City: Middleburg, FL

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (904) 291-5530

Address: 1337 Longhorn Rd.

Description: Wild and untamed, Jennings State Forest and Black Creek encompass almost 24,000 acres of true Florida forestland. The area offers a network of trails and waterways for hiking, horseback riding, and canoeing. Prepare for a challenging time if you come during the wet season when the upper reaches of Black Creek get especially rugged with swift water flowing through downed trees and thickets. This is also a place where you are smart to keep an eye peeled for gators. Sound treacherous? Before you run in fright, consider the counterpoint of rare plants such as Bartram’s Ixia and St. John’s Susan as well as many uncommon herbs that grow in seepage slope communities. Botanists will love the forest’s more than 15 different natural biological communities each with unique plants, animals, and physical characteristics that have resulted from the abundance of wildlife residing in the forest. Stay alert for sightings of raccoon, otter, alligator, and wading birds along North Fork Black Creek. Meanwhile, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, hawks, and songbirds make their homes in the uplands. The forest has five entrances, so visit the Web site to find the one that’s most accessible to you.