Discovering Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park

Camp Johnston, circa 1910 (Florida Memory)

Park History

Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park is across the street from the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, which was originally an Army training camp named after the Confederate Civil War General Joseph E. Johnston during World War I. From 1917 through 1919, Camp Johnston spread across 160 acres with over 600 buildings and the nation’s second largest rifle range, including the area that is now Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park.

During this time, a 16-foot wide brick road was constructed to allow for an ease of travel through the swamp land. This historic brick road once linked the peninsula of Ortega to the city of Jacksonville, and remnants still exist today throughout the park. Since the re-commissioning of NAS Jacksonville in the 1940s, the park’s land was used for military housing and an archery range that became open to the public in the early 1990s.

Tillie K. Fowler

Tillie K. Fowler’s vision for the park began in 1989. As a City Councilwoman, she led numerous efforts to improve the community spaces in Jacksonville with special attention on projects that would benefit our armed forces. Striking a deal with the Navy, the park project was underway and opened as Westside Regional Park in September 1996. The Observation Tower, Nature Center, and Outdoor Classroom were constructed, and there are still continuous development initiatives today. The park was renamed in 2005 in honor of Tillie K. Fowler, the City Council’s first female president who later served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives. She retired in 2001 and was nationally recognized as an authority on military issues.

Our Adventure

Blue blazes lead the way at Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park. It’s summertime in Florida, and with the morning air increasingly humid, we select the Tower Trail, a 1.1-mile loop around this 509-acre park. A wooded path and wet boardwalks lead to an Observation Tower overlooking the Ortega River. We trek through saw palmetto to the first boardwalk that has a view and a staircase to access the historic brick road. Eager to get a look, I lose my footing on the slippery wooden planks as Cami drags me toward our destination. The bricks are red and tightly compact with green moss growing gently around their edges.

Continuing our hike, we follow the wide trail covered in pine needles, winding around a dense forest of pine, magnolia, and oak trees. Large roots protrude along our way, and the sun peaks through the canopy of green as we make our way toward the tower. We reach another short boardwalk and take our time, breathing in the bounds of fern that blanket the trail’s edges. Around a bend, another boardwalk takes us to the highly-anticipated Observation Tower, where a variety of wildlife within the marsh can be spotted from this 33-foot structure.

We venture on and arrive at the brick road once more. At the crossroads, you can go straight to access the dog park or veer left to keep along the Tower Trail. Part of the brick road is closed due to activity at the adjacent archery range, so we head left and cross the road to the continuation of the blue blazes. Our journey takes us out to the south end of the park where we originally encountered the brick road, retracing our footsteps along the boardwalk, through the winding wooded path, traversing the wetlands back to the urban landscape.

More Things to Do

There are many activities at Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park, one of the largest city parks in Jacksonville at 509 acres. Enjoy an outdoor picnic under the pavilion or venture through the butterfly garden. Let your kids lose on the playground. Bring your dog along for a play date in the small or large dog park areas. Tune up your mountain bike for some off-roading. Spend the day learning more about native vegetation at the Nature Center. Or take a hike, like we did, along the Tower Trail or the Island Trail. Bring your bug spray and hiking boots, especially in the summer months, as the trails are hot, buggy, and muddy from frequent afternoon rain showers.