A segment of the East Coast Greenway between Mayport and Amelia Island, the Timucuan Trail parallels A1A north from the St. Johns River Ferry.
Beginning as a sidepath along the two-lane scenic highway, it links a series of five state parks together.
In the coastal hammock of Big Talbot IslandMost trail users focus on the segment we describe below, from the south tip of Little Talbot Island to the north tip of Big Talbot Island.
It’s a scenic 8.4 mile linear route from Fort George Inlet to Sawpit Creek, a 16.8 mile round-trip. Multiple trailheads provide access for shorter round-trips on foot.
Estuary between the Talbot IslandsThose tackling the East Coast Greenway can start tallying their mileage from the St. Johns Ferry, 2.4 miles to Fort George Inlet.
Add on another 1.4 mile road ride to Amelia Island State Park on the north end, or keep going on the Amelia Island Trail to reach Peters Point Park 18.1 miles north of the ferry.
The St. Johns Ferry is part of the official East Coast Greenway routeResources
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Overview
Location: Jacksonville
Length: 8.4 miles
Trailhead: 30.42272, -81.41465
Address: 12157 Heckscher Dr, Jacksonville
Fees: Parking fees of $2-5 apply at trailheads
Restroom: At day use areas and Sawpit Creek
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 904-251-2320
Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome on the Timucuan Trail but are not permitted on the beaches along it.
Directions
From Jacksonville, drive north via I-295E over the Dames Point Bridge and exit at Heckscher Dr (SR 105). Drive east. After the highway passes the St. Johns River Ferry dock 9 miles into the drive, the road becomes A1A. Continue 2.4 miles to the turnout for the Fort George Inlet trailhead on the left.
Ride
Begin the ride northbound from the Fort George Inlet trailhead. Used by anglers, the parking area provides easy access to the south end of the Timucuan Trail on Little Talbot Island.
Head for the broad path leading downhill towards the river. It makes a hairpin curve under the highway bridge and uphill to meet the Timucuan Trail facing northbound.
Access ramp under the highwayParalleling the curve of the highway, the trail is on the river side of the guardrail. Hovering close to choppy waters, it can be quite windy around this curve.
There are outstanding views across this braided pass to a sandy peninsula protected as Huguenot Park, commemorating the French fleet’s arrival in 1562.
Sand spits at Fort George InletThe park’s beach and campground are on an ever-shifting spit of land separating the Fort George River from the St. Johns River.
They pour into the Atlantic Ocean scarcely a mile apart. Turbulent waters are the norm; a line of breakers persists at the mouth of Fort George Inlet.
Grazing the edge of the inlet on the curveDetaching itself from the guardrail, the trail curves into the state park near a former entrance to South Beach.
A ramp leads to a sandy shoreline. Use it to admire the view, but do not enter the water for any reason.
South Beach rampDuring Hurricane Ian, the Fort George River attempted to break open a new inlet and washed away a fair chunk of what was the most popular beach of the park.
What was once a lagoon behind a curving beach with views of Naval Station Mayport is now an extension of the river boring a new inlet through South Beach.
Warning flags at the dangerous watersFollow the Timucuan Trail along the west side of now-abandoned parking areas and pause at the South Beach gazebo.
An array of interpretive signs circle it, relating the history of Little Talbot Island State Park as one of Florida’s Jim Crow-era segregated state parks, integrated in 1964.
GazeboPast the gazebo, a straightaway slices through the arid coastal dunes habitat. Cedars, scrub oaks, and cabbage palms provide a windbreak.
After a curve, pop out onto a lane adjoining the now-closed park road to South Beach. Emerge from the closed section to a picnic area and join a curving wooden boardwalk.
BoardwalkThe bike lane resumes along the park road on the sweep past another picnic area and the North Beach parking area.
North Beach encompasses three crossovers and a bathhouse. The northernmost crossover is the return route for this park’s Dune Ridge Trail.
Leaving North Beach parking areaCurving alongside the park road away from North Beach, slip past the entrance station, which is staffed during busy seasons. The park offices are just beyond it with a small parking lot.
If you’ve reserved a campsite at Little Talbot Island, check in at the entrance station or park office to obtain the gate code.
Entrance stationUse the crosswalk to switch sides of the road, passing the walk-in trailhead for the Dune Ridge Trail. Emerge at the Little Talbot Island State Park entrance along A1A.
The campground entrance for the park is directly across the road. At 3.3 miles, turn right to parallel A1A north.
Crosswalk and trailhead near park entranceStaying along the edge of the forest, the Timucan Trail makes a long, slow curve. Pass an interpretive panel on migrations.
These islands are known for an annual influx of painted buntings, a bird highlighted on park brochures. Males are adorned in a patchwork of bright colors.
Male painted buntingA sign on the opposite side of the road says you’ve entered Big Talbot Island State Park.
Reaching the broad estuary basin of Simpson Creek between Little and Big Talbot Islands, parallel A1A behind a guardrail, a grassy slope dropping to the tidal marsh below.
Trail across the Simpson Creek basinBeyond a bridge, an interpretive panel on the Buccaneer Trail greets you on an island bluff.
Dip through the remainder of this expansive estuary, where flocks of white pelicans and rafts of blue teals seasonally gather in tidal pools.
Simpson CreekSimpson Creek is always in motion below the bridge that carries the trail to Big Talbot Island. Detaching from its snug corridor with A1A, the pathway jogs over to the treeline.
The next interpretive stop marks a timeline of human history across these islands, starting in 6000 B.C. with the Timucua.
Goods found during extensive archaeological research in this preserve has brought the complexity and reach of their trade networks to light.
Timeline of human occupation of the islandsAt 4.8 miles, a paved apron marks the start of the Big Pine Trail, a scenic footpath to a bluff above Simpson Creek. Just beyond it is a small parking area along A1A for hikers and cyclists.
Enter a corridor nicely canopied by sand live oaks, curving away from the highway. The “Land of Plenty” interpretive panel documents archaeological finds nearby.
Shaded bench at trailhead for Big Pine TrailA shift to pine flatwoods happens near the next panel, which explains the fire-dependency of his habitat. The trail curves near a line of tall pines.
An unmarked beaten path headed towards the shoreline leaves the paved trail at the curve, likely used by anglers.
Curve in coastal flatwoodsRe-enter the coastal hammock for one of the most beautiful sections of the Timucuan Trail as it tunnels under the trees.
Under the dappled shade of the sand live oaks, it makes a series of S-curves, slowing cyclists.
S-curve warningPast the next interpretive panel, meet the Black Rock Trail at 6.6 miles. This footpath heads for a unique beach studded with erosional features and sun-bleached tree skeletons.
Another small parking area adjoins this trailhead and is usually packed. The winding route through the coastal hammock continues.
Trailhead for Black Rock TrailThe entrance to Big Talbot Island Day Use Area is at 7.6 miles. It is an unpaved lot under the oak canopy with picnic tables and a portable toilet.
A footpath along the bluffs that keeps lengthening as the bluffs erode, the Shoreline Access Trail connects to the beach from here.
Day use picnic areaSoon after leaving the day use area, the Timucuan Trail straightens out and aims for a long boardwalk.
Emerge from the coastal hammock beside the open waters of Nassau Sound, its islands and mudflats the domain of wading birds.
Nassau Sound boardwalkA staircase leads off the boardwalk to A1A, where there is room for a car or two to park for direct access to a covered observation deck.
Making a long curve along the sound, the boardwalk passes a second covered deck before ending across from Sawpit Creek trailhead at 8.4 miles.
A crosswalk leads to the large parking area. Cyclists tend to use the smaller trailhead to the right just inside the entrance, by the George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier entrance.
Sawpit Creek provides access to the south end of the George Crady BridgeEast Coast Greenway signs seem to indicate the trail used to cross the George Crady Bridge. We don’t know for sure, but it’s impossible to do so now.
Instead this is a decision point. If you prefer not to ride with traffic, Sawpit Creek is the end of the ride.
Otherwise, join the highway bridge to Amelia Island in the bike lane. There is no barrier to protect trail users from high-speed traffic.
Crossing the highway bridgeAt 9.6 miles, the Timucuan Trail ends at the entrance of Amelia Island State Park. Straight ahead, the East Coast Greenway continues on the Amelia Island Trail.
It travels another 6.1 miles north past residences and resorts, crossing several traffic circles before ending at Peters Point Park in Fernandina Beach.
Kiosk at Peters Point ParkThe northernmost of the chain of state parks, Amelia Island State Park’s main purpose is beach access.
A large parking area near the beach is a quarter mile inside the park gates. Equestrian use and 4WD driving on the beach is permitted.
The paved ramp coming into the parking area under the highway bridge provides access to the George Crady Bridge, now a popular fishing pier.
The old bridge dates to Buccaneer Trail daysMileage
Add 2.4 miles if starting from the St. Johns River Ferry.
[table]
Mile,Waypoint
0.0, Fort George Inlet trailhead
0.8, South Beach ramp
2.8, North Beach parking
3.3, Little Talbot Island State Park entrance gate
4.2, Simpson Creek
4.8, Big Pine Trail parking
6.6, Black Rock Trail parking
7.6, Big Talbot Day Use Area
8.4, Sawpit Creek trailhead
9.6, Amelia Island State Park entrance
14.7, Fernandina Beach roundabout
15.7, Peters Point Park
[/table]
Trail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about the state parks along this route
Little Talbot Island State Park One of the closest wild beaches to Jacksonville, Little Talbot Island State Park provides a front-row seat to the tumultous flow of Fort George Inlet into the Atlantic Ocean. 
Big Talbot Island State Park Wind and water perpetually reshape the landscape along this rugged Atlantic shoreline with tidal pools, black rock beaches, and a boneyard of sand-scoured trees.
Amelia Island State Park The thud of horse's hooves on sand makes for a unique experience at Amelia Island State Park, the only Florida State Park where you can ride horses on the beach
George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier State Park Once a piece of A1A from Amelia Island to Big Talbot Island, the George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier is one of several former highway segments now under the care of Florida State Parks. Video
Riding the Timucuan Trail
Slideshow
See our photos from our ride
Nearby Adventures
Fort George Island Cultural State Park With layer upon layer of human habitation atop the highest natural hill on the southeastern Atlantic Coast, Fort George Island offers a long look at the past.
Dune Ridge Trail Expect some elevation change along the Atlantic Coast on this traverse of coastal habitats that includes the tall oceanfront dunes and the beach itself.
Big Talbot Big Pine Trail The southernmost trail on Big Talbot Island is the 0.7-mile Big Pine Trail, a short walk out to a bluff above the estuary through a maritime hammock riffled by breezes
Black Rock Trail An unusual and picturesque geologic anomaly, Blackrock Beach at Big Talbot Island is covered with formations that look like black lava rocks but are made of sand.
- Brooker Creek Preserve - April 20, 2025
- Disappearing Creek Loop - April 9, 2025
- Tippecanoe Environmental Park - April 3, 2025