Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail, Rail trail in Florida, United States.
The Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail is a multi-use pathway with separate routes for different users that extends about 14.5 miles (23 kilometers) through woodlands, wetlands, and pine flatwoods. Multiple access points with parking allow visitors to start at different locations and choose their preferred section of the route.
The corridor belonged to the Jacksonville and Southwestern Railroad before becoming part of the Atlantic Coast Line. In December 1992 the City of Jacksonville bought the unused east-west route from CSX Transportation with the Florida Greenways and Trails Program and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The trail runs from Imeson Road to Brandy Branch Road near Baldwin, about 14.5 miles (23.3 km).
Near its midpoint the trail passes Camp Milton Historic Preserve, named after Civil War governor John Milton, where 8,000 Confederate troops held earth-and-timber fortifications built in February and March 1864. The site was rediscovered in 1973, bought by the state in 1981, and opened in September 2006 with an education center, replicas and a Florida cracker farmstead.
The trail is open from sunrise until sunset, 365 days a year. The main asphalt path is 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and suited to bicycles and wheelchairs, with a separate off-road bike trail and a horseback riding trail running parallel. Access points include Imeson Road in Jacksonville and Brandy Branch Road near Baldwin.
At the trail's midpoint stands Camp Milton Historic Preserve, where three miles of earth-and-timber fortifications were built in February and March 1864 to defend Jacksonville against Union forces. The site was rediscovered in 1973, bought by the State of Florida in 1981, and opened as a preserve with an educational center and a Florida cracker farmstead in September 2006.
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