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Four Creeks Wildlife Management Area

Four Creeks

Managed in cooperation with the Florida Forest Service.

The Four Creeks Wildlife Management Area occupies over 13,000 acres within Four Creeks State Forest, located just north of Jacksonville in southern Nassau County. Within the region, the forest provides valuable flood and water quality protection and provides healthy, diverse habitats for wildlife and nature-based recreational opportunities. The area is named for the four creeks associated with the property: Alligator, Thomas, Boggy and Plummer creeks, which join together to form the headwaters of the Nassau River. The Nassau River borders the southeastern portion of the property and flows into Nassau Sound and then into the Atlantic Ocean. Thomas Creek and its associated floodplain form the southern border of the WMA.

Much of the upland portions consist of pine flatwoods. Wetland areas include swamps, cypress domes and tidal marsh. The floodplain swamps border the creeks and are dominated by cypress, tupelo and titi. The Florida Forest Service manages the area using a combination of timber harvesting, groundcover restoration, reforestation and controlled burns.

Hunting

For hunting seasons and area regulations, view FWC's regulations summary brochure for Four Creeks WMA.

Fishing

Fishing is permitted year-round. A Florida fishing license is required and can be purchased at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.

Recreation

Recreational opportunities on the area include hunting, wildlife viewing, hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, fishing and paddling. Currently, there are no designated trail systems, but twenty-four miles of unpaved roads are open for exploration. In rainy weather, some roads may become impassable for two-wheel drive vehicles.

Several natural boat landings on the creeks make it easy to launch canoes and kayaks. A public boat ramp is located on the Nassau River, at the end of Edwards Road, off of A1A.

For more information, see the Florida Forest Service's webpage for Four Creeks State Forest.

Wildlife

Wildlife is abundant on the area and includes deerturkeys, gopher tortoises, wading birds and numerous kinds of resident and migratory songbirds. Turtles and otters may be seen along the creek. 

Add your bird observations to the Four Creeks WMA eBird Hotspot.

More Information

For an area map, hunting seasons, permits, fees, rules regarding dogs and area regulations, view FWC's regulations summary brochure for Four Creeks WMA.

See the Florida Forest Service's webpage for Four Creeks State Forest.