Field Trip – Hike the Black Bear Wilderness Area
Details
The Black Bear Wilderness Area is about 1600 acres of natural wonder in northwest Seminole County. But don’t worry, we won’t be hiking 1,600 acres.
It features a variety of wetland habitats—wet prairie, hydric hammock, and cypress swamp—within the St. John’s River floodplain. These habitats form a mosaic of diversity which hosts white-tailed deer and Florida black bear and an impressive number of bird species. Its large size and proximity to other public lands make this an important piece in a puzzle connecting natural areas between the Wekiva/St. John’s basins and the Ocala National Forest. Our trip leader is Patti Smith.
The group will have a couple of options on the day of the hike:
- we can take the boardwalk and trail to the St. John’s River. The trail is shaded with a canal/pond alongside to the river, or
- we can be more adventurous and explore the 7.1-mile loop trail along the St. John’s River. This option takes about two hours.
Where to meet: Carpooling may be available for this trip. Please meet at 7 a.m. (for a 7:10 departure) at the Winn-Dixie parking lot in Eustis, located at the intersection of 44 and 19.
OR
Meet us there at 8 a.m. at 5301 Michigan Avenue in Sanford.
Click to register: https://oklawaha-valley-audubon.org/product/field-trip-hike-the-black-bear-wilderness-area/