Princess Place Preserve offers serene camping away from modern conveniences.
By JIM SUTTON, The Times-Union
To me, there has always been a disconnect between the terms "campground" and "camping." I suppose that campground "camping" can represent some sort of move toward getting back to nature for ecologically challenged urbanites. But nature is awfully tough to get close to when your tent is flanked on both sides by 35-foot RVs, and kids do laps around the grounds till midnight on mini-ATVs. Let's not talk about generators.
Point is, I get 10 times the dose of nature and quiet in my backyard than in any campground. Any campground, that is, other than Princess Place Preserve.
There, I've said it.
I swore an oath 10 years ago when I spent my first night under a cedar tree next to Pellicer Flats that I'd never divulge to the reading public the secrets of Princess Place. It was so serene and beautiful. It was so unknown. And it was free. Turning the masses on to the place would be wrong: Paradise Lost.
But time itself has chipped away at its anonymity. It's tough to keep a good thing quiet, and word of mouth now keeps Princess Place a busy one. Heck, they've even paved the road leading to the preserve.
Princess Place has a long and rich past, but perhaps her greatest achievement has been keeping her beauty and charm in the face of visitor pressure and "progress." The Flagler County Parks and Recreation folks should be credited for their efforts on her behalf.
Princess Place Preserve protects approximately 1,500 acres near the St. Johns/Flagler County line. It's located at the confluence of Moody Creek, Pellicer Creek and the Matanzas River. It's wrapped in pristine water, and represents a large chunk of the Pellicer Creek Aquatic Preserve. It is also part of the Guana, Tolomato, Matanzas, National Estuarine Research Reserve.
The lodge at Princess Place was built in 1887 in the Adirondack Camp Style. However, most of the materials used to construct the building were strictly Florida, including pink coquina walls and porch supports made of red cedar and palm trees.
To its credit, park management has put every campsite in the preserve directly on the water. And here's what really sets Princess Place apart: there are only eight individual sites. That's eight waterfront campsites on 1,500 acres. Do the math.
There are two basic camping areas. The first you pass entering the preserve are the sites on tiny Styles Creek. Two of these have their own docks. The third is a more primitive site with no automobile access. The other five sites are spread along a quarter-mile of spectacular water frontage along Moody Creek. The sites really have no boundaries or borders so it's difficult to figure out how big they are, but each could handle a Cub Scout troop and no one would be cramped. They're at least a couple of acres, and canopied by massive old oaks and Florida Red Cedars.
Camping at Princess Place is free. The park caretakers even cut up dead-fallen trees and scatter the logs around the campsites. Each campsite has a portable toilet set a discreet distance away. Add a couple of picnic tables and a fire ring, that's the extent of techno-intrusion you'll suffer.
Each campsite also serves as a put-in for canoes and kayaks. There is a small boat ramp at the preserve, but it handles no more than jon boats. The paddling at Princess Place is superior. Pellicer Flats is one of the wildest bodies of water anywhere in Northeast Florida. It is shallow, vast and covered in oyster and sand bars. A few locals fish it, but that's about it. The waters were made for kayaks and canoes and, even in these, it's best to be cautious of the tides. It's possible to be stranded in an inch or less of water, depending on the wind, tides and moon.
Those sight-casting these shallow runs and bars can expect to catch redfish, speckled sea trout, drum, bluefish, sheepshead, flounder and more. And on Pellicer Flats, the "more" is spoken in reverent whispers among the chosen few, and it is spelled S-N-O-O-K.
Pellicer Flats is generally regarded as the northernmost habitat for snook on the east coast of Florida, and catches of these special gamefish can be as common as any of the other species mentioned above.
There's no cramping in the camping at Princess Place. This is one of the waterfront sites that border Moody Creek. There are only eight individual camp sites in 1,500-acre preserve and all are on the water.
Princess Place is more than a place to camp. It has five separate hiking trails, ranging in challenge from easy to darn-near easy. It offers 13 miles of marked horse trails and an equestrian trailhead complete with restrooms, fresh water and a small tent-camping area just for riders.
Nature-lovers will be happy as well. To be guaranteed a run-in with animals, leave your food unprotected at the campsite. Packs of raccoons police the sites nightly for anything edible. If your trash barrel has food scraps and you leave it unprotected, prepare to do some campsite cleaning of your own come morning.
Visitors can drive the Loop Road at dusk and see white-tailed deer that look at you with more curiosity than fear. I've seen herds of as many as 30 feeding before nightfall. There are also flocks of wild turkey and plenty of resident wild hogs rooting in the twilight.
As if all this weren't enough, Princess Place has one more attribute that adds to its interest and charm - history. The property was initially part of a land grant from the King of Spain to Francisco Pellicer in 1791. It was called Cherokee Grove back then.
It was sold in the 1800s and orange groves were planted. It changed hands again in 1887 when it was purchased by Henry Cutting. He built the existing lodge on the property as a hunting camp. The architect was William Wright of New York, and the lodge was built in the style of the Adirondack Mountain Camp.
But it was constructed from local materials. The walls were laid with pink coquina mined off Flagler Beach. The wraparound porch is supported by cedar and palm tree trunks. There were riding stables and what historians agree was the first swimming pool constructed in the state. It was artesian fed, and free-flowing. And it's still there today.
The name Princess Place came about a little later on. Henry Cutting died 1892. His wife, Angela, returned to New York where she met and married Russian Prince Boris Sherbatoff. The couple moved to the property to live - the prince and his new princess. Thus, Princess Place.
The lodge has undergone an impressive restoration and the property changed hands a couple more times in the 20th century, but is now owned and managed by Flagler County. It is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. But park management says it will go to seven days a week, perhaps by February. There is no charge to enter the park, enjoy the hiking trails or visit the Princess Place Lodge. The lodge area can be rented for social events. Park management is currently negotiating to bring a kayak rental concession to the park.
The only downside to camping at Princess Place is getting the permit. First, you need to call Flagler County Parks & Recreation to arrange a reservation. Then, before your camping trip, you'll need to drive to Bunnell to sign papers and get the gate key. None of this can be done at the preserve itself.
But that's a small price to pay for a stay at a place - like "The Princess." To say it is unique among Florida parks is, simply, an understatement of historical proportion.
By JIM SUTTON, The Times-Union
To me, there has always been a disconnect between the terms "campground" and "camping." I suppose that campground "camping" can represent some sort of move toward getting back to nature for ecologically challenged urbanites. But nature is awfully tough to get close to when your tent is flanked on both sides by 35-foot RVs, and kids do laps around the grounds till midnight on mini-ATVs. Let's not talk about generators.
Point is, I get 10 times the dose of nature and quiet in my backyard than in any campground. Any campground, that is, other than Princess Place Preserve.
There, I've said it.
I swore an oath 10 years ago when I spent my first night under a cedar tree next to Pellicer Flats that I'd never divulge to the reading public the secrets of Princess Place. It was so serene and beautiful. It was so unknown. And it was free. Turning the masses on to the place would be wrong: Paradise Lost.
But time itself has chipped away at its anonymity. It's tough to keep a good thing quiet, and word of mouth now keeps Princess Place a busy one. Heck, they've even paved the road leading to the preserve.
Princess Place has a long and rich past, but perhaps her greatest achievement has been keeping her beauty and charm in the face of visitor pressure and "progress." The Flagler County Parks and Recreation folks should be credited for their efforts on her behalf.
Princess Place Preserve protects approximately 1,500 acres near the St. Johns/Flagler County line. It's located at the confluence of Moody Creek, Pellicer Creek and the Matanzas River. It's wrapped in pristine water, and represents a large chunk of the Pellicer Creek Aquatic Preserve. It is also part of the Guana, Tolomato, Matanzas, National Estuarine Research Reserve.
The lodge at Princess Place was built in 1887 in the Adirondack Camp Style. However, most of the materials used to construct the building were strictly Florida, including pink coquina walls and porch supports made of red cedar and palm trees.
To its credit, park management has put every campsite in the preserve directly on the water. And here's what really sets Princess Place apart: there are only eight individual sites. That's eight waterfront campsites on 1,500 acres. Do the math.
There are two basic camping areas. The first you pass entering the preserve are the sites on tiny Styles Creek. Two of these have their own docks. The third is a more primitive site with no automobile access. The other five sites are spread along a quarter-mile of spectacular water frontage along Moody Creek. The sites really have no boundaries or borders so it's difficult to figure out how big they are, but each could handle a Cub Scout troop and no one would be cramped. They're at least a couple of acres, and canopied by massive old oaks and Florida Red Cedars.
Camping at Princess Place is free. The park caretakers even cut up dead-fallen trees and scatter the logs around the campsites. Each campsite has a portable toilet set a discreet distance away. Add a couple of picnic tables and a fire ring, that's the extent of techno-intrusion you'll suffer.
Each campsite also serves as a put-in for canoes and kayaks. There is a small boat ramp at the preserve, but it handles no more than jon boats. The paddling at Princess Place is superior. Pellicer Flats is one of the wildest bodies of water anywhere in Northeast Florida. It is shallow, vast and covered in oyster and sand bars. A few locals fish it, but that's about it. The waters were made for kayaks and canoes and, even in these, it's best to be cautious of the tides. It's possible to be stranded in an inch or less of water, depending on the wind, tides and moon.
Those sight-casting these shallow runs and bars can expect to catch redfish, speckled sea trout, drum, bluefish, sheepshead, flounder and more. And on Pellicer Flats, the "more" is spoken in reverent whispers among the chosen few, and it is spelled S-N-O-O-K.
Pellicer Flats is generally regarded as the northernmost habitat for snook on the east coast of Florida, and catches of these special gamefish can be as common as any of the other species mentioned above.
There's no cramping in the camping at Princess Place. This is one of the waterfront sites that border Moody Creek. There are only eight individual camp sites in 1,500-acre preserve and all are on the water.
Princess Place is more than a place to camp. It has five separate hiking trails, ranging in challenge from easy to darn-near easy. It offers 13 miles of marked horse trails and an equestrian trailhead complete with restrooms, fresh water and a small tent-camping area just for riders.
Nature-lovers will be happy as well. To be guaranteed a run-in with animals, leave your food unprotected at the campsite. Packs of raccoons police the sites nightly for anything edible. If your trash barrel has food scraps and you leave it unprotected, prepare to do some campsite cleaning of your own come morning.
Visitors can drive the Loop Road at dusk and see white-tailed deer that look at you with more curiosity than fear. I've seen herds of as many as 30 feeding before nightfall. There are also flocks of wild turkey and plenty of resident wild hogs rooting in the twilight.
As if all this weren't enough, Princess Place has one more attribute that adds to its interest and charm - history. The property was initially part of a land grant from the King of Spain to Francisco Pellicer in 1791. It was called Cherokee Grove back then.
It was sold in the 1800s and orange groves were planted. It changed hands again in 1887 when it was purchased by Henry Cutting. He built the existing lodge on the property as a hunting camp. The architect was William Wright of New York, and the lodge was built in the style of the Adirondack Mountain Camp.
But it was constructed from local materials. The walls were laid with pink coquina mined off Flagler Beach. The wraparound porch is supported by cedar and palm tree trunks. There were riding stables and what historians agree was the first swimming pool constructed in the state. It was artesian fed, and free-flowing. And it's still there today.
The name Princess Place came about a little later on. Henry Cutting died 1892. His wife, Angela, returned to New York where she met and married Russian Prince Boris Sherbatoff. The couple moved to the property to live - the prince and his new princess. Thus, Princess Place.
The lodge has undergone an impressive restoration and the property changed hands a couple more times in the 20th century, but is now owned and managed by Flagler County. It is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. But park management says it will go to seven days a week, perhaps by February. There is no charge to enter the park, enjoy the hiking trails or visit the Princess Place Lodge. The lodge area can be rented for social events. Park management is currently negotiating to bring a kayak rental concession to the park.
The only downside to camping at Princess Place is getting the permit. First, you need to call Flagler County Parks & Recreation to arrange a reservation. Then, before your camping trip, you'll need to drive to Bunnell to sign papers and get the gate key. None of this can be done at the preserve itself.
But that's a small price to pay for a stay at a place - like "The Princess." To say it is unique among Florida parks is, simply, an understatement of historical proportion.