Faver-Dykes State Park

Overview

Faver-Dykes State Park is located on the outskirts of St. Augustine, America’s oldest city, and close to the highway. The park encompasses a wide array of habitat, from wet to dry and the southern and eastern boundaries are made up by bodies of water. On the southern boundary there is Pellicer Creek, one of the main attractions at the park for boaters, fishermen and bird watchers.

Those interested in history will enjoy learning that little has been done to disturb this landscape where Timucuan Indians once lived. When you enter, imagine a path instead of a road, and you can see this part of “old Florida” and its trails the way the first Europeans saw it; rich pinelands and hammocks, spreading marshes, and a winding, many fingered creek for their canoes.

Hiking along any of these trails, visitors are hiking through time, to see what many before for hundreds of years have seen. The picnic area and campground trails are both leisurely half mile trails dominated by longleaf pines and turkey oaks, winding through the hammock with views of the creek along the way. The half-mile Pine Loop Trail has beautiful views of longleaf pines, saw palmettos, variety of grasses and wildflowers and native shiny blueberries where natural plant communities thrive.

Visitors can rent a two-person kayak or canoe and explore Pellicer Creek, a unique mix of fresh and saltwater and home to one of the most diverse plant and animal habitats in Northeast Florida. They may even see bald eagles, great blue herons, manatees, river otters and many more while paddling along this 2 to 6-foot deep creek.