Do you enjoy exercising and staying active while on vacation? Get ready to spend time outdoors during your visit to Clay County where you’ll find plenty of activities to work up a sweat and have fun too.
From hitting the links to going for a ride on one of the area’s many bike trails, here are some ways to stay active and have fun during your time in Clay County –
Swing the Clubs
Choose from one of Clay County’s four, pristine golf courses. In Green Cove Springs, test your skills at the Magnolia Point Golf Club among the pine and magnolia trees. Set within a 1,000 acre community, wildlife is frequently seen on the course, making it a unique playing field for golfers.
Best known for their island practice green, the Eagle Harbor Golf Course in Fleming Island features an 18-hole course surrounding the Eagle Harbor community of homes. Designed by award-winning course architect Clyde B. Johnston, golfers can enjoy rolling Bermuda grass fairways with plenty of water hazards to make the course a bit more challenging.
The Fleming Island Golf Course comes in at 6,700 yards with a par of 71. Surrounded by water and carefully-place sand bunkers, the front nine challenges golfers to play their best game while the back nine features a quiet course among the trees and wildlife.
Unique to Fleming Island Golf Club is the Top of the Tee – home to ten covered hitting bays equipped with Toptracer Technology. Each bay has its own seating area, paired with a nearby bar and televisions making this venue perfect for groups. Golfers can choose from different games including closest to the pin, longest drive competitions, points games and more. The lighted driving range also allows for players to practice even after the sun goes down.
In Clay County’s Oakleaf neighborhood, Eagle Landing Golf Course features a 7,037 yard, par 72 course surrounded with Southern pine and palmetto trees. With six tees, ranging from juniors to championship, this course progresses in difficulty as the game reaches its way to the 18th green.
Go for a Ride
Adjacent to Highway 17, the popular Black Creek Park and Trail, is an 8-mile paved path connecting bikers and walkers to points between Orange Park, Fleming Island and Green Cove Springs. Black Creek Park serves as a starting/ending location with parking, a covered pavilion and restrooms. The park also serves as the starting point for the mountain bike course that runs two miles through the park. Existing trailheads are at Black Creek Park, Thunderbolt Park and Camp Chowenwaw County Park.
In Keystone Heights, cyclists can join in on the Palatka-to-Lake-Butler State Bike Trail. This 47-mile trail connects west of U.S. 17 in Palatka to State Road 238 in Lake Butler, as it runs along the former Norfolk-Southern Railroad right-of-way through Putnam, Clay, Bradford, and Union counties. This cycling path was deemed part of the Florida Greenways and Trails System in 2007 and purchased with Preservation 2000 funds through the Florida Greenways and Trails Acquisition Program.
Count Your Steps
If you’d rather spend time getting your daily steps in for the day, plan a hike at Jennings State Forest, near Oakleaf on the westside of Clay County. The 16-mile Dunns Farm Trail Complex includes 3 hiking trails: The Pioneer Trail with scenic vistas, elevation changes, history and beautiful natural overlooks of Black Creek; The Dunns Farm Trail with waterfalls and elevation changes; and The Cross Cut Trail with rolling terrain, history and interpretive signage. Each of these trails offers a primitive, backcountry hike within camp zones.
Choose your own way to stay fit on vacation and have fun exploring the outdoors of Clay County. For more information, go to www.ExploreClay.com.
