Tillie Fowler Regional Park

Tillie Fowler Park Itinerary

This regional park offers several miles of hiking and biking trails easily accessible and marked. There is plenty of free parking, playgrounds, restroom facilities, an amphitheater, and a beautifully manicured picnic area with grills and walking trails. This park even has its own dog park for furry friends of all sizes.

For an easy hike through old Florida, the 1.2 mile Tower Trail reaches an observation tower in the middle that makes it more than worthwhile.

There is a nature center at the trailhead, complete with a butterfly garden that houses milkweed and pentas flowers. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a flash of yellow and black float by— the markings of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

The trail itself is shaded by tall pine trees that make the hike more than bearable even on a ninety-four degree day. It starts off as concrete, then alternates between boardwalk to cross the wetlands and a soft, sandy trail littered with pine needles. It’s easy to follow the blue blazes through.

The landscape changes with every round of a corner, making the hike even more interesting. In some parts, everything is green, from the brush that blankets the dirt to the trees that have made their way under the pines noble stature. In others, the pine needles have taken over, making the ground one note of mahogany brown. They circle puddles of thick black water where toads have made their home. And then, you’re on the boardwalk again, with a three-story observation tower in sight.

The top of the observation tower is shaded by a majestic pine tree, making it the perfect place for a mid-hike picnic. It looks out over wetlands, and in the distance you can see the Ortega River. Cricket chirps fill your ears. A breeze blows from the west, cool from touching the river, and you close your eyes and sit down in peace.

The park offers free admission and is open from dawn till dusk.

PARK ITINERARY: Day at Tillie Fowler

Spend the day at this spacious & convenient park in Jacksonville at no cost!

MORNING

When planning to make a trip to Tillie Fowler first decide whether you’d like to bring the furry friends along. Tillie Fowler is a dog friendly park with plenty of activities you can enjoy with your furry friend, but there is still tons to enjoy if you decide not to bring your dog along. Also if you have a bike, you can load that in your car as there are off-road bike trails near the front of the park.

If you brought your bike, start the day off by exploring the off-road bike trails near the front of the park. When you arrive, you will drive through the park gates and as you are driving down the road on the left side are the off-road bike trails. There is no parking by these trails, so you need to drive down a little further and park by the playground.

If you brought your dog along for the park adventure, start your day by parking at the playground and walking over to the dog park area. Tillie Fowler has two dog parks. One for small dogs and the other for large dogs. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the dog park rules. A general note is the dogs must be on leashes when on the trails.

No dog or bike? Start the day by exploring one of the trails. Tower trails is the shorter of the two trails. Tower Trail is 1.2 miles round trip and leads to an observation tower that overlooks the Ortega river. The second trail is the Island Trail which is 2.25 miles round trip with a bridge to cross over some wet lands. Both trail heads can be accessed near the back of the park. Both trails allow for dogs and bikes.

AFTERNOON

After you have spent some time exploring the park trails, it’s time to take a break at one of the many picnic tables at the playground for a quick snack and refreshment that you brought. Restrooms are located near the playground. There is a pavilion with picnic tables which can be reserved in advanced. All other picnic tables are on a first come basis.

When you are ready to get back to exploring, walk from the playground to the nature center located at the back of the park. As you are walking along the sidewalk, you’ll notice a historic sign. On the left is an old brick road. This brick road is 16 ft wide and ran through Jacksonville. The road was used during World War 1 for the workers from Jacksonville going to Camp Joseph Johnston. The road was heavily used during rush hour which resulted in constantly repair holes. The road is one way and would switch directions during morning and afternoon rush hour since it was so narrow.

Continue to walk down a little further, you will come up to the nature center. The nature center hours vary.

For more information on this park go HERE.

Address: 7000 Roosevelt Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32244

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