Geneva Wilderness Area

My first visit to Geneva Wilderness was also my first Florida Trail activity. I’d driven two hours to meet up with the group and got there as the heavens opened. So we packed it in and went out to dinner at a great fish camp. Luckily, the hike leader – now a dear friend – invited me to stay with her, so a group of us went out the next morning to experience the trail in the calm after the storm. I’ve seen these ponds overflowing with water (right across the trail) and dry as a bone. They’re a testament to how rainfall shapes Florida habitats.

There are two trails in this Seminole County wilderness area. Red diamonds mark the Loop Trail, which runs along the edges of the park’s many ponds and through a stand of pine forest that once was part of a turpentine camp. Yellow diamonds lead you to the Flagler Trail, a north-south multiuse trail connecting this park with Little Big Econ State Forest. The primitive campsites here are perfect for introducing young children or newbies to backpacking, as they have restrooms nearby and are an easy walk from the trailhead.

Resources

Orlando & Central Florida: An Explorer's Guide

Overview

Location: Geneva
Length: 1.8 mile loop and 1.4 mile spur
Lat-Long: 28.708800, -81.123967
Type: Loop and spur
Fees / Permits: none
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Bug factor: low to moderate
Restroom: Yes

There are restrooms near the trailhead and at the primitive campsites, which are used by Scouting groups. For a camping permit, call 407-665-7352.

Directions

Follow SR 434 from Winter Springs into downtown Oviedo. Turn left at the light, then immediately left on SR 426, following it 6.1 miles west (past the Little Big Econ State Forest trailhead for the Florida Trail at Barr Street) to the entrance to the Geneva Wilderness Area on the right. Approaching from Sanford or I-95, take SR 46 to Geneva and turn onto SR 426; the park comes up on the left not long after you pass Snow Hill Road.

More information: Geneva Wilderness Area

Hike Details

Start your hike at the kiosk and pick up a trail map. The trail starts off in what seems like a forest in miniature—gnarled scrub oak, scarcely tall enough to shade the trail. At the first distinct junction, turn left. At 0.3 mile, the trail leads up to a clearing with a restroom. It is here that the Loop Trail starts and ends. Turn left to walk the Loop Trail, staying right at the next fork to follow it along the edge of the two largest flatwoods ponds

Rounding the second pond, the trail forks. Turn right and follow it along the shoreline, where many small and delicate sundew plants grow along the sandy shore. After 0.7 mile, you’ll walk along the edge of the South Camp. The Geneva Wilderness has two group campsites, great for scouting groups and beginning backpackers. Beneath a canopy of live oaks, South Camp is gorgeous. Potable water and restrooms are an easy walk from the campsite.

If you follow the yellow diamonds that leave South Camp, you’ll end up walking 1.4 miles to reach the Econlockhatchee River bridge, and will have to turn around and come back unless you work out a car shuttle to hike to Barr Street (turn right on the orange blazes at the bridge) or Snow Hill Road (go across the bridge) trailheads, both of which allow longer day hikes using the Florida Trail.

Sticking with the Loop Trail, you cross a narrow but deep cut through the forest, one of the few remaining canals from the turpentine era. Turn left for a quick side trip along the canal to see old pines with tall, thin scars known as “catfaces.” The Loop Trail soon rejoins the shoreline trail in front of the entrance to the Chapel. Take a moment to walk the 0.2-mile trail down through the dense pine hammock to the Chapel, a site for reflection along a peninsula out into the pond.

Return to the Loop Trail and turn right to follow the trail between two flatwoods. After 1.4 miles, the Loop Trail ends at the restroom. Turn left, and watch for a trail leading off to the right to the Ed Yarborough Educational Center. It’s open on Saturday mornings. From the front of the center, follow the road to the left to return to the parking area, passing the North Camp along the way.