Lake Ashby Boardwalk
The boardwalk at Lake Ashby crosses a portion of Lake Ashby in Volusia County, Florida, before entering the rainforest.
Understand[edit]
Local authorities have designated a number of parks in the area, but most have limited facilities, as most of the money for local parks funds the extensive beaches of Volusia's Atlantic Coast, with maintenance and staffing (lifeguard) consideration for the many miles of beach. Consequently, Lake Ashby as a fishing and recreation point of interest, is one of the few well-funded inland parks with good facilities.
As a part of the Lake Ashby rural area, the boardwalk is within the settlement of Alamana, a rural area with low-density housing, several ranches, forests, and meadows. This rural area is about ten minutes' drive south of Samsula, another rural area west of New Smyrna Beach, and a few minutes' drive northeast of Deltona, though the lake itself is a little to the east of the focal point of the strand of development on FL-415.
The regional climate is hot and humid in summer, and variable in winter. Due to insects and the unpleasant temperatures, the park is best visited during the cooler months, outside of May-October, though May and October may be tolerable during cooler periods. Typically rainfall is reduced during winter months, although precipitation is at least moderately high throughout the year.
The boardwalk, due to the layout of local development, is on the northern side of the lake; the lake continues south into Lake Ashby Canal, an intermittent channel.
Prepare[edit]
There's not much needed to do this walk, but do bring a bottle of water with you. It's worth bringing your fishing gear and even going via boat around the lake if you can; there's a boat launch farther west along the lake's northern shore.
There are some basic facilities at the parking site, including bathrooms and a playground. Although the road into the park is unpaved, it is well-maintained so a four-wheel drive is not necessary.
Get in[edit]
It is necessary to reach this park by car, as there are no public transit options to the park.
The local primary road is FL-415. The road (including its Tomoka Farms extension) goes from the Lake Mary/Sanford area in the south through Deltona. It passes Lake Ashby on the western side before crossing FL-44 west of New Smyrna Beach, passing through Samsula and Tomoka Farms, and intersecting US-92 on the western edge of Daytona Beach (the better part of an hour's drive in all). The portion of the road between Deltona and NSB is only a fraction of the total route, and takes roughly 20 minutes by car, and narrows to two lanes upon exiting Deltona and stays this way through to NSB. Regardless of direction, use this road to get to the Lake Ashby rural area.
There are two entrances to the Lake Ashby Rd which you can take to access the Lake Ashby Park. The northern intersection of FL-415 and Lake Ashby Rd is marked by a green sign which reads "Alamana" and points to the left. Turn left from southbound FL-415 to this road. It abruptly turns right and continues straight along an unmarked road, and it's a courtesy to pull over if a car comes the other way. After about a quarter of a mile, the road reaches a junction, where it either curves right (with a 15 mph speed limit), continues straight to the boat launch. Just before this curve, adjacent to the 15 mph sign (and a brown "Lake Ashby" sign), is a turn to the left. Make this turn.
If approaching Lake Ashby from Deltona, the turning into Lake Ashby Rd will be a right turn, which continues for a few hundred yards before the main road curves to the left. Following the curve is the 15 mph sign and the same turn, but this time to the right. This junction puts both angles of approach upon the same route for the rest of the journey to Lake Ashby.
The new, westbound "Boy Scout Camp" Rd is not properly paved and should be taken slowly. There is a narrow bridge across a stream on its route, and the more curved part of the road is marked by the diamond curve/20 mph sign. Pass through this area and the road's course passes below the canopy of some beautiful moss-covered oaks. There are some estates on the left. The road straightens and its surface improves as it leaves the houses, until a junction is reached where the road appears to split in two; take a right turn here. The gate should be open as the road becomes unpaved. This dirt road curves to the left after a few hundred yards and itself splits, with rightbound traffic taking the right of the two roads and making it effectively a one-way road. The split limits is 10 mph here. Upon reaching the staging complex, there is a wooden fence on the left side of this road and some oak trees. There is some signposted but unpaved parking at the end of the one-way loop.
The unpaved portion of the trail begins on the far side of the unpaved loop, with some poles marking its existence.
Walk[edit]
The route is addressed here in the counter-clockwise direction, with the longest unpaved segment first and the forest boardwalk last.
Parking to first diversion[edit]
The boardwalk itself does not begin at the parking lot. Instead it forms most of a loop, beginning near the shore of the lake, crossing part of the lake and then turning left into the forest. This follows a counter-clockwise direction, the normal direction of the route. Therefore, the route is not wheelchair accessible despite being a boardwalk much of the way.
The first part of the walk consists of dirt trail toward the lake. You want to follow the trail south until reaching where the trail turns left at the creek-crossing bridge. This is the opportunity for a diversion: you can either turn left and cross the bridge to proceed to the boardwalk, or you can make a right to proceed on the dirt trail, and continue to the lake, where there is a first glimpse of the shoreline and swamp.
Diversion: west of boardwalk[edit]
There's a clearing in this area, on the diversion west of the boardwalk, that gives way to the lake. As the land here is flat after heavy rains it could easily become muddy and impassable. This is particularly true crossing the lowland passing the mangrove swamp toward the entrance to the boardwalk itself.
The clearing opens several yards from the lake when it is at its normal level, and is roughly square in shape. After entering the clearing, on the left is a low, in its middle muddy walkway that leads to the entrance to the boardwalk proper, ending the diversion. On the right of this walkway is a small mangrove swamp, where the trees grow out of the water, which can be seen from this close angle. After a few paces through the muddy walkway, the boardwalk becomes clearly visible.
The diversion provides a close view of the varied flora, and particularly the varied tree life on the lakeshore. This is also notable viewing across the lake, as on the left (southwest) side you can see pines, while on the southeastern side are lower trees such as those visible in the first photograph of this section.
The entrance to the boardwalk shows that its opening spell is perpendicular to the lakeshore, at the location of its entrance. As a result, when returning from the diversion you will walk away from the lake for a few yards and then turn a sharp right to enter the boardwalk, as it gradually slopes to its ultimate height a couple feet above the water of the lake.
Across the lake[edit]
Once you are over the lake, the boardwalk turns about 90 degrees to the left and you will immediately have a few across the lake. On a normal weather day there is only a gentle ripple or small wave effect on the lake. The boardwalk makes a couple curves as it crosses the lake, in the middle going out from the shoreline into the lake. There are a couple places where the boardwalk widens by a foot or two to accommodate wooden bench seating, and roughly half the way across the lake is a gazebo frequented by fishermen. In its entirely the part of the boardwalk above the lake's surface is probably one or two hundred yards. While crossing the lake, tall pines can be seen lining the distant shore marking the boardwalk's re-entrance to the forest; to the right (south) you can see or two small, private piers, which are not accessible from the boardwalk trail.
To the nearest, northern shore, you can see up close but still within perspective the beautiful variety of trees, and the moss that hangs from many of them. This, particularly in the fall, can provide a good perspective for photo-taking. Frequently small water-birds can be seen living in these trees. On the other hand, although the lake is only moderate in size, because the boardwalk remains close to the northern shoreline, the view across the lake is always distant, and the trees that can be seen faintly across the lake vary little in elevation due to the flatness of the local terrain.
At the end of the lake-crossing portion of the boardwalk, it makes a slight turn to the left in order to enter the forest. There is an excellent view of the mangrove forest to the right as you enter, although in the latter part of the rainy season the roots may be partially submerged and it may be a while before the lake ends and the land begins.
Through the rainforest[edit]
At this point the boardwalk transitions into a more curved route as it goes between the trunks of a number of thick trees, particularly on the latter part of the forested route. There are several informative plaques with green, rectangular backgrounds that list the name of a plant species in English and Latin, followed by a description of the plant's location and classification. However, not all the plaque-holders contain plaques, and it is not always easy to identify within the forest to which plant the plaque is referring, a testament to the biological diversity of the region.
There are more benches along this part of the route.
Following the completion of this route, the boardwalk turns to dirt once again. Go to the left at where the trails merge, and continue until you cross the bridge, then going right at the completion of the looped portion of the route. Then follow the rest of the dirt trail to the return to the parking lot.
Stay safe[edit]
Wildlife[edit]
Beware of alligators and snakes, as forms of dangerous wildlife found in Florida.
Severe weather[edit]
- Main article: Thunderstorms
A concern due to the exposed nature of the boardwalk is thunderstorms, which in this part of the state (particularly), can build abruptly and make the place exposed to lightning strikes. Weather forecasts aren't very useful as the thunderstorms could build or approach from another source with almost no warning. If you see clouds building, and particularly dark gray ones, return to your car. Thunderstorms are most common from the middle of the day to the late afternoon, but can take place at any time of day or night. Weather radar can help, but is not always accurate and can't predict future storms.
If the radar shows heavy rain headed in the direction of the lake it's very likely that you'll get a severe thunderstorm, and shortly if the storm is within a few miles. Once the dark gray or black clouds arrive, it's common for a high wind to abruptly form, with thunder and heavy rain arriving within a few minutes. Lightning strikes will come within a few minutes at most, and during the worst storms, lightning can strike every few seconds, making the chance of a direct hit high. Loss of power is common during storms but quickly returns.
Go next[edit]
There are other preserves within a few miles of Lake Ashby, and some larger lakes to the west (and particularly southwest), including Lakes Monroe and Jesup.