Hike the Ridge Trail To Loblolly Loop At Gold Head Branch State Park

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Next up in my Florida hikes is a hidden gem in north central Florida: Gold Head Branch State Park!

I didn’t know anything about this park before going but I really enjoyed it! We did the Ridge Trail to Loblolly Loop and a short trail to Sheelar Lake.

The trail starts out going down a bunch of stairs with a short boardwalk section at the bottom.

Head to the left for a very short but beautiful detour, then head back the way you came to continue the trail.

It’s a pretty straightforward trail, and it’s wide(ish) packed dirt/sand. The first section is in fairly dense woods.

There were a few interesting plants along the way but nothing too exciting. No flowers or wildlife.

You’ll get to see a beautiful clear creek along the trail a couple of times, near the beginning(ish) part of the trail and further along.

Eventually the woods open up a little bit and the trees are more palmy than piney. They are beautiful woods though, I did like them a lot, a sections of it.

Soon, it becomes more wooded again, but it’s still not as dense, it feels more like midwest woods.

And then we got to the best part: the log path! I This was a part of the path with water on it (the only part with water).

The logs were put in like stepping stones to get across this part without having to get your feet wet.

It’s also just way more fun even if it’s a short part of the trail. This was near the end and the Loblolly Loop section.

The loop part wasn’t particularly exciting, and from there it’s just back where you came from.

You’ll have to go back up the stairs you went down at the beginning but they’ll be over sooner than later. It’s not too bad. That’s the most elevation change on the trail.

After this we did the short walk to Sheelar Lake which is like, the next parking area after the Ridge Trailhead.

It was a very short walk but a nice view of the lake, so I’d say it’s worth the extra stop.

Finally, after that, we stopped at Little Johnson Lake at the end of the park.

This was another nice lake view but we didn’t hang around too long.

I really enjoyed our visit to Gold Head Branch State Park and am glad I got to see it.

I liked the hike a lot and would definitely recommend it if you’re in the area or passing through.

It’s also a great day trip from Gainesville, Jacksonville, Amelia Island, and St. Augustine.

I don’t think it’s like, a FAVORITE favorite but I would definitely go back in the future!

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 Ridge Trail to Loblolly Loop trailhead?

Gold Head Branch State Park is about halfway between Gainesville and Jacksonville, outside of Keystone Heights, Florida.

It’s about 10 minutes from Keystone Heights, 45 minutes from Gainesville, just over an hour from High Springs, and just under an hour from Jacksonville.

It’s about 1.5 hours from Fernandina Beach, and Just under 1.5 hours from St. Augustine.