather is great and we are enjoying being outside together.
There are plenty of benches along the way. And at every bench, our daughter stops to take a break. And every time she opens up her backpack to grab a snack. At one bench, she stops and pulls out a bow and we put in her hair. A little further we see a low tree on the side of the trail she wants to stop and climb on. Eventually we get to the remnants of Willie Browne’s cabin site. To the right is the Willie Browne Trail which goes to a different parking area. So, we head left toward the river.
The trail then leads close to the marsh where it ends at an observation deck. From the top you get great views of the surrounding coastal marsh. But now it’s time to turn around. We return along the marsh and more difficult terrain. Eventually the trail loops back to the main Spanish Pond Trail for the return. At this point, she’s tired and wants a break, but hiked about 3/4 of this loop. So, she gets a piggyback all the way back to the car. It took us about 2 hours, but we took our time most of the way.
Summary
We had a great afternoon spending about 4 hours hiking and exploring in the Timucuan Preserve. The visitor center is at Fort Caroline, so we went there first. Then we took the short trail to the fort before heading back to be sworn in as a junior ranger. We then drove to the Ribault Monument overlooking the St. Johns River. Then we hiked the 2.5 mile Spanish Pond loop trail to the marsh overlook and back.
We were so proud of our daughter for hiking over 2 miles today. And it was great getting outside for the start of National Parks Week. We could have spent more time at Fort Caroline if the visitor center was fully open. But we used our time to do more hiking which was a lot of fun. We enjoyed Daddy Daughter Day in the Timucuan Preserve!
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