Encompassing 7,941 acres, this wilderness area between Alexander Springs and Lake Dexter - one of the many lakes in the St. Johns River chain of lakes - is a trackless place, with a paddle down the spring run your primary option to explore the mosaic of hardwood swamp, hardwood forest and scrub habitats.

Boating

• A canoe rental and launch at Alexander Springs provides access to the sinuous creek. The waterway widens dramatically after making the first major curve but is split up by stands of tall grass and many small islands. There is no official haul-back, so most paddlers go out and back along the mazy run.

Backpacking

• Walk along the edge of the Alexander Springs Wilderness both on the segment of the Florida Trail between Clearwater Lake and Alexander Springs and on the long loop of the St. Francis Trail. Pilings remain for the ghost town of St. Francis along the St. Francis Dead River. As you walk along the Florida Trail due west from this point, the Alexander Springs Wilderness is on your right, where a portion of the once-bustling port city used to be.

Nature Viewing

• Expect to see ancient shell middens beneath dense shoreline vegetation, and small islands topped with cypress and palm trees, as well as otters, wading birds, deer and alligators.