Pumpkin Hill Creek

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Pumpkin Hill is one of the most pristine areas of the Timucuan Preserve that has recently become accessible to paddlers with the opening of Tiger Point Park. There is a lot planned for the park but, for now, it is pretty much an undeveloped area with a canoe/kayak launch located at the end of Pumpkin Hill Road. For the first few years of the park's opening you had to carry or use a cart to bring your boat the 500 plus feet from the road to the water but they have now opened it up so that the parking area is a mere 100 feet from the water. This area has, since it opened four years ago, become my favorite location in the preserve. The scenery, especially at Tiger Point, is unparalleled and the variety of birdlife and other wildlife is unmatched. If it exists in the Timucuan Preserve - you will find it on Pumpkin Hill Creek. It is also one of the few places that I go to do something other than take pictures while kayaking. Starting in July, it is one of the earliest places that you can find eating size shrimp running and I have spent many an hour casting from the shoreline. I have been pretty successful at bringing dinner home and that's not bad for a non-fisherman. Northern Run Put In : End of Pumpkin Hill Road Length : 4 hours or more  Difficulty : Moderate  Nature Stuff : Ospreys, Great Blue Herons, Egrets, Green Herons, Roseate Spoonbills, Tri-Colored Herons, Yellow Crowned and Black Crowned Night Herons, Snowy Egrets, Bald Eagles, Clapper Rails, Wood Storks, Oyster Catchers, Wild Pigs, Dolphins and Otters. PWC Factor : Low The put-in at Pumpkin Hill Creek. The cart is no longer neccessary. There are a couple of places to put-in along Pumpkin Hill Road before you get to the park but they are a long walk from the road and not that pleasant a put-in. The road dead-ends at the park and they have now opened up the parking area close to the water so you only have to carry or drag about 100 feet to the water. As you can see above, before that, a cart was essential equipment. Once in the water, the best way to go is north and I usually try to time it at about mid-tide outgoing. At dead low tide there the put-in is still easy and there is plenty of water all of the way out to the Nassau River. Low tide is the best time to observe the bird life in Pumpkin Hill, especially in the summer time when the Roseate Spoonbills actively feed. It is also the best time to throw a cast net and catch shrimp. The creek heads directly to the east away from the put-in and then cuts back toward the NW and runs along the hiking trails in the park. It rounds a sharp bend and makes a long away from the last trail head and runs up very close to an undeveloped (for now) part of Black Hammock Island. From there it makes and equally long run back toward the park and then heads north. As you round this final bend you will see another creek joining Pumpkin Hill - Edwards Creek - and the confluence of the two stream is called Tiger Point. There is a nice landing at the point and as you travel up Edwards Creek there is a sandy beach and several places to get out. Tiger Point is a great place to get out and has one of the best views in Jacksonville. There is a road that runs along the point that gives you several beautiful vistas across the Edwards Flats to the Broward Islands which are on the southern shore of the Nassau River. You can walk south along the road which will eventually join with the main road in the park and take you back to the entrance. You will also likely run into the "Park Manager" who lives in an old trailer about a mile from the point. There is also an Osprey nest next to the road just before you get to the trailer. The trees at Tiger Point are often filled with Roseate Spoonbills during the summertime - especially at high tide when they are not out feeding. They will often be joined by Ibis and other birds and it's not uncommon to an Osprey or two and even a Bald Eagle. I have often seen Otters at the point and believe that they may have their den nearby. There is a small stream just west of the point that leads to a flooded field at high tide which is often filled with birds. The confluence point with Edwards and Pumpkin Hill is a favorite spot for Dolphins to feed and it is rare that I don't see at least one pass by. From the point you can either continue north on Pumpkin Hill and visit a large shallow bay that lies east of the Edwards Flats just before the creek takes a turn back toward Black Hammock Island. This bay is filled with oyster beds and is a favorite feeding spot for everyone. The creek runs along Black Hammock in a very congested developed shoreline for about a mile and then makes a lazy "S" before it empties into the Nassau River. As it begins this "S" it cuts back into the flats and there is a stream that cuts into the flats and runs along the southern edge of the Broward Islands before emptying back out into Edwards Creek. That run can be found in detail here. There are many feeder streams and a few islands along the way up from the put-in to the point that can be explored at high tide. Some can be followed up along the edge of Black Hammock Island in an area that, at least for now, is undeveloped and quite beautiful.  Southern Run Put In : End of Pumpkin Hill Road Length : 2 hours or more  Difficulty : Moderate  Nature Stuff : Ospreys, Great Blue Herons, Egrets, Green Herons, Roseate Spoonbills, Tri-Colored Herons, Yellow Crowned and Black Crowned Night Herons, Snowy Egrets, Bald Eagles, Clapper Rails Dolphins and Otters. PWC Factor : Low On this run, as you might have figured out by now, you will head south from your put-in and follow Pumpkin Hill as it becomes narrower and narrower - petering out to nothing as it approaches Cedar Point Road. There are a few small streams and some islands but for the most part there isn't a whole lot of interest up in this part of the creek. It's still quite beautiful, however and far away from the development on Black Hammock.   DISCLAIMER :  This web site is my own personal web site and does not express the opinions or views of any other person or organization. Use the information contained herein at your own risk. I do not attempt to represent myself as an expert in the matters of paddling or the outdoors. Note : There are many references to areas where I have noted as pleasant and inviting places to either picnic, camp or otherwise enjoy. Be aware that you do so at your own risk and any violation of trespass laws you do so at your own discretion. Please be respectful of both the environment and other people's property. Note : I find it really sad that I have to even include a statement like this!