By Peter Clayton
Julington Creek is a surprisingly diverse paddle with a couple of distance options. The launch site is a small but nice county park with rest rooms, picnic tables, plenty of parking and a small floating dock with self-launch attachment – the only drawback is that the entrance is easy to miss as the sign on Old St. Augustine Rd. is quite small and facing the wrong way. I learned that the self launch platform is best used by putting your paddle across it in the slots provided which gives stability when stepping into your kayak.
We were in the water by 9:25, enjoying overcast skies but pleasant temps. It was low tide which didn’t present any problems – the launch is actually onto Big Davis Creek, a tributary of Julington. The first couple of miles are through a low lying wooded area with minimal development all on the right/north side. We heard, but didn’t see, a couple of pileated woodpeckers together with the usual waders – great blue herons, great and snowy egrets and white ibis. On the right side there were occasional canals which led back to homes on higher ground most posted with signs to discourage exploring but worth a look the first time paddling.
Eventually the creek widens and development encroaches closer to the water. We passed several significant docks housing a variety of boats and even a couple of barges – one quite new. Just after 11:00 we pulled out at the Hood Landing boat ramp – 3.5 miles from our launch – this was the first time the road wasn’t submerged – a pleasant change. Clark’s Fish Camp which is adjacent to the ramp has reportedly been sold but there was no evidence of changes.
We were at Julington Creek Fish Camp by 11:45 where we enjoyed the wonderful combination of great food, excellent service, a view of the marina and creek and perfect temps.
An alternative paddle features a rest stop at Hood Landing before continuing to Mandarian Park ramp just past the SR 13 bridge – a 6 mile paddle that requires calm winds. At this point, the creek has been joined by Durbin Creek and is considerably wider and less visually appealing.
