Surrounded by the sprawl of new homes now crowding Oviedo and Chuluota, a sprawl swallowing pastures and orange groves, a ribbon of wilderness remains. It is the Little-Big Econ State Forest, more than 5,000 acres of uplands and cypress swamps flanking the Econlockhatchee River, a true Central Florida treasure. Along its 1,400-mile route across the Sunshine State, the Florida Trail makes its way around the suburbs east of Orlando by paralleling the sinuous course of the “Econ,” as locals call it, for several miles. It is a superb footpath, deeply shaded by grand old oaks and magnolias high atop the river bluffs, meandering through stands of tall, slender cabbage palms while offering scenic views every few footfalls. It is one of my favorite trails in Florida, and after you hike it, it’ll be one of yours, too.
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Overview
Location: Oviedo
Length: 7.3 miles with connectors to other trails
Lat-Long: 28.687403, -81.159278
Type: linear
Fees / Permits: fee for parking at Barr Street trailhead
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Bug factor: low to moderate
Restroom: No
CAUTION: If the river is high, the trail will flood in many places, including the side channels. Do not attempt this hike if water is flowing across the trail at any point.
Directions
To find the Barr Street trailhead, follow SR 426 east from Oviedo towards Geneva. It’s only a mile or so past Lockwood Rd in Little-Big Econ State Forest. There is a per person usage fee.
The multi-use Flagler Trail runs from the Geneva Wilderness Area (farther down SR 426 towards Geneva) to Snow Hill Road at Chuluota, and the Florida Trail uses the Flagler Trail to cross the Econlockhatchee River and continues along it to a prominent trailhead on Snow Hill Road. There is no fee to access the trail from this trailhead.
Unless you work with a friend to place cars at both ends, it’s an out-and-back hike from either trailhead, but the hike is far better experienced from Barr Street. You can also add to this hike by exploring the white-blazed Kolokee Loop, part of the Florida State Forests Trailwalker Program, or by following the Flagler Trail northeast to the Geneva Wilderness.
The Florida Trail now heads south from the Flagler Trail through more of the state forest, so another option is to park at the trail crossing at Snow Hill Road, or in the residential area where the trail emerges near Lake Mills.
Hike Details
There are several options for hikes along this 7.3 mile stretch of the Florida Trail. With one car, the best bet is an out-and-back walk southbound from the Barr Street trailhead along Geneva Road down to the Flagler Trail at the bridge over the river, for a 5-mile round-trip. You also have the option of a northbound hike from Barr Street to Lockwood Road, a 5.4-mile round-trip. With two cars, you can complete all or part of the section between Oviedo and Chuluota.
Barr Street to Lockwood
To get to the Florida Trail from the Barr Street trailhead, follow the white blazes as they wind through the forest down to a bridge along a creek draining into the river. To hike northbound, turn right. The trail utilizes segments of an old road, but mainly stays in the lush floodplain forest and the bluffs above the river and its tributaries, winding along fairly rugged terrain for Central Florida. You reach the Penny Troll bridge (the first F-Troop project back in 2004) within the first mile; it crosses a narrow but deep tributary that roars with water after a rain. Notice the bromeliads in the trees—it’s always humid here. When the trail reaches an open view of the river, a place you can sit on a tree and dangle your feet, it then leaves the river bluffs and heads into a hydric hammock, where the footpath may be squishy. Ferns dominate the understory and grow out of the trees as well.
Passing a designated campsite at the 2.4 mile mark, the trail rises into a stretch of wet pine flatwoods, making a sharp right at a property boundary and soon crossing a very long, narrow bridge over a seasonal bog. Once you leave the bridge, the footpath may still be wet along the edge of the bog, where a small clump of pitcher plants grows off to the right. You pass a very old wooden kiosk and emerge onto the berm along the edge of Lockwood Road. From here the Florida Trail continues into the town of Oviedo on a zig-zagging course towards downtown. Unless you have a car at this trail crossing, turn around and retrace your walk back to Barr Street.
Barr Street to the Flagler Trail
Where the white blazes meet the Florida Trail, turn left and cross the bridge. The trail turns to parallel the creek as it flows down to the river. You’ll skirt an open area before you reach an opening on the river bluffs for a broad view of the Econlockhatchee River. The trail turns left to begin following the river downstream, and plays with the edge of the bluffs for the next couple of miles, darting in to go around side channels (sometimes using bridges, sometimes going all the way around), all the while in the shade of cabbage palms and oaks and cypresses, a river bluff landscape done Florida-style. All of the bridges have been rebuilt over the past several years by Florida Trail Association F-Troop trail crews. One of the side channels has a distinct grouping of three palm trees whose trunks cross over each other—watch for it on the right.
As you continue downstream and the bluffs become less steep, there are numerous spots where you can get down to the sandy beaches along the river, sit and enjoy a break along the tannin-colored water. Some of the beaches are big enough to pitch a tent on. Along the way, you’ll see side trails blazed blue (for bicycles) and white (for hiking). The hurricanes of 2004-2005 cleared a lot of the larger trees out, opening up the forest in places. After 2.4 miles, you reach the intersection with the Flagler Trail (an unpaved multi-use trail connecting Geneva and Chuluota), with the new bridge over the river. Built by Seminole County, it’s broad and sturdy, able to withstand the periodic flooding that washes down the river. From it, you can see the pilings of the old railroad bridge, which were formerly used for the hiking bridge I first encountered nearly a decade ago, a line of swinging, swaying boards suspended between sky and water, reminiscent of hiking in Nepal. Alas, it was deemed unsafe and replaced with this modern model.
If you’re hiking out and back, turn around and return along the path that brought you here, following the orange blazes.
The Flagler Trail to Chuluota
Established in 1910 by one of railroad magnate Henry Flagler’s many development companies, the railroad line into Chuluota was a spur to carry lumber and turpentine out of the forests in this area and to the Atlantic Coast Line to the east. Abandoned for decades, the railroad corridor is now the Flagler Trail, and to continue on the Florida Trail to the next trailhead, you cross the river and head towards Chuluota. While the trail leaves this broad corridor briefly to cavort along the river bluffs, it returns and heads down the long, green tunnel – shared with bikers and equestrians – for the next 2.2 miles. Expect mud puddles after a rain. Over the past several years, housing developments have crept right up to the edge of the corridor. The Snow Hill Road trailhead is off to the left before you reach Snow Hill Road, with a kiosk and large parking area.
