Matanzas State Forest, Protected forest area in St. Johns County, Florida.
Matanzas State Forest is a protected woodland area in St. Johns County near St. Augustine, featuring pine stands, cypress and bay swamps, and hardwood areas. The forest borders the Matanzas River on one side, where estuarine marshes meet the upland forest types.
The state acquired this land in 2003, converting former timber plantations into a managed conservation area. This shift marked the transition from commercial timber operations to environmental protection in the region.
The name comes from the Matanzas River, a waterway that defines much of the local landscape and connects the forest to the broader estuarine system. Walking through the forest, visitors encounter the varied plant communities and waterways that have long shaped life in this region.
You can explore the forest on foot, by bicycle, or on horseback using unpaved roads and trails throughout the area. Camping requires a permit from the Florida Forest Service, so plan accordingly if you want to stay overnight.
A nesting colony of wood storks lives here alongside gopher tortoises, otters, and bald eagles that depend on these habitats. Painted buntings also make their home in the forest, adding to the diversity of wildlife found nowhere else nearby.
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