Welaka State Forest

Special Notice Effective September 13, 2022, the following roads and recreational facilities are closed due to excessive rainfall and unsafe ground conditions:

• Mud Spring • Mud Spring Trail • Fire Tower Recreation Area • Education Trail • Indian Pond Road • John’s Landing Campground • Orange Point Campground

Forest staff will continue to monitor the situation regularly and reopen the roads and facilities once it is safe to do so. Please avoid these areas until the closure is lifted.

Welaka State Forest is located along the east bank of the historic St. Johns River. The Florida Forest Service maintains the integrity of the forest's natural systems while allowing limited outdoor recreation use and environmental education. In 1935, under the Federal Resettlement Administration, the United States government started the Welaka Forestry and Wildlife Conservation Project on a state of Florida fish hatchery site. The Welaka property was later transferred to the University of Florida as the “University of Florida Conservation Reserve, Welaka” for the study of forestry and wildlife. In 1992 the lease was transferred from the University of Florida to the Florida Forest Service to manage as a state forest.