We took two half days to hike the linear 13.6-mile Bulow Woods Trail. The trail connects the south edge of Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park with the parking area at the Fairchild Oak in Bulow Creek State Park. The highlight of Bulow Creek is one of the largest remaining stands of southern live oak forest along Florida’s east coast.

The reigning tree is the Fairchild Oak, one of the largest live oak trees in the South. For more than 400 years it has been a silent witness to human activities along Bulow Creek, including the destruction of the neighboring Bulow Plantation (detailed in a post several years ago) during the Second Seminole War in 1836. Bulow Creek protects nearly 5,600 acres, more than 1,500 of which are submerged lands which makes the trail swampy in spots.

Boardman Pond is a highlight along the trail as a habitat for several bird species.

Prior to starting our hike, we stopped to see the remains of the Dummett Mill Ruins one of eleven known plantation sites located in the park. Most produced rice, cotton, sugar cane and indigo – Dummett specialized in rum.