Review of Lake Monroe Conservation Area Yellow Hiking Trail

Wet feet but lots to see

I went hiking at Lake Monroe Conservation Area on 10/15/2020 which is in Volusia County near the city of Sanford. It’s divided into 2 parts — the Kratzert Tract and the Brickyard Slough Tract. The Kratzert Tract lies northwest of Route 415 and the Brickyard Slough Tract lies to the southeast of 415. The Kratzert Tract is considered a Wildlife Management Area. Hunting is allowed there from October thru January.

I try to avoid hunting areas while hiking so I chose to hike the Brickyard Slough Tract. Specifically the Yellow Trail, a 3.3 mile loop. Ample parking and restrooms are available at Volusia County's Beck Ranch which borders the trail on the west. This tract includes both marshy areas and drier oak scrub environments so the wildlife is varied. I think the pigs above would have been more timid if they lived in the Kratzert Tract where hunting season is on. I didn’t see another hiker during the entire hike.

Here’s a big drawback to this hike for some people: This tract is nearly the same elevation as Lake Monroe. If you make the entire loop you will get your feet muddy. Indeed if the idea of hiking through a several inches of dark water scares you this hike is probably a bad idea. But marsh hiking gives you views of lots of freshwater creatures — frogs, dragonflies etc. — like the blue dasher below. But wear old shoes.

In addition to the marsh there’s significant dry oak scrub habitat. This time of year the oak scrub is dropping lots of acorns to feed the animals. Deer, hogs and a lot of other critters will be munching on acorns this time of year.

The sandy areas have a good population of gopher tortoises. They seem to be doing very well on this tract. At one point I could see 6 gopher tortoises at once.

Another drawback of this trail is the lack of shade. If you’re not comfortable walking 3.3 miles in the Florida sun then this should be a winter hike. Shade is minimal.

Lastly seen on the trail — the butterflies. There were lots of butterflies around, and a rich variety. A lot of that is because Fall it the time for butterflies but a lot of it is just the variety of plants available to them. I liked this Zebra Longwings that I ran across just before leaving.

This trail is an example of why I love living in Central Florida. We have the theme parks but taking out of town guests to free attractions like this trail almost always provides more good memories than a day at Disney World. And you don’t have to wear a mask.

In this blog I’ll be talking about nature, nature photography, natural places (especially in Central Florida) and whatever else catches my eye. If you like this please hit the share button or leave a comment. Or you can subscribe and be notified via email when I post. Thanks for coming by.