LegendJennings State Forest- Hammock Campground
Pristine, Secluded Camping Outcrop
You’ll only need to drive 30 minutes or so outside of JAX to access this one-of-a-kind back-country state forest featuring 24K acres of some pretty pristine thin longleaf pine forests complete with wiregrass where you’ll discover 9 pretty amazingly carved foot trails as well as 4 equestrian trails to take your noble steed for a ride. The roads in and around Jennings SF are unpaved heavily packed sandy dirt roads, so what that means when there’s lots of rain is a bit of a muddy mess where in some places you’ll need to be careful not to get stuck.
As for Hammock Campground, you’ll drive several miles to reach this camping outpost, but if you’re on the hunt for real P&Q and being nearly completely secluded, then the journey is well worth it. Just following the half dozen or so signs that beckon you here and upon arrival – you can’t miss it as there is one of those iconic FL shaped state park signs greeting you – just follow the lone, 1-way loop around the campground until you find your assigned # campsite. This is a primitive campground, so apart from an in-ground fire-ring w/ fold-over grill, 15 X 15 wooden perimeter tent camping pad (with raised sand silt ground) and standard issued picnic table, there aren’t many other amenities.
The single-use restrooms offer up a vaulted toilet and are - truth be told - God awful (make a note to bring your own TP) and not clean at all. There was a small communal area that featured a wonderful sheltered pavilion and a half dozen picnic tables along with a much larger communal fire pit with a half dozen seemingly brand new wooden benches – perfect for a bonfire or group s’mores for a party of 20 or so. I found the space between campsites along the serpentine-like drive to be perfectly spaced apart giving you decent distance between you and your neighbors with relatively good-to-great brush providing decent privacy.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) From a fauna standpoint, you’ll be sharing this SF with the likes of white-tailed deer, otters, gray fox, eastern cottontail, raccoons, opossums, wild turkeys and the Florida black bear, so be sure to plan accordingly; (2) While we didn’t think to bring our bicycles with us, we regretted it – so be sure to load up yours as there are miles and miles of great bike trekking to be had, but do ensure you bring fatter bike tires that can get you through the heavy sand roads; (3) Should you have a kayak or canoe, you should bring it as there are some 4 different kayak launches to choose from that will have you oaring; (4) Jennings SF is connected to the Great Florida Birding trail and features such fowl as northern bobwhite quail, pine warbler and an assortment of hawks; and (5) Make no mistake about it friends, this is a thick forest and is a host to some of the worst ticks you can catch – so take it from me and bring the tick repellant and be sure to wear trousers.
Happy Camping!
