WATER & COAST
Black Creek Ravines Conservation Area
Clay County · North Florida & First Coast
Nearly a thousand acres of ravines, sandhills and bluffs above the North Fork of Black Creek, west of Middleburg.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
Black Creek Ravines Conservation Area covers 969 acres in Clay County, reached from Green Road north of County Road 218. The land is unusual for Florida because it goes up and down. Elevation runs from about 5 feet above sea level along Black Creek to roughly 90 feet on the sandhills, and the ravine system that gives the place its name is close to a mile long and about 95 feet deep. The St. Johns River Water Management District explains that ravines form where a dense clay layer underground stops rainwater from soaking downward, so the water cuts sideways instead. A bluff almost 30 feet above Black Creek gives a long view over the water. The habitats are mainly pine flatwoods, sandhills and wetlands, with seepage slopes the district lists as imperiled in Florida because so little of that ground is left. Gopher tortoises, Black Creek crayfish, bald eagles, otters, deer, bobcats, alligators, herons, foxes, owls and pine snakes all live here. Florida Hikes describes a 6.5-mile loop joining the White and Red trails, with an overlook into a deep hardwood ravine and a 0.6-mile spur to a picnic table on the creek bluff. The trails are shared with cyclists and horse riders. There are two parking areas, no restrooms, and leashed dogs are welcome
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