Adventure Series: Cary State Forest

If you do not have a motorcycle capable of operating off road and in deep water, DO NOT attempt this!

Cary State Forest was one of the first places that I visited after I bought my GS. A quick Google search for areas in Jacksonville that can facilitate off road riding pointed me in it's direction. I was very wet behind the ears when it came to riding a motorcycle on anything besides asphalt, so this seemed like a pretty good place to start based on the reviews I read. Now, two years later, Cary still serves as a place I like to go to get away, practice adventure riding skills, or just listen to the wind blowing through the trees. 

This trek starts on the east entrance to the forest and ends on the west side in Bryceville, but it can be ridden in either direction. If you do happen to try this on a larger adventure bike, be aware that some of the sections are really quite difficult. GSs, Africa Twins, and some of the larger KTMs might struggle due to their weight, but if you are familiar with your adventure riding techniques, one would be able to do everything. Walking next to your bike while throttling it through water and loose, muddy sand immediately comes to mind. We'll call it the "unmounted power-walk." One should also keep in mind that I chose to take this route a few days after it rained for about 16 hours straight. Let it be known that I have learned my lesson.

The unmounted power-walk might be needed for bigger bikes through some areas
Photo credit

In order to start on the east side of the forest, you need to find the very unassuming entrance at a bend off of Garden St. It wasn't until a Trans-Florida rally last year that I realized this even existed, so I figured I'd make use of it again for this track. Should be easy enough for you to find after looking at the .GPX and dropping a pin on whatever navigation app you are using.

It's not a small sign, but if you aren't paying attention you might miss it!

Adventure awaits!

After you find the sign and take your pre-adventure photos, follow the line on your GPS for the first few roads. It seems that the forestry folks are tidying up the road a bit in these parts, which is nice. This should give you some time to get "warmed up" for what's to follow. Following the line through the first two right hand turns will take you to an area that didn't even really feel like Florida to me. There are no trees as it looks like the area is being harvested for who knows what. I would imagine that the sand here would be pretty fine if it was dry. Use caution and good technique here.

The flatness of Florida, accentuated

Keep going until you get to the yellow dot waypoint and where the track turns yellow. I did this for a reason! The small little path here looked easy enough, but it seems as though a creek had flooded its banks and left the area EXTREMELY swampy. If you're on a big bike, you see water, and choose to continue, prepare for that unmounted power-walk. I had to do it myself for about half of this little section. Smaller bikes would have a much easier time I would think, but I could be wrong. Do not fret if you have to turn around and backtrack. There are plenty of other trails to follow to get to the west side.

After you get through the bog (if it's wet) you'll have to pass through a hole in a fence to the right. I did not see any signs that mentioned trespassing or anything so I just went with it. The next few roads/trails seemed much more heavily used and therefore easier to traverse. There were a few hunting blinds and deer feeders here and there, so this was obviously a popular hunting ground. I would hardly call that hunting, though that's just my opinion. As you begin to work your way back west, the road quality diminishes greatly. These are probably primarily used for logging and were basically small flowing rivers at the time. The tannins in the water gave the illusion that it was much deeper than it actually was, which was only a few inches. A little off-putting when you're in an unfamiliar area. Once you get to the power line road things will get a little easier, at least for a little while.

You will encounter many muddy areas like this if you choose to take these trails after it rains. Welcome to Florida!

Power Line road will offer some water holes to pass through as you head south on it. Stay on the main track and don't wander too far off to the side trying to miss the water. The shoulders are VERY soft and you're more likely to get stuck in that than what you see on actual road. Ask me how I know... Resist the urge to drop the hammer down this road too, as there may be a sneaky pothole or slick mud patch that could ruin your day in an instant. Go around the gate you'll eventually come upon and keep following the line to the next caution area.

If I remember correctly, North boundary road, as it's called, had some pretty hellacious water situations going on. First, you'll run into this...

It may not look like much, but this almost came up to my knees.

I stopped to assess the situation and check the depth of the water since the forestry vehicles can be pretty tall. The last thing I needed was for this little pit to drop off into nothingness and I end up sinking my main mode of transportation. Luckily, the entire crossing is gravel and probably didn't exceed a foot and a half. Easy Peezy. Be very careful when going through the water holes as you continue west, though. The right side line I was favoring down the road was working out quite well and I got a little ahead of myself. The track I was on took a nosedive and spooked me quite a bit. It was a "keep the throttle open so water doesn't get into the exhaust" situation. It's never a good sign when you look over your right shoulder and you see a mini-rooster tail of water being ejected from where your exhaust should be. As luck would have it, whatever was on the bottom of that pit was grabby enough for my tires to catch and get me out of what could have otherwise been a disastrous situation. Point to be made: choose your line carefully. I think the left side would have been a little better, but don't quote me on that. I'd like to go and see what this stretch looks like if it ever dries up.

After this little caution area, the rest of the ride is a cake-walk. There are some minor water crossings here and there, but if you stay on the main track you shouldn't get stuck in the mud. Keep following the line until you get to the main facilities. Depending on what time you choose to undertake this ride, you could park the bikes and eat lunch at the nature pavilion if you've brought it with you. There are also campsites available complete with picnic tables and fire pits for those that are looking to stay a little longer. Restrooms are available and maybe showers, too.

Need some information on camping at Cary? This little area has all the info you need. There is also a campground host to answer your questions as well.

I'm not sure what else is in this building, but the little male and female plaques at least tell me there are restrooms.

If you keep following the line out of the forest you'll end up on 301. Head south and it takes you to I-10 where you should be able to find your way home from there. I wish there were more restaurants in the area, but it seems there are only a few gas stations peppered around. One of them does look like it has a small cafe attached to it, but it never appears to be open.

Another unassuming sign on the west side of the forest.

 All in all, it took me two hours to complete this ride of 17 miles. That includes most of the times I got stuck in the mud and forgot to pause the recording as I tried to reverse my stuck-ness. If it was dry, things probably would have progressed much faster. Please remember that larger bikes may have a harder time in some areas, especially the areas highlighted in yellow. As with anything, try to assess whether or not this ride fits your skill set. If you're just beginning adventure riding, I would say this one isn't for you just because of the amount and unpredictability of the water crossings. If it's been dry for a while, maybe give it a go. There will be a more beginner to intermediate ride of Cary that I'll do in the future. Until then, feel free to explore the area and make your own tracks!

Happy riding!

Follow this link to get to dualsportmaps.com and download the .GPX file for this ride.

For more information on Cary State Forest itself, click here.