Little Awesome Preserve
Accessibility Information
Parking Lot Description
The trailhead parking lot is a combination of dirt, leaves, and mowed grass. The trailhead contains an informational kiosk with printed maps. There are no restrooms, water, trash cans, or seating.
Camp Spring Trail (Blue)
Trail Length: 0.3 miles
Steepest slope: 1%
Total elevation gain: 11 feet
The Camp Spring Trail (Blue) is a wide trail that is made up of mowed grass, dirt, and leaves. The average width of the trail is 10 feet. Several areas have protruding roots, some coming up as high as 3 inches. The trail starts in an oak canopy with a few scattered longleaf pines. After a few hundred feet, the trail transitions into an upland hardwood forest with hickories, magnolias, bays, and other hardwood trees.
The trail gently slopes downhill, leading to Camp Spring and the Santa Fe River. Two hundred feet before reaching the river, there is an option to turn right onto Beaver Trail (Green) or continue to the river. At the river, there is a picnic table (non-accessible) and a bench. The spring is located just east of the bench. There is also another option at the picnic table to begin the Beaver Trail as this trail is a loop.
Beaver Trail (Green)
Bench on Beaver Trail overlooking Santa Fe River
Trail Length: 1.2 miles
Steepest slope: 1%
Total elevation gain: 6 feet
The Beaver Trail (Green) is a loop trail that can be accessed from two areas along the Camp Spring Trail. This trail surface is primarily dirt, with some areas being mowed grass. When starting this trail from the picnic area, many roots and limestone rocks are near the surface, making the trail surface very bumpy. The trail winds through a canopy of hardwood trees near the river. It passes numerous karst features, giving views of limestone “windows” and cracks.
About a quarter mile into the trail, visitors come to a spot locals named Myrtle’s Fissure. This deep fissure in the ground showcases a 50-foot-long crack in the earth where spring water flows out of. The water overflows the fissure and gently rolls over limestone 100 feet to the river.
From this point, visitors can take Myrtle’s Fissure Cut trail (Orange) to shorten the loop and begin heading back towards the parking lot or continue on Beaver Trail for a longer loop. The short loop is about 1 mile long while the longer loop is 1.5 miles from the parking lot.
Continuing on Beaver Trail, the trail hugs the river for a ways, eventually coming to another bench on the bank of the river. From here the trail cuts back into the forest, passing by several gigantic old-growth live oak trees. The trail eventually climbs up a gentle hill where it loops back along a higher elevation to the Camp Spring Trail and trailhead.
Myrtle’s Fissure Cut Trail (Orange)
Trail Length: 0.02 miles
Steepest slope: 1%
Total elevation gain: 3 feet
This short trail cuts off a section of the Beaver Trail loop, allowing visitors to shorten their trip. The trail is mostly mowed grass and leaf litter.
