Princess Place Preserve State Park

I am SO impressed with the Flagler County parks system and Princess Preserve Park does not disappoint. In fact, it totally blew me away!
I love checking out historical spots and hiking trails so Dad C. recommended this spot for us to check out and take a nice Sunday Fun Day hike. Princess Preserve is special the moment you enter the almost secret driveway. The main road winds down thru acre after acre of pristine northeastern Florida woodlands. This expansive preserve was once home to an actual factual Princess. Ok, so the Prince she married was technically exiled and there’s no castle, but there is an impressive log-​cabin-​like estate that has gorgeous views over Pellicer Creek, that this princess right here would be quite happy to live out her days in. We didn’t take a tour of the home, but when we return, I’d like to add that to the list. Instead, we hit the trails, which are clearly marked, well maintained and there’s even an ADA paved trail, which I think is super awesome. The Spanish Moss flows in the breeze from the Live oaks and makes a truly special hike thru the uplands. On the Purple Trail there’s a nice platform with a bench built-​out over the marshy-​ness. I could easily sit out there and breathe in the fresh air and watch water birds fly and swim by.
After our hike, we drove thru the park and found a group of avid Birders with spotting scopes, who allowed us to observe a mama Eagle on her nest. This mated pair of Bald Eagles apparently like this certain area and can be easily viewed during their nesting season. We were there in mid-​January and it was quite a treat to check her out on the nest. We continued on to drive around the equestrian camp sites — which are amazing! They have stalls right next to your camp site. Super cool. There’s quite a few regular camp sites and even some right on the water. This would be an awesome spot to camp during the cooler months!
Overall — this park is incredible. I highly recommend checking it out and I can’t wait to return.

Fantastic! Water, Trees and Horses!
It’s magical, a real Gem:) We take our puppy for walks and always fine something New. Also did some family photos there. Great backdrop!

Really beautiful park, don’t get me wrong. I’ve hiked there a couple of times and enjoyed myself and have been meaning to go back for a proper camping/​kayaking trip, but when I finally tried to make reservations today, I learned that you have to reserve in person. This is so inconvenient and simply asinine considering that many, if not most, campers are going to be camping out of their home town and county. So if I’m planning a camping trip one weekend, I need to drive the 2 ½ hours up there just to reserve and then drive back again to actually camp? And what if I make that trip and someone beat me to it while I was driving? The woman on the phone explained that a lot of campers would reserve and not show up, so they had empty campsites they could have filled. But the easier way to remedy this is to take down a credit card number and charge a flat fee for a no-​show or a cancellation that wasn’t done X number of days beforehand. The way the reservation system is now, I can’t see how I’ll ever feasibly be able to camp up there, which is such a shame because I’d really love to.

Just breezing through but what not to like.

Wow! This place is beautiful! I have a feeling a lot of people don’t even know about it. I was supposed to be at a family reunion at the Agriculture Museum nearby, but missed the turn. I ended up in the preserve by mistake. I’m glad I did! I wish the reunion was here instead!
Driving down the dirt road, we passed a number of people on horses. Once we got all the way back to the parking, we saw the water. Just gorgeous. There were also several historic buildings. We stopped for a restroom break and could only look around for a minute before we needed to get back on the right track.
It’s not far off of I-​95. Stop by if you’re in the area. Well worth it and it’s free! I wish I could have spent more time and could have found out what all they offer. Would be a great place for a picnic.