The Hike

Walk south from the trailhead into a forest of mixed hardwoods, with many laurel oaks. Orange blazes and orange footprint markers lead you onward. As the elevation drops a little, your surroundings become lush and filled with palm fronds; fungi creeps over rotting logs and dangles from hollows. At the trail junction sign, explore the loop to the west. A spur trail off the loop leads to an observation platform overlooking a pond edged with willow and lively with frogs.

Marvel at the height of the cabbage palms overhead, and at the colonies of resurrection fern, lichens, and mosses that blanket the live oak trees and fallen logs. Boardwalks provide crossings over low spots in the terrain, enabling sluggish tannic waters to flow between the cypress knees. This is but a finger of a much larger swamp draining into the Ocklawaha River, which flows northward to meet the St. Johns. Near here, along the fringe of Marshall Swamp, the Marshall Plantation, one of the largest sugar producers in the region, was raided by Union forces on March 7, 1865. Two weeks later, a local cavalry company tracked down the stolen goods and returned them. An annual re-enactment commemorates the skirmish along the river.

At the southern end of Marshall Swamp, the Florida Trail continues its journey for another 25 miles along the Cross Florida Greenway across Marion County, stretching from Silver Springs past Belleview to Dunnellon. But on a day hike, you’ll want to pause at the picnic table and retrace your path, exploring the other side of the loop to complete this 5.6 mile walk.