Nestled along its namesake’s north shore, Lake Jesup Wilderness Area is one of several wild preserves owned and managed by Seminole County. Prone to flooding in summer and fall, the best time to explore this property is in the spring, before our daily rains return. In dry years, it is also a great place to see swamp sunflowers up close, which grow profusely along the trail in early October. Although the sunflowers are a bit showier, another plant in the same family, Asteraceae, produces smaller yellow flowers in abundance this time of year.

A pair of loop trails meander across the landscape, starting at a parking lot that is shared with a boat ramp. From the trailhead, red trail markers lead through a stand of palms and along a wide, grassy pathway to a covered bench and bridge leading to a fork in the trail.

To the north, yellow trail markers indicate the trail as it follows a berm into shady hardwood forest on a one-mile round trip. To the south, glimpses of Lake Jesup can be seen through dense vegetation growing on the artificial ridge. Red trail markers head deeper into the floodplain, traversing an oak and palm hammock on a two mile trek through truly jungle-like settings. A round trip on both loops returns to the trailhead in four miles.