Guana River Wildlife Management Area

Great place to ride and a nice nature trail to hike to boot! Free parking at the trailhead and restrooms too. Rode down 12 miles to the dam then rode back - a nice 24 mile or so trek. Nice wilderness area for wildlife. Saw a huge turtle and also a rabbit back in a little den. Lots of birds too!

(30.1286475, -81.3800350) Location of the north entrance / Trailhead is at the end of S ROSCOE BLVD EXT - south of Palm Valley road. The current pin drop, as of 17Feb2020, is way off. Notified Yelp of the incorrect location info and sent updates.Set your GPS device / Map app to the coordinates above and it'll take you there.Enjoy the nice trails and beautiful scenery.

I've hiked here numerous times over the years- early spring is my favorite time with all the butterflies fluttering around. This is Florida nature at it's finest. Live oaks, palmettos, scrub pines and more. Plenty of bird watching and you may just see a few other critters out on the trails. Check the trail map near the bathrooms before heading out for any updates on conditions. This was a spur of the moment trek and I was not wearing good hiking shoes- most of the trails were wet, muddy and/or flooded yesterday morning. We opted to go as far West as we could on the Yellow trail- basically straight out to the waters edge and back. The conditions mentioned flooding at the end of the trail. We made it to the river with no problems and hung out listening to the water lap against the shoreline. We spotted a couple armadillos, a pileated woodpecker and heard numerous birds. Squirrels don't really count~ but those are rustling around and leaping to and from trees. It was slightly buggy at some sections. It is mainly wetlands- so that is to be expected even on a mild day in December- aka- keep your bug spray handy. We made it back to the car just as the rain was picking up. There were cyclists, joggers and hikers out there- but in previous hikes I have even come across equestrians. Great local trails for a day out in nature- even if it is dreary and overcast! To be noted- this area is sprawling, with several access points and allow parking near the beaches too- not just the intercoastal areas. There is an entrance fee, but I am a parks pass holder, I don't know how much it is to park for a day. This area has 2 legit bathrooms, some have port-o-lets, other areas have no facilities. There is excellent fishing at numerous parts throughout the area. Most of your nature needs can be met here.

What a gem of a biking place this was. I could be wrong but Guana River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is totally separate from Guana River State Park. There is no entrance fee nor an Information Center when you get inside Guana River WMA. It is totally free. The trailhead for Guana River WMA is conveniently located off of S Roscoe Blvd, off of Palm Valley Rd, in the Nocatee side of town. Once you enter pass the Guana River WMA gate, you will find a small parking lot. A trail/legend board is nearby to provide needed information so you can safely navigate the area. Guana River WMA is ideal for nature lovers, mountain bikers, hikers, hunters and horseback riding. Distance wise (starting from the trailhead) is around 11 miles one way, which eventually leads you to Guana Dam, an area of the park that has a rest area, along with restrooms and outside tables. It is an all gravel road, nice and open, also pretty scenic. Along the way, they have an Observation Tower, great for nature watching and taking pictures. We had a big group of about 15 riders that recently did a bike ride at Guana River WMA. Myself, along with most of the riders were first timers. All in all, we enjoyed it and we plan on coming back to ride again.What a great way to complete a 22 mile ride in the early morning."I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22" - Taylor Swift =)

I'm new to the area and have been checking out all the local beaches. After stopping at Micklers Landing I decided to drive a little farther south and explore the next beach access point - which is inside the boundaries of this park. I'd seen parking areas on a satellite map but had trouble finding out more information about these beaches online. When I arrived It was a beautiful sunny and hot weekday morning and there were only 6 or so cars in the parking lot at this somewhat remote beach. Noted- There is a port-a-potty in the corner of the parking lot for public use. Pro tip make sure you have cash to pay for parking!! This could have been a major problem for me on any given day as I don't often have cash on me. They collect cash parking fees in an archaic parking meter system of envelopes and if you don't have $3 cash, well then you're screwed! Luckily I had enough change in my console to scrape together the fee and was on my way across the road, up the steep stairs and down to the beach. There were tons of shells, in fact the sand is mostly made of shells that haven't been broken down all the way so can be a bit sharp on the bare feet. I spotted two sharks teeth while there! I took a nice leisurely stroll down past all the other folks and enjoyed a nice meditation in the warm sun with the waves crashing. On my way back to the car I walked up to the overlook which gives a great 360 view and a little history of the area. -1 point for the parking fee situation, but I'll definitely go back and also plan to explore other areas of this park besides the beach. It's a nice close by place to take a break from the crowds of the city and suburbs.

Great place to ride, good mileage--10-25 if you include the WMA. Not challenging but indicative of old Florida scrub and marsh. The efforts put forth by the state are well received!! Birds, history and incredible views!

There is a $3 dollar entrance fee, make sure to take the exact change. There will be no one there to help (at least no one there the day I have visited). You will need to put the entrance fee in a deposit envelope, rip the deposit slip and hang onto windshield.Nice short trails, hidden gem to Jacksonville folks.

Excellent for hiking, running, biking, fishing, etc! Plenty of nice gravel/dirt roads and scenic wildlife! We've seen turkeys, deer, pigs, all kinds of birds and snakes! Hunting also takes place within the WMA, so it is closed to other users during those times. Make sure you check before heading out, as it can be disappointing to make the trip out there to a closed gate... I may know from experience!