Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park

Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Map showing the location of Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park
Location Clay County, Florida, USA
Nearest city Keystone Heights, Florida
Coordinates 29°49′55″N 81°57′11″W / 29.83194°N 81.95306°W / 29.83194; -81.95306Coordinates: 29°49′55″N 81°57′11″W / 29.83194°N 81.95306°W / 29.83194; -81.95306
Area 2,000 acres (8.1 km2)
Established 1935
Governing body Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Gold Head Branch State Park, a Florida State Park, is 2,000 acres (8 km²) of rolling sandhills, marshes, ravines, lakes and scrub located midway between Gainesville and Jacksonville, six miles (10 km) north of Keystone Heights on SR 21. Gold Head is one of the earliest state parks in Florida. Some of its amenities, including cabins, were originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s.

Biology

Among the wildlife of the park are fox squirrels, southeastern kestrels, red-tailed hawks, bald eagles, turkeys, and gopher tortoises. The park also has pocket gopher, fox, white-tailed deer and variety of water and wading birds. The park has a diversity of wild flowers. Among them are blazing star, goldenrod, and lopsided Indian grass.

Recreational activities

Activities include fishing, horseback riding, canoeing, swimming, hiking and wildlife viewing. Amenities include full facility camping, lakeside cabins, a picnic area overlooking Little Lake Johnson, and a beach on the lake. The park also has four marked hiking trails and a seven mile (11 km) equestrian trail.

Hours

Florida state parks are open between 8 a.m. and sundown every day of the year (including holidays).

References and external links

Media related to Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park at Wikimedia Commons


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