By Kara Pound
Photos by Kate Gardiner
Less than 30 minutes from downtown St. Augustine, driving along State Road 16 to State Road 13, you’ll happen upon a sign for Collier Road in Orangedale. Trout Creek Community Center and Park, a rather unknown locale in St. Johns County’s parks system, is the perfect place to launch a kayak — rain or shine, no matter what the tide says.
On this particularly temperate May morning, Park Naturalists Kelly Ussia and AyoLane Halusky are on duty, taking a group of county residents on a kayak trip up and down Trout Creek, a tributary that feeds into the St. Johns River. A paddle along Trout Creek is a unique experience with a diverse range of wildlife on display from garfish and river otters to herons, egrets and other waterfowl. You might even spot an alligator or two as well as Florida Snapping Turtles.
On the wall of the Trout Creek Community Center, a picture board outlines the history of the property, which officially became Trout Creek Park on May 6, 1992 and now belongs to the people of St. Johns County. According to the display, the property was originally comprised of 40 acres, which was deeded over to pioneer Joseph Pacetti in 1945 by President Harry S. Truman.
Over the years, this beautiful piece of Old Florida has been a crab-picking plant, a scallop-processing plant, fish camp and, today, a county park. Boasting 16-and-a-half acres, Trout Creek Community Center and Park features a double boat ramp, boardwalk bordering the canal and ramps, half-mile nature trail, and small outdoor amphitheatre.
“The story, and stories are subject to opinion, is that when Bartram saw bass in the creek, he thought they were trout,” explains Halusky of how Trout Creek got its name from first American-born naturalist, William Bartram. “He had never seen a trout before and a bass was the closest fish he could associate it with.”
Stories and picture boards aside, Trout Creek is one of the most serene kayaking locales in the county, as you’ll see from the photos from our recent trip. It’s truly one of those spots where you can unplug from the digital world and take in the natural landscape around you.
“The biggest thing is that, because of our disappearance of wild spaces, we need to simulate wilderness experiences by going out into the water,” Halusky says. “Trout Creek is one of those rare places where you can feel like you’re out in the water and away from everything. When you visit Trout Creek, you’re visiting the past.”
St. Johns County Park Naturalists regularly host kayaking excursions at Trout Creek. Sign up for the Parks and Recreation newsletter by emailing [email protected] or visiting the St. Johns County website.