Picturesque Bulow Creek State Park is located 15 miles north of Daytona Beach in Ormond Beach, FL. This peaceful 5,000 acre park is surrounded by ancient oaks, slash pine forests, hammock and salt marshes. Trails lead through the woods and into the neighboring Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park.
Opportunities abound for hiking, mountain biking, fishing, kayaking, picnicking and wildlife viewing at this Florida state park, attracting many visitors throughout the year.
Activities
Discover this rustic paradise for yourself! Pack a picnic lunch and eat in the shaded pavilion near Fairfield Oak, one of the largest and oldest oak trees in the south.
This setting, beneath the oaks, is a popular one for weddings!
Bulow Creek State Park was once home to eleven plantations that produced sugar cane, rice, cotton, molasses, indigo and rum.
Today Dummett Mills and Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park are all that’s left of that time. Learn more about this area by picking up maps, guides and other information at the park office in nearby Tomoka State Park.
Here are some more activities that you can do during your visit to Bulow Creek State Park:
Boating at Bulow Creek State Park
Canoe or kayak along the Bulow Creek State Canoe Trail. This trail flows through cabbage palm-lined salt marshes and leads out to nearby Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park. Fishing along this trail is popular.
Hiking at Bulow Creek State Park
During your visit to Bulow Creek State Park take some time to wander and explore the trails. You’ll get the chance to see one of the largest stands of southern live oak forest that exists today, within the woods surrounding the park.
Fairfield Oak, a 400 year old live oak, is one of the largest live oaks in the entire south. Trails are open daily from 8:30 am until sunset.
Here are a couple of the trails at Bulow Creek State Park:
- Fairfield Oak Trail – This moderate 3.7 mile trail passes through ancient live oak trees, Spanish moss, pine hammock, and across a wooden bridge. Occasionally wild boar may be spotted along this route.
- Bulow Woods Trail – A moderate 6.8 mile trail that begins near the 400 year old Fairfield Oak tree and winds past large tree trunks, oaks and pine hammock as it leads out to Bulow Plantation Ruins State Historic Park.
Biking at Bulow Creek State Park
Bring your mountain bike and ride along the 6.8 mile Bulow Woods Trail inside Bulow Creek State Park. This rustic trail extends from Fairfield Oak to nearby Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park. Maps, guides and other information is available at the park office inside Tomoka State Park.
Fishing at Bulow Creek State Park
Fish from your canoe or along the shoreline at Bulow Creek State Park. Popular catches here include redfish, snook, tarpon, sheepshead, black drum and spotted sea trout. Be sure to pick up a Florida fishing license before heading over to the park.
Birding at Bulow Creek State Park
Waterfowl, songbirds, birds of prey and wading birds may be seen throughout Bulow Creek State Park and especially near Walter Boardman Pond. Bring your binoculars for a chance to see Great Blue Herons, egrets, wood ducks, barred owls, wood storks, Roseate Spoonbills, Carolina Chickadees, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Black-throated Blue Warblers and American Crows.
Nature and Wildlife at Bulow Creek State Park
You may see white-tailed deer, raccoons, snakes, birds, gopher tortoises, bobcats, river otters and other wildlife species as you explore trails by foot, mountain bike or kayak. When walking throughout the wooded areas of the park, keep an eye out for rattlesnakes, as they often hide in the grass and scattered leaves.
Pets at Bulow Creek State Park
Pets are allowed at Bulow Creek State Park as long as they are well-behaved and kept on a hand held leash no longer than 6 feet. Pets are not allowed in the beach area or inside any park buildings.
Camping Near Bulow Creek State Park
Bulow Creek State Park provides day activities only and does not offer overnight accommodations for guests at this time. But Tomoka State Park does.
This nearby state park is located less than 10 minutes from Bulow Creek, at 2099 N Beach St. Ormond Beach. The park’s 100 campsites are nestled under a shady hammock and along the picturesque Tomoka River.
Each site has electric and water hookups, a picnic table and grill and are within walking distance to bathhouses. The park also has a group camping area for youth groups of up to 35 people with a large campfire circle and picnic tables.
Park Location
Bulow Creek State Park
3351 Old Dixie Hwy
Ormond Beach, FL 32174
Phone: 386.676.4050
Map
Video
Here is a short YouTube video showcasing several attractions at Bulow Creek State Park:
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