A new trailhead stop on the Florida Wildlife Corridor is coming right to St. Marks bringing access and visitors to the city.
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New Florida Wildlife Corridor trailhead coming to St. Marks aims to boost tourism and the local economy
The area behind the St. Marks City Hall will be a trailhead stop on the Florida Wildlife Corridor. The goal of trails like this is to help bring visitors to areas like St. Marks and boost tourism and the economy.
The city of St. Marks, Trust for Public Land, Florida Trail Association, U.S. Forest Service, Disney Conservation Fund, and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge have partnered together to bring the new trailhead to town.
This is because it’s along the Florida National Scenic Trail and the Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad Trail.
“We have 19 gateway communities. Those communities serve as hubs accessing that trail,” said Sean Amidon, executive director of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation.
The new trailhead is funded by the Disney Conservation Fund through the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. The Florida Trail Association says this will help with bringing people to town.
“So by incorporating this access point, this trailhead, it’s going to bring visitors to town. It’s going to get those visitors supporting the shops, supporting the restaurants, and it not only is an access point to nature, but it kind of weaves the trail into the life of the community,” said Amidon.
According to the Trust for Public Land, money invested is money that goes back into the local community.
“Trails, outdoor spaces, and parks can be a true economic driver for communities, and that every dollar invested by the public returns $3 to that local community,” said Lindsay Cross, Florida state director for the Trust for Public Land.
City Commissioner Jeff Gentry says that the boost in visitors will help support local businesses.
“It will provide the businesses here an opportunity to have additional flow of customers coming in and visiting, bringing their families down, their children down. So it’ll promote a long, a long train of people coming through this community that may not have had an opportunity just to drive down here,” Gentry said.
“We’re excited to have people come down and visit and just see what we’re all about. See why it’s important to protect nature. See why it’s important to get out and explore,” Gentry said.
The trailhead includes a new parking lot, water fountain, bike repair station, and an informational kiosk.
Amy Cober and her friends bike the trail once a week and think this will be a great addition.
“I think it’ll increase usership and visibility of the trail. It’ll be nice to have some amenities at this end because we stop at Wakulla Station. You use the bathroom sometimes and the water there. But here now you’re going to have, I guess, some water. And I’m not sure if a restroom is in the plans or not. But that would be helpful too,” Cober said.
Cober told me she’s excited to see this come to life and she’s got a suggestion for a future trail project.
“If it would continue over to the fort, that would be really cool, so people could access the fort,” Cober said.
The trailhead is expected to be completed by December 2027.
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