Continue through the parking lot to the River Trails archway. At the fork, turn left to follow the Swamp Trail for a 2-mile round-trip to a boardwalk along the Silver River. You can keep to the obvious path (always take the right fork on the way out), or feel free to veer off on side trails that let you explore the ecotone between the scrub and floodplain forest habitats. I enjoy this trail the most, with its lengthy boardwalk through the cypresses out to the river’s edge, where you can stand and look down into the crystalline blue water to watch turtles and fish swimming in the spring. Be cautious of cottonmouth moccasins and poison ivy, both of which like to curl around trees near the water’s edge.
Returning to the fork, turn right to follow the 2.1-mile River Trail. The trail meets a jeep road. Turn left and make another left onto a jeep road at the bottom of the hill, following it through a cypress swamp. You emerge at a sandy beach on the Silver River at 0.6 mile, enjoying the crystalline water. Turn around and take the first left for a loop that follows the river. Keep alert for short side trails to the river. When you get back to the main trail, turn left to return back to the parking area.
