River Trail Replacement

12/4/2024

From Refuge Manager Andrew Gude

Just like the Friends members and board, all of us on staff will all miss the ~ 34 year old River Trail so very much!

It was one of the most popular places to walk in the Refuge. Before Hurricane Idalia destroyed the boardwalks and then Hurricane Helene finished the job, the River Trail was the most accessible trail to see the Suwannee River, However, realistically, the cost of rebuilding the entire boardwalk and then repairing it after the next inevitable tree-fall tree is not within our budget or capacity.

Therefore, the Refuge is seeking funding to replace it with an alternate dock for access to the Suwannee River. We anticipate it it will be years before our turn will come up in the queue to get money to do this work, but we are working on it.

River Trail boardwalk before the hurricanes

View of the Suwannee river from the end of the river Trail boardwalk, before the hurricanes

Sarah

2/4/2025 11:31:06 pm

It is sad to see but nature will grow over the trail or path that was destroyed by the hurricane..I think it's okay to let nature take back over in the forest ...it we do build back I think we need to keep it really wild and nature without human destruction as much as possible and keep less development as in possible...I miss wild Florida the nature coast...thank you for my input.

Peg

2/5/2025 11:46:21 am

Thanks, Sarah. Friends and the Refuge staff agree with you. After several destructive hurricanes, it is clear that this boardwalk should not be rebuilt where trees will inevitable fall on it again. Nevertheless, we want visitors to be able to experience this part of the ecosystem. The plan, as funding becomes available, is to build a trail more on the edge of the cypress swamp so folks can experience the area but the harm from future storms will be less difficult and costly to repair.

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River Trail Replacement

From Refuge Manager Andrew Gude

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