Established in 2004, the Palatka to St. Augustine State Trail project aimed to create a 19-mile pathway linking Florida’s bustling urban hubs with vast natural reserves and rural communities. Over the subsequent decade and a half, the trail took shape bit by bit until the final stretch was unveiled in 2018.

An initiative spearheaded by The Rails to Trails Conservancy to repurpose former railway corridors, this scenic route was crafted upon the footprint of a disused rail line.

Originally called the East Coast Railway, this track was laid down in the late 1800s as part of Henry Flagler’s push to enhance connectivity and logistics for his luxurious establishments in St. Augustine. The nearby agricultural towns of Hastings and Armstrong supplied fresh produce for Flagler’s burgeoning hospitality enterprises, with the railway serving as the vital link for transporting these goods.

When the railway was decommissioned, the Florida Department of Transportation seized the opportunity to acquire the land, envisioning its transformation into the revered recreational haven it is today.