Julington-Durbin Preserve

Nestled in between the residential sections in the Mandarin and Bartram area is Julington-Durbin Preserve. It's a nice park that curtails to hikers, bikers, dog walkers, and runners. Lots of green and trees, where you can be one with nature. There are 3 trails that loops to this park...White Blaze Loop Trail (3.9 miles)Yellow and White Blaze Loop Trail (6.1 combined miles trip)Red Blaze Spur Trail (2.0 miles round trip)The trails also has a mixture of grassy and sandy sections. Mainly flat trail, with no elevation changes makes it ideal for endurance training. Often times, you will see Cross Country runners converge into this park for their training. And from time to time, you will see horseback riders here.Now to add the not-so-good... The trails doesn't offer much shade or cover so it can get hot during the hot summer months. Bugs are prevalent during the hot times, so bring bug spray. Also, certain parts of the trails are littered with sand burrs or grass burrs, which are spiky enough to pop a tire, an issue I ran into riding here at one time.So if you can get past that, this park is a nice place to come and venture.Happy Trails to you!!!

I hate to talk about this park, because everyone is going to want to go here! It's such a hidden gem off Bartram parkway and a perfect place to get away from the concrete busyness. There are several miles of trails, and if you want to walk the longest trail, that's going to be around 6 miles. There are two separate trails that are half the distance and not as long. It takes about 2 hours to walk the 6 mile trail. There are lots of trees, plenty of room for 6 feet apart social distancing, and shady places to take a rest. There is one bench on the way back on the 6 mile trail, so be prepared to walk before resting. We really like coming here for a different viewpoint and have been telling people about it. Check it out!

The Julington-Durbin Preserve is a nice place to take a hike if you don't want to travel far from Jacksonville but want to feel like you have. It's nestled behind a plaza of businesses and neighborhoods; it's a well-kept secret of Jacksonville. The terrain is pretty consistent along the trails but that never bothers me. The paths are not paved and there are some spots that are sandy. There is not a lot of shade so I recommend applying sunscreen beforehand! The only bathroom I have seen the two times I have been is a port-a-potty at the entrance. I also recommend tracking your hike; there is no signage along the hike and the markers on the trees are sometimes unclear. This is a good place to get away for a few hours and have a peaceful hike.

Julington-Durbin Preserve is essentially a few trails through the middle of the woods. I came here with two friends and we walked, talked, and enjoyed nature. I really loved my visit. Whether or not you think the park has a lot to offer is really depending on you and your perspective on things. I was able to find many cool fungi, trees, and some tiny flowers. I thought there was a lot to see and found it healing. However, I am the type of person that always feels that way in nature. I am observant and find things easily. If you need a lot of obvious variation in landscape, this may not be the place for you. The trails are marked by different colors and shapes on the trees. The trails are not paved. You could potentially run out here, but you would have to be careful of roots and other natural impediments. We walked the large trail I believe. We were at the preserve for around 2 hours and I believe walked about 5 miles (that is an estimate as I did not actually track). There is also a trail that takes you to a stream, but we skipped that because it started raining. Overall, this is a great place to hike in the woods and escape to nature. I liked it and I would visit again on a future trip to Jacksonville.

Kept seeing the signs for this preserve in the middle of suburbia and finally decided to stop in and check it out. It's Huge, over 2k acres huge. Trail loop can be as long as 6miles. We did 4 miles. Aside from a few muddy ponds the pathways were well trodden and paths clear. I thought there would be trail bikes, but actually came across more hikers than bikers. Quiet and peaceful place to connect with nature close to home.

What an amazing place! I grew up in the country and some of my favorite things to do were to walk the back roads or wander through the woods. This park reminds me so much of home. The trails are dirt, so you have to be observant or you might trip over a tree root. But that's a small price to pay for enjoying the virtually untouched nature!I went a few months ago and noticed that a larger parking area had been created. That was nice. No problem at all finding a spot. I don't recall ever seeing a restroom at the Preserve, but maybe I missed it. A restroom would definitely be a plus. There are several options for your stroll at Durbin Creek Preserve. You can take the loop. You can walk straight to the water. Or you can veer left for more adventure.It's hard to believe how close civilization is while you're hiking your way through the trails. At first, you can still hear cars as they drive by. But eventually, you just get lost in the peacefulness of it all! A wonderful place to free your mind. You should go!

Lovely wide and lengthy trails through the tall pine forest. On our Monday mid-morning walk the parking lot was over half full. My dog and I encountered several other dogs as well as runners, walkers, children and a group on horseback in our leisurely mile or so walk in and out. I also saw what I think was a falconer heading out to the trail with her bird.Only downfall is the amount of dog poo on the trails. It seems like a lot of people fail to pick up after their pets here. I didn't notice a dog poop bag dispenser... that might help with this problem? -1 Star for that sitch ...and watch where you step!

A pretty little collection of looping trails through a semi-wooded area. If you're expecting dramatic views you may be disappointed, but if your goal (like mine) is just to wander through nature for awhile, it's perfect. There are also plenty of runners, dog-walkers, and bikers around and the paths are wide enough to accommodate all. It's occasionally sandy or muddy in some areas, and may be buggy in the warmer months. The trails are marked by colors on the trees and there are mile markers. There is also a map posted at the beginning (but not later, so take a picture if you want to reference it). White (W) will give you a loop through trees, and you can extend into a longer loop by taking the yellow (Y) when you reach it. I'm not sure what the blue marks mean. There are also various connecting paths which can sometimes make it confusing, (e.g. I didn't walk the path that apparently leads to water because I turned to follow the yellow path), but if you keep following one color it will loop you back to the beginning eventually.

Good place to go for a quick workout! The trails are a bit sandy, so don't wear tennis shoes you wouldn't mind getting sand in. I mean, if you're going to workout, hike, trail run, don't use your best shoes, LOL. The greenery is beautiful and there are lots of choices in regards to trails. If you head straight down the trail you will end up at a beautiful lake. There are homes around this trail- not directly on the trail, but the location of this park is located in the middle of homes. If you like photography, this is a great location to capture a few nice shots.

Really cool dirt trails in the middle of the forest by Durbin & Julington area. Its actually right in middle of a neighborhood & Bartram shopping (so weird to see this since im a city girl! Lol) Trails are semi marked, perfect afternoon with your doggies. They also allow horseback riding on these trails. Saw a lil armadillo & a snake paid a visit, my sis in law almost lost it but definitely a great experience. Will be back before summer!