Total Acreage: 21,175
Counties: Volusia |
Lake George State Forest
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Lake George State Forest is made up of three
tracts of land and primarily comprised of slash pine,
longleaf pine, bottomland hardwoods, and interspersed
cypress and bay depressions. In 1998 nearly half the
acreage of Lake George State Forest was damaged during
the Firestorm wildfires. Restoration efforts included
harvesting salvage timber and reforestation with longleaf
pine and slash pine.
Location
Lake George State Forest is located in northwestern Volusia County near the towns of Barberville and Astor. To access the forest north of State Road 40 (Astor Tract) take Riley Pridgeon Road, located 1/2 mile east of the town of Astor. To access the forest south of State Road 40 (Mary Farms/Dexter Tracts) take St. Johns River Road, located 1/2 mile east of Astor. This goes to the Bluffton Recreation Area. An entrance for hunters is located on State Road 40 - 31/4 miles east of Astor.
History
The Bluffton Mound and Midden at the Bluffton Recreation
Area illustrate the rich archaeological history of the
St. Johns River and Lake George area. For thousands
of years early Florida Indians inhabited the area. Explorers
of the 18th and 19th centuries first noticed the large
mounds of freshwater shellfish that were created by
the Indians. Later, the shell mounds attracted some
of Florida's earliest archaeologists. Today, little
of the mounds exist as most were excavated for material
to build roads.
Past uses of Lake George State Forest include timber
management, naval stores production, grazing and hunting.
Prior to 1910, logging canals were dug through the swamps
to remove cypress logs. In the 1930's much of the area
was forested in longleaf pine and slash pine and used
for cattle grazing. Starting in the 1960's, slash pine
was planted as previous owners had aggressively harvested
the forest.
Natural Features
Lake
George State Forest is also part of an extensive wildlife
corridor that provides habitat and roaming area vital
to the survival of the Florida black bear population in the
area.
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Lake George State Forest is one of several publicly-owned
tracts of land encircling Lake George, the second largest
lake in Florida. The St. Johns River borders 3 1⁄2
miles of the forest and provides a wealth of ecologically
valuable communities as well as river-based recreation.
The surrounding landscape of the forest contributes to
water resource protection of the Lake George watershed
and aquifer recharge. Wildlife that make their home on
the forest include: bald eagle, sandhill crane, white-tail
deer, wild turkey, bobcat and gopher tortoise.
Recreation
Lake George State Forest offers many recreation opportunities. Bluffton
Recreation Area is located on the St. Johns River and
offers fishing, picnicking, and a 3/4 mile interpretive
nature trail. While there is no boat ramp available, canoes
and small jon boats may be launched from the bank. Fishing
is also available at Jenkins Pond.
The forest is open to visitors during daylight hours.
Hikers, bicyclists and equestrians are welcome on roads,
designated trails and permanent fire lines. Contact us to obtain a State Forest
Use Permit for primitive camping or for vehicle access to portions
of the Mary Farms/Dexter Units (except during Special
Opportunity Hunts).
Lake George State Forest is managed as a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission:
In keeping with its mission to protect and manage Florida's
forest resources, the Division of Forestry has developed
rules which apply to all State Forest visitors.
Find out more about state forest fees and guidelines.
| Developed Trails |
Campsites |
Other |
Hike |
Bike |
Horse |
Canoe |
Camp
sites |
with
Electric |
Leashed
Pets OK |
More Activities |
Nature
Trail |
none |
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|
Primitive* |
none |
|
Picnicking, Fishing, Hunting |
*State Forest Use Permit Required
Contact Us
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