Florida's St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
Striking Lighthouse and Dramatic Coast Entice Daytrippers
Apr 29, 2009
Twenty-five miles south of Tallahassee, Florida, lies one of the oldest National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) in the US. St. Marks was established in 1931 and is a key Gulf Coast site for providing wintering habitat for migrating birds and for migrating Monarch butterflies, too!
Popular National Wildlife Refuge
The entire refuge is comprised of four sections: St. Marks, Wakulla, Panacea, and Aucilla River units. St. Marks is open during daylight hours year round and sees over 250,000 daytrippers each year. Entry fee is $5.00 per car. Pets (leashed) are permitted in the refuge.
The visitor center is located in Newport on County Road 59 and is open weekdays 8am-4pm and weekends 10am-5pm. The center has educational displays and a gift shop. Behind the center is a 1/3 mile boardwalk with interpretive panels, the Plum Orchard Pond Trail.
Once leaving the visitor center, there's a seven-mile drive through a coastal estuary ecosystem and water impoundments to the endpoint at St. Marks Lighthouse on Apalachee Bay. A great way to view birds and wildlife is to bike this seven-mile stretch early in the morning. Visit the NWR's website for travel information plus a downloadable map.
Great Photo Ops: St. Marks Lighthouse
St. Marks Lighthouse pre-dates the creation of the NWR by a hundred years, having been built in 1832. Although not open to the public, the lighthouse is a favorite with photographers, with the saltwater estuaries forming an attractive backdrop to the structure. Colorful sunsets also provide a striking counterpoint to the stark white of the lighthouse.
The current lighthouse is the third one to have been constructed on the site. St. Marks Lighthouse has weathered storms, hurricanes, and even the Civil War. Confederate soldiers used the building as barracks and the tower as a lookout. To deter the Union troops on their march to Tallahassee, the Confederates placed explosive charges at the base of the lighthouse, resulting in significant damage to the structure. Visit Lighthouse Friends to learn about the history of St. Marks Lighthouse and view archival photos and drawings.
Fine Florida Birdwatching
Visitors are impressed with the diverse bird population at St. Marks. Although well known for its migrating ducks and geese, the NWR has lots to see:
- bald eagles
- wood storks
- kingfishers
- peregrine falcons
- Eurasian wigeons
- egrets
- Cinnamon teals
- black-necked stilts
- and many more!
St. Marks is also part of Operation Migration, which uses ultralights to lead flocks of migrating endangered whooping cranes from northern states to wintering sites in Florida.
Florida Gulf Coast Trails
Take your pick—short, medium, and long distances; hike, bike, or horseback ride! There are numerous short hikes in the vicinity of the lighthouse including:
- Tower Pond Trail or Mounds Trail (a mile loop through slash pine, oak hammocks, and a salt marsh)
- Headquarters Pond Trail (1/4 mile with a wooden observation deck)
- Levee Trail (follows the levees built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s; make into a mile loop by returning to start via the gravel access road)
For visitors wishing a longer hike, about 50 miles of the Florida National Scenic Trail transects northern St. Marks NWR. Additionally, multi-mile hiking trails on primitive pathways (old logging roads and levees) are available. Deep Creek is 12 miles and Stoney Bayou is 6.5 miles; both start on the Lighthouse Road, about 1.5 miles south of the visitor center.
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