Palm Coast: Nature, Trails and Historic Sites

Palm Coast offers a variety of ways to plan your trip, including trails and paths, fishing and wildlife watching, coastal landscapes, and archaeological and historical sites. If you are considering the city for a stay and looking for a hotel, it helps to organize your trip around your interests. Destinations differ in trail length, landscape, and history; these differences can help guide your choice of activities.

Trails and Walking Paths

The Lehigh Trail follows an approximately eight-mile stretch of disused railroad through downtown Palm Coast. Hiking, biking, and inline skating are possible there. Washington Oaks Gardens State Park has short trails for hiking and biking. Linear Park also has walking trails. Its StoryWalk® features twenty kiosks along a half-mile route and continues to the St. Joe Walkway. In addition, the Audubon Society has designated Linear Park as part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. If you plan to visit the StoryWalk®, check the details of the story currently on display before your visit. When choosing a route, there are three different distances to consider: about eight miles for the Lehigh Trail, half a mile for the StoryWalk®, and short trails at Washington Oaks. Activities also vary: inline skating, in addition to hiking and biking, is possible on the Lehigh Trail; Washington Oaks has short trails for hiking and biking.

Fishing, Wildlife Watching and the Coast

Long Creek Nature Preserve offers access to fishing. Walking trails there have compacted shell surfaces and elevated wooden boardwalks. Waterfront Park has a fishing pier. Visitors frequently see manatees and dolphins along the Intracoastal Waterway Trail at Waterfront Park. There, coastal scrubland also transitions into a pine and hardwood forest habitat. Fishing opportunities differ in form: Long Creek offers access to fishing, while Waterfront Park has a pier; frequent manatee and dolphin sightings are associated with the trail at Waterfront Park.

Distinctive features of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park include formal gardens with azaleas, camellias, and bird-of-paradise flowers, as well as reflecting ponds. The ponds are surrounded by an oak grove. The Atlantic coast is characterized by coquina rock formations and is suited to beachcombing and exploring tide pools. Short trails for hiking and biking add to the park’s offerings. The gardens and coast offer different highlights: reflecting ponds and an oak grove are complemented by a rocky Atlantic coast with activities along the beach.

Historic Sites and Horseback Riding

The Hernandez Landing Site in Long Creek Nature Preserve dates back to Florida’s plantation era in the early 19th century. Bings Landing contains an archaeological site at the Mala Compra Plantation and was formerly the plantation headquarters of Brigadier General Joseph Hernandez. A playground at James F Holland Memorial Park is modeled after the Bulow Plantation Sugar Mill. These historical connections range from archaeological sites and former plantation functions to a park playground inspired by a historic landmark.

The Florida Agricultural Museum offers horseback rides on a 460-acre property. Booking requirements may change, so check them before making plans. Horseback rides add another way to spend time outdoors; the trails and parks in Palm Coast offer their own highlights, including hiking, biking, fishing, and wildlife watching.

Discover more destinations: Marineland, Flagler Beach.

Go to the main travel overview: Flagler.