I’ve been a regular at Carney Island, a Marion County Park, since the boat ramps opened several years ago. In fact, Carney Island is the reason we purchase an annual pass to the Marion County Parks each year; but this week marks the first time I’ve visited the park for any other reason than to use the boat ramp to launch a boat. I know that ramp well and complain about the difficulty of seeing the boat as I back down such a steep ramp…a ramp we use more than a dozen times each year.
This week when we entered the park, we bypassed the boat ramp and parked in the area designated for picnic, playground, beach and trail use. John and I hiked one of the three trails at Carney Island, the 3.2 mile Fox Trot Loop on the peninsula. On the farthest point of the loop you can view Lake Weir although lake access is not available from the trail.
We spotted numerous deer tracks along the trail, but early afternoon isn’t prime time for spotting wildlife. We were pleasantly surprised to encounter wild turkey at two points along the trail. We need to schedule an early morning or late afternoon walk in the near future for better wildlife photo opportunities.
