Park Overview

Driving down 118th Street in Southwest Jacksonville, one would not expect to find anything more than country roads, with abandoned homes or farms of cows grazing along the pastures. Yet, 118th Street leads to a surprising twist and turn that begins at Ringhaver Park. This city park was named for Lambert C. Ringhaver, whose family donated to the park, which eventually increased the park’s footprint from 36 acres in 1977 up to 576 acres in 2003.

Upon Ringhaver Park entrance, there are soccer fields, baseball diamonds, a playground, and concessionaire, but driving down the winding road leads to a tennis court with what appears to be someone’s home next to it. We start to turn the car around when we notice to the left of the tennis court, there is a shrouded sign identifying Ortega Stream Valley Trail. There are no more details revealed about this trail until you are on it.

Ortega Stream Valley Trail

Jumping out of the car, afraid to miss this small chance to explore, I step onto the asphalt path of pine needles and saturated stone at the Ortega Stream Valley trailhead. Having rained the night before, the forest leaks in leftover rain water. Lush greens of diverse foliage lure us into the unknown. We hear roosters and dogs calling in the distance as we are led onto an enchanting elevated path. The paved road turns into wooden bridges that wind around tall pine trees. A couple built-in wooden benches and fences separate us from the dense forest of pine, oak, magnolia, palm bush, and luxurious ferns. The fern runs rampant and draws us deeper into the 2-mile Jacksonville hiking trail.

Stepping off the wooden walkways, we are back on the paved path along the wetlands, making a choice to go right or left. Headed left, we quickly find an 826-foot boardwalk leading out to the water that is severely damaged due to storms. We carefully tread along the slippery planks one by one. There are large holes in the planks, and as I dodge each cavity, I peek down to see tiny sea creatures in the shallow waters below.

As we approach the middle of the boardwalk, feeling more at ease that the structure is solid enough to hold our weight, we look upon a vast array of blooming hibiscus flowers and vines of salt marsh morning glory. Bright red, light pink, lavender, and summer white, these large petal flowers are endless. They sit atop a field of high marsh grass, blowing in the gentle breeze. Bees buzz and butterflies float around the red scarlet and swamp rosemallow. Crickets chirp and red-winged black birds screech. We spot an Eastern Lubber grasshopper on the handrail of the boardwalk with his long back legs in the air doing what looks like a karate chop.

Views of the Ortega River

We make our way slowly down to the canoe/kayak launch, where a small dock bobs on a tributary of the Ortega River. There are lush green views along the dark water’s edges, the current ripples as our eyes meet the one dead tree proudly protruding on the opposite bank. The river is glassy enough to reveal nature’s reflection, and I bend down to examine the seagrass and black spotted minnows swimming beneath us. Pausing for a moment, we breathe in the smells of wet cedar and fresh swamp.

Duclay Forest

We tiptoe back the way we came, landing safely on the other side to continue on stable ground. Back on the Ortega Stream paved trail, we are surrounded by large, thick oaks with long, spidery branches reaching to the sky. Wooden carved posts painted blue serve as trail markers. Green moss creeps along the edges of the trail, as we wind around the immense Duclay Forest. Thick piles of wet leaves and down trees point to open spaces along our route, and more concrete benches allow for opportunities to take a break to inhale the lively droves of fern. We circle back around at what seems to be a halfway point, passing by another trail marked by an orange painted post. We stay along our route, promising to return for the paths left uncharted.

Making our way back to the trailhead, taking the shorter route, we return to the elevated wooden paths, reveling in the bountiful growth of fern and pine one last time. Light raindrops fall from the canopies overhead. Roosters caw out in the distance. Exploring along the western border of the Ortega River Nature Preserve turns out to be a surprising journey into a lesser known forest of trails that provoke one’s imagination to run wild.

Explore More:

Ortega Stream Valley Trail Map

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