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Getting Started

The trip that most first time or one time visitors to the refuge will want to take is to the St Marks Unit from the visitor center down Lighthouse Road to the lighthouse. The St Marks Unit is located on CR 59 off of Hwy 98 just east of the St Marks river bridge. As you travel south down CR 59 you will come to a guard house at the entrance to the refuge. If this is unmanned continue on to the self pay station or the visitor center. A one day pass is $5 per car but a great deal if you are planning more than one visit is an annual pass for $15. Other special federal passes are accepted at the visitor center.

The visitor center at this or any facility is a logical first stop for information. The St Marks visitor center offers displays depicting refuge wildlife and habitats along with brochures and guides that can enhance your visit. One interesting guide for those with limited mobility is a roadside auto guidebook for Lighthouse Road. Behind the visitor center is the Plum Orchid Pond Trail. This is a short trail much of it on wooden boardwalks that should be accessible by just about everyone. There are signs describing the different species of trees along the trails and the day I went there were three yearling gators in the pond right behind the visitor center. I also spotted a number of birds on this short and easy walk.

After you finish exploring the visitor center, get back in your car and head south on Lighthouse Road to the lighthouse and Apalachee Bay. It is about 7 miles from the visitor center to the lighthouse. The road passes through forest, past freshwater retention ponds and eventually to the salt marsh and bay. It is a beautiful drive so go slow and keep your eyes open. There is a lot of wildlife right along the road and there are spots to pull over if you want to take some pictures or just enjoy the view.
 

At the end of the road there is a parking area next to the lighthouse overlooking the bay. The St Marks lighthouse is a beautiful and historic site. Built in 1832, it is still in operation today. Because of easy access and the boat ramp nearby, this is one of the most visited areas in the refuge; but there is plenty to see and do within a short walk of the lighthouse. Lighthouse Pool Trail and Cedar Point Trail go along the bay and salt marsh. The total hike round trip from the parking lot is about 2 miles. In addition to osprey, Great blue herons and egrets, I saw a lone bottlenose dolphin herding mullet in very shallow water off the point. He put on quite a show rushing into the school and tossing fish up in the air with his back and dorsal fin exposed in the shallow water. There is a lot of prickly pear cactus along these trails including one huge plant on Cedar Point. The last time I was at Cedar Point there was a large cedar that had been struck and blown apart by lightening. A large part of the tree was across the trail that I had to climb under. The destructive power of that lightening strike was amazing.

You can easily do this trip in a half day with time left over to visit the town of St Marks and the San Marcos fort sight if you want to. If you want some other, longer hikes in the refuge there are miles and miles of trails open to hikers, bikes and horses. See my other trips for more info or visit the reserve website http://www.fws.gov/saintmarks/.
 

St. Marks Refuge Overview

A Trip to the Stoney Bayou Pool No. 1

A Trip on the Tower Pond Trail

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