After a weekend of being a productive adult, full of steam cleaning carpets, laundry and other undesirable adulting tasks, I needed to get out of the house. The weather was exceptional, and it just felt wrong to spend the time cooped up inside. While I have a few deadlines to meet with all this adulting stuff, I never pass up the opportunity to take a few hours for an adventure.
Luckily Florida makes adventuring easy with 38 State Forests and 3 national forests. No matter where you are in the state, you have access to some great adventuring opportunities. So, I loaded up my camera and headed to a fairly newish section of state forest that meanders along the historic St. Marks River.
Plank Road State Forest get its name from the historic wood plank road that was constructed in the mid-1800s to transport goods from Newport, Florida to the Georgia line. You may wonder, why not just take the river all the way to the state line, well that would be difficult since the St. Marks is one of many of Florida's rivers that dives underground and rises in several different sections. This makes exploring the river and its surrounding forests even more exciting as you will find all sorts of terrain, from swampy mud lands to tall pine timbers and grassy wetlands.
Plank Road State Forest comprises over 10,000 acres and includes numerous springs. It was acquired through the Florida Forever project in 2017 to provide water quality protection for the river and its springs. The state's Division of Forestry has constructed several roads, and reinforced low water crossings and installed large culverts to assist in this conservation while allowing us to recreate responsibly.
The forest is small and only a few miles of road open for use, you could pass it up as something that can be missed. However, in the short 7.3 miles that I drove, the forest did not disappoint. Life, both of the plant and animal variety, were plentiful. From blooming Bird Cherry and Dew Berry to fish and a few dinosaurs (alligators).
The roads are well maintained and have several low water crossings, which will likely always have some water in them, but was certainly full after all the rain we have had the past few months. I would venture to say that any vehicle with sufficient clearance could drive these roads throughout the year and those lower to the ground should ensure it has been dry for a month or two or at least be extremely cautious when crossing.
Plank Road state forest was well worth the drive and I can't wait to get back and check out more of it. While there are limited roads for vehicle use, there are many other roads available for foot traffic. Find out more on this state forest and others by visiting Florida's Division of Forestry website.
This whimsical musing brought to you by "The Crazy Kayak Lady"
How often do you visit a state forest?
I go as much as possible, I practically live there.
I go sometimes.
I went once, I think.
Never, I tend to stay on paved roads..
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