About a year ago, I posted about the Little Big Econ State Forest by describing a one-night backpacking trip I did through Little Big Econ along the Florida Trail from its crossing of Brumley Road to West Camp near the Barr Street parking area, and I suggested that the north bank of the river and the adjacent five-mile Kolokee Loop Trail are “arguably the most scenic section” of Little Big Econ. But my wife and I recently hiked in Little Big Econ along the more eastern Culpepper Trail along the south bank of the Econlockhatchee River, and we found out this trail is every bit as beautiful as the Kolokee Trail—but it’s longer, quieter, and less busy.
As I referenced in my prior post, Little Big Econ State Forest was established in 1994 and covers more than 11,500 acres north and east of Chuluota, about one half-hour east of metro Orlando. Much of it straddles the 17-mile Econlockhatchee River, the second largest tributary to the St. John’s River. With uninhabited banks covered with live oaks, palms, and cypress and sculpted by flooding into bends and mounds (its name means “river of many mounds” in Muskogee), the Econlockhatchee River is designated an Outstanding Florida Waterway. And although the surrounding lands were once used by farmers, ranchers, and turpentine distillers, they are now protected for hikers, hunters, horseback riders, and other outdoor enthusiasts.
The Culpepper Trail is easily accessed from the parking area at the northeastern end of Brumley Road, just two miles east of where the Florida Trail crosses Brumley Road and where I left my car for my one-nighter to West Camp last year. The shaded parking area is large enough to accommodate plenty of cars and horse trailers, as a hike along the Culpepper Trail spends its first 1.4 miles on a connector trail shared with horseback riders through relatively open prairie. Hikers then duck north into a dense canopy of oaks and palms for 0.3 miles, before eventually meeting and turning east on the yellow-blazed Culpepper Trail at the first of a nearly continuous parade of scenic overlooks of the Econlockhatchee River.
Though less used than the Kolokee Trail (we saw only one other hiker and several boats on the Saturday morning when he hiked there), most of the next 2.9 miles follow a well-worn and pleasant path along the southern bank of the river, with occasional detours through thickets of tall old live oaks and palms and eventually short detours through fields of needlerush and sparting grass. After four miles, the Culpepper Trail intersects with an equestrian trail just one half mile before the trail ends at Culpepper Bend, and rather than returning for a 9.4-mile out-and-back, many hikers choose instead to head inland to complete a loop back to the trailhead on the more inland equestrian trail for 7.9 miles.
My wife and I were so smitten by the river that we chose to stop for snacks 3.8 miles into our hike, just short of the junction with the equestrian trail at a sandy beach beside the river, and we then retraced our steps to enjoy more panoramas of the Econlockhatchee. Because of the serpentine bends of the river, virtually every twist offered another pretty view of live oaks and palms arching out from the riverbanks, the sky reflecting off the glassy water’s surface, or old growth trees towering beside the trail. And although we also love the much more accessible Kolokee Loop Trail near Barr Street, this stretch is far quieter and less traveled. I’ve found few other trails so close to the Orlando metro area where you can find so much solitude while hiking beside a river.
The Brumley Road parking area is accessible seven days a week from sunrise to sunset. Most stretches of the Culpepper Trail are easy on the legs, although you will encounter some roots, and the shorter stretches through the sparting grass are soft underfoot and can strain the legs and ankles a little. Because much of the trail lies along a flood plain, portions of the trail can also be submerged during wet seasons, although our boots remained dry two weekends ago. Overall, the Culpepper Trail is a special place for a longer day-hike near Orlando if you’re looking for scenic river views.
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