Atlantic Ridge Preserve - The Eighth and Final Visit

 

This time we visited Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park because it was on the SFWMD recreational opportunities list. However, because we finished up the last of the trails, it also counts as completing this State Park. Hooray for a two-in-one activity!

Wayne's exercise app said we walked 10.88 miles in 4:17 hours; it was a bit more than expected due to some back-tracking, but we didn't get our feet wet!!!! That was my goal after slogging through ponds on our last visit. See the little break in the top center of the map? If I had realized the water section was going to be so short, maybe I would have gone through it; hindsight is always 20/20!

We started at the parking area, passed Post #3 and took a new dirt road we had noticed last time. We thought it would take us to the big field by Post #7 (a new route for cars since the bridge was washed out a while ago), but it didn't, at least not directly. Our wandering took us south and west to River Road, where we connected with previously hiked trails and made it to Post #7 via Post #1 and its beautiful large oak tree.

Heading north from Post #7 to #5 then #8, then the boundary line, we were on previously-traveled territory. Today's new trails were the boundary roads in the north and east corners, and the links to Post #4. And we even added another little jog along another boundary line to the entrance gate.

Made it back to Post #3 and then the end!

It took us eight visits, but we finished the approximately 70 miles of (mostly very wet) hiking. Next state park on the list - Hugh Taylor Birch State Park!