Murphy Creek Conservation Area Trail
- 2.8 mi
- round trip
- 198 ft
- climb
- 67 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Oct–Apr
- best months
Murphy Creek Conservation Area Trail is an easy out-and-back hike in Florida's Murphy Creek Conservation Area, managed by Regional Water Districts. The trail runs about 5.7 miles long with a total elevation gain of 36 feet, so the climb is gentle, and the route is short enough to fit into a day of exploring the surrounding area. The trail is open to both bikes and horses, which makes it a versatile choice for riders or equestrians. The route has a low point near 5 feet and a high of 67 feet, and the steepest section comes at about 0.96 miles in, with a grade of roughly 6 percent. Because the trail is short and the elevation gain is minimal, it works well as a quick outing. For comfortable weather, aim for spring or fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Crescent City show highs around 75°F in March and November, while July and August average highs near 91°F with more frequent wet days. Ravine Gardens State Park Trail lies about 4.2 miles away, and the Florida National Scenic Trail - Northern Region is roughly 6.6 miles off.
Ravine Gardens State Park TrailHikingPhoto: Rob Bixby, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)4.2 mi- Florida National Scenic Trail - Northern RegionHiking6.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Ravine Gardens State Park TrailHiking · ~7 min drivePhoto: Rob Bixby, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Juniper Springs Nature TrailHiking · ~46 min drivePhoto: Guillaume Capron, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- Lake Eaton Sinkhole TrHiking · ~42 min drive
Lake, Alachua, Marion (Lam) TrHiking · ~49 min drivePhoto: Miosotis Jade, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Washington Oaks Gardens State Park TrailHiking · ~46 min drivePhoto: CaptMikey9, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Lake Eaton Loop TrailHiking · ~43 min drive
- Lake George Conservation Area TrailHiking · ~33 min drive
Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park TrailHiking · ~55 min drivePhoto: zappowbang, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- Moses Creek Conservation Area TrailHiking · ~45 min drive
- Gainesville-Hawthorne State TrailHiking · ~60 min drive
Best time to visit Murphy Creek Conservation Area Trail
Best months: October–April. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
68° / 47°
7 wet
Feb
71° / 50°
6 wet
Mar
75° / 54°
6 wet
Apr
81° / 60°
6 wet
May
86° / 67°
8 wet
Jun
89° / 72°
13 wet
Jul
91° / 74°
14 wet
Aug
91° / 74°
14 wet
Sep
88° / 73°
11 wet
Oct
82° / 66°
8 wet
Nov
75° / 57°
6 wet
Dec
69° / 51°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Crescent City, FL, 12.9 mi away at 53 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.