It’s the water lilies that capture your attention from the observation deck at the Graham Swamp West trailhead, dotting a placid pond.
When we first visited this spot for for 50 Hikes in North Florida , only one trail led into the woods behind the kiosk–the Red Trail.
Lily-dotted pond at Graham Swamp WestThis narrative covers that mile-long meander into Graham Swamp, but the Red Trail is now joined by a multi-use path, the Graham Swamp Trail.
It, too, leaves this trailhead, but as a broader, flatter surface tracing the north edge of the swamp basin. The Red Trail joins it for its finish after it loops this picturesque pond.
The Graham Swamp Trail through the sand pinesResources
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Overview
Location: Palm Coast
Length: 1 mile loop
Trailhead: 29.53766, -81.20580
Address: 1125 Old Kings Hwy, Palm Coast
Fees: None
Restroom: None
Land manager: Flagler County
Phone: 386-313-4020
Open daylight hours. Leashed pets permitted.
Directions
From Interstate 95 exit 289, Palm Coast, drive east on Palm Coast Pkwy and turn right on Old Kings Rd. Continue south 1.4 miles to the Graham Swamp West trailhead on the left.
Hike
Find the entry point for the Red Trail to the right of the kiosk adjoining the overlook. The hike begins by following the southern edge of a large blackwater pond.
Beautiful sand bluffs on the far shore host a forest of sand pines. Cool coastal breezes push water lilies across the water.
Open water view from the second deckPause to take in the view from a second observation deck, this one giving a better look at open water and the habitats surrounding the pond.
The trail descends from sand pine scrub into dark hammock of sweetgum and loblolly bay, meeting a trail junction at 0.2 mile.
Well-worn path in dense forestStraight ahead, the trail keeps going around the pond. Taking a right leads you on an trek deeper into Graham Swamp.
Blazed red, the trail was not as well maintained in this half-mile balloon section when we revisited it.
Faded red blaze on a cypress trunkDropping through a floodplain forest of bald cypress, the trail rises up onto a small ridge under the shade of southern magnolias.
It parallels a shallow tannic creek from which cypress knees protrude. Squishy dark soil is a reminder the trail can flood.
Leaf-strewn footpathA wooden bridge spans a creek in a low floodplain, leading the trail deeper into the swamp.
An astute hiker photographed two water moccasins here in spring 2023, so be cautious as you cross.
Footbridge over a waterwayWith a little elevation past the creek the trail rises into an oak hammock. The forest floor is thick with coontie, a native cycad with bright red seeds.
Emerging from the hammock, the trail winds through a small stretch of sand pine forest. At 0.3 miles, reach a T intersection at a much smaller pond. Stay right.
Coontie growing in the shadeA dike works its way around the pond, the established trail adjoining it. A second pond is soon on the right.
Stay with the trail, which may be indistinct, to continue circling the pond to your left in the shade of the forest. A creek eventually parallels the path.
Red blazes mark the routeEmerging from the shade, turn with the curve of the pond, continuing back to the trail junction.
The loop complete, keep right to retrace your path along the red blazes to the bridge and through the dense forest to the original intersection at the big pond.
Cypress and palms tower overheadReaching this junction at 0.7 mile, bear right. The much broader, more well-defined footpath around this pond provides panoramas between breaks in the trees.
Cross a plank bridge over the outflow. Royal and cinnamon ferns line a shaded opening onto the lake along a bayhead.
A panorama of the pondClimb a slope into the sand pine scrub above the pond. The path continues to provide peeks of the pond.
By 0.9 mile, it meets the well-trammeled surface of the Graham Swamp Trail. Turn left.
The sand pine scrubContinue along this pathway to where it emerges at the trailhead at a prominent sign stating mileages to other points along its length.
Reaching the initial observation deck and kiosk at Graham Swamp West, you complete a mile-long hike.
Trailhead sign for Graham Swamp TrailTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about hiking and biking at Graham Swamp Preserve.
Graham Swamp Preserve A freshwater swamp forest less than two miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Graham Swamp Preserve is where Bulow Creek rises to flow south.Slideshow
See our photos from Graham Swamp West
Nearby Adventures
Bulow Woods Trail Stretching 5.2 miles through an primordial forest of sluggish, fern-lined waterways, ancient live oaks, magnolias, and cabbage palms, the Bulow Woods Trail is one of North Florida's most scenic hikes
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Bella Vista Trail With a 1.8-mile loop through the uplands of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, the Bella Vista Trail offers a close look at the variety of habitats found on this barrier island
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