General Coffee State Park

About General Coffee State Park

Overnight stay at the campground in General Coffee State Park, south of the Mile River Trail. The River Mile winds its way through a dense forest with endangered plants and animals such as wildflowers, grasses and shrubs. Endangered indigo snakes and gopher turtles nest in homes and wire and grass communities.

The hike is also a good one for bird lovers, as many species of waterfowl and songbird can be observed in the pond all year round. After the walk, there is an interpretation station where you can read about the habitats, plants and animals that can be found in the General Coffee State Park. The best place to start and finish the hike is the parking lot at the Heritage Farm. This park was donated to the state in 1970 by a group of Coffee County citizens and is named after the city of General Coffee, the original owner of the park.

Start the East River Trail from the parking lot of Heritage Farm and start at the cabin on the east side of the park, about half a mile from General Coffee.

The West River Trail is the oldest hiking trail in the park and starts at picnic area # 4, but watch out as you walk along the waterfront. This path leads from the picnic spots to the western bank of the Seventeen Mile River from campsite 2.

The path may be narrow in places due to the exposed tree roots, but the path bed is relatively compact and easy to walk. The trail leads through several drainage areas, where damp, weather-related streams and rivers flow into the river. On this route you will experience two different habitats: along the creek bed and in the wetland of the Seventeen Mile River.

On one side will be the river, and on the other side will be planted a predominantly pine forest with little grassland and a few small trees. The trail is located in an ecotone zone, where the creek bed and wetland overlap.

The trail is accessible from the West River Trail, which runs through Gopher Loop Campsite # 2, and there is a small parking lot from here. The hotel is located on the west side of the trail, just off the road east of Gophers Loop. GOPHER LOOP TRAILGopher Loop is a 1.4 km loop that takes you through the Sandhill area of the park. Along the way you will have the opportunity to see the protected Gopher tortoise and the endangered indigo snake as well as many other species.