Exploring Redfish Hole Trail: A Hidden Gem in Crystal River

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Next up for my Florida hikes is the Redfish Hole Trail in a new to me location: Crystal River!

My parents and I came here as a daytrip from Gainesville while they were visiting, and they hadn’t been there before either.

I had a vague plan for the day but we mostly just showed up and went from there. One of the trails I picked for us to do was the Redfish Hole Trail.

It’s part of Crystal River Preserve State Park which is spread out all over Crystal River, it’s not just one main road.

This is on the coast in the marshy(?) area. We ran into one person on the trail that my dad ended up chatting with the whole way, and there was a family at the sandy area at the end, but that was all.

The trailhead was easy to find and the trail is easy to follow. It’s pretty much a straight shot to the end.

There may have been one fork-like spot but I believe it met back up with the main trail.

The whole trail is packed sand/dirt and starts out wooded on both sides. Before long it starts to open up a but with views of the water.

It might have been low tide when we were here because it was quite muddy and there wasn’t much water in a lot of the waterways.

It was still really pretty, just less wet. Before long, it’s open on both sides.

To the left you have views of tall grass with waterways winding through it and trees behind it. To the right, a bit of the left but much more open.

The trail heads to the left a bit before curving around to the right at the end.

There’s a small beachy sandy area but not a beachy type area you would really go to relax.

It’s a nice view and we spent a little time enjoying it before heading back the way we came.

Overall, I liked this trail and thought the open views were really nice (and are probably even better at higher tide) and am glad we decided to do it.

I appreciated that it wasn’t very busy and was nice and quiet, though I do feel like we saw a lot of litter. And this is your reminder to take your trash with you when you leave!

Travel Services I Recommend:
AllTrails – This is my favorite hike tracking app.
America the Beautiful – The national park pass is essential.
Booking.com – This is great for finding and booking hotels.
Get Your Guide – I recommend Get Your Guide for booking tours.
National Park Obsessed – This is the best national park planner.
Skyscanner – Skyscanner is great for finding and booking flights.
Enterprise – This is my rental car recommendation.
See all my resources here.

Where is the Redfish Hole Trail?

The Redfish Hole Trail is part of Crystal River Preserve State Park, which is spread out around Crystal River.

It’s about ten minutes from Crystal River, 15 from Crystal River Archeological State Park, and 11 from the Churchhouse Hammock trail.

In the bigger picture, it’s about one hour 15 minutes from Ocala, 1.5 hours from Gainesville, an hour from Cedar Key, and about two hours from Clearwater.

How long is the Redfish Hole Trail?

The Redfish Hole Trail is just 1.4 miles round-trip, making it a nice short hike in Crystal River.

Is the Redfish Hole Trail hard?

Nope! This is a straight, flat trail (it has six whole feet of elevation gain). Easy as it gets, I’d say.

Is the Redfish Hole Trail worth it?

If you’ve never been to Crystal River, I wouldn’t prioritize the Redfish Hole Trail, but if you want something that isn’t busy and is quiet, it’s worth it.

It’s not the best trail ever but it’s certainly not bad! The views around the end are definitely nice and I did enjoy that.