BY JOE BALOG
Sometimes the greatest gifts of nature lie right before our eyes, without ever being noticed.
Such is the case with Hontoon Island. We’ve all heard of Hontoon; a number of us have visited there for a school trip, maybe a picnic. But the secrets of Hontoon, and the mysteries still yet unsolved, could be the island’s greatest gifts.
Hontoon Island State Park makes a great theme for our monthly outdoor adventure, as the Park Service recently reopened the ferry route to the island, making access possible to all patrons. The park is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m., 365 days a year, to those with their own vessels, but the ferry ride is part of the draw. Electric, as it should be, reminiscent of the glass-bottom boats at Silver Springs.
The lapse in ferry service was painfully long, and restoration has come with a compressed schedule. Today, the ferry runs 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday-Sunday, on the hour.
Don’t worry, weekends on Hontoon aren’t like other Florida attractions. You’ll find no waterslides or tubing here. No expansive gift shops or pancake houses. And no crowds.
Hontoon Island State Park is intended for low-impact outdoor recreation, my favorite type. Hiking and biking take precedence. Shoreline fishing is popular with a dedicated crew, often resulting in a bucket full of bream and catfish. Playground and picnic areas are available, and you won’t have to compete for a charcoal grill. Leashed pets are allowed, including on the ferry.
Numerous trails traverse the island, featuring a multitude of terrain. Like to stay on a designated roadway featuring hard-packed gravel? It’s here for you. Rather slosh around with the skeeters, hack your way through high grass and check for ticks afterward? You are not forgotten.
When visiting, I take off to the island’s interior. Many areas can get wet, but the midsection of Hontoon Island features high fire lanes carved through the pine forest in a gridlike course. You won’t get lost, and everything easily leads back to Point A.
I’m always surprised by the lack of bikers I see on these same paths. It seems like these would be ideal for trail-riders of all skill sets but, like much of Hontoon Island State Park, use is limited.
It’s these less-visited areas of the island where the wind whispers secrets.
Hontoon Island offers tremendous history. It’s been inhabited as long as science cares to search, and the Mayaca people left the most evidence. This unique culture thrived over 800 years ago, utilizing the abundant St. Johns River as a source of food and transportation.
A cross section sample of a shell mound is available at the island’s visitor center, but you’ll find your own evidence all across the island. Immediately after stepping off the boat, the gravel road encompassing the landing area is carved through piles of shells. Across the island, anywhere tall elevation exists, it’s shells that make up the topography.
Along with the shells, the Mayaca left behind a few puzzling artifacts. Earlier this century, several wooden sculptures were revealed throughout the area. The largest and most puzzling, a 10-foot owl, was thought to be some type of totem, then later determined to represent a human morphing into the bird. Similar carvings of a pelican and otter have also been found nearby. Some historians believe them to be place-markers, others a glimpse into shamanic ritual.
One thing is certain: This area is far from explored. A quick trip around Hontoon Island confirms that more mysteries could be anywhere.
The Spanish came to Hontoon with their missions in the 1500s, making a new culture of the indigenous people. As in all of Florida, traditional customs and language were abolished. On the island, though, visitors may still hear words on the wind.
Hontoon Island was named after William Hunton, the first formal purchaser of the land. Hunton was listed as a “former soldier,” yet he’s reported to have made the purchase prior to the onset of the Civil War. More mystery.
After, the island served as a cattle ranch, an off-load area for commercial fishing and a boatyard. Evidence of most are gone, though savvy boaters know the location of a large pier structure now submerged in the St. Johns’ dark waters, just west of the current marina. All that remains are the stories of old-timers who once used the structure as a premier diving platform.
Today, the island’s path seems set. While it will never be the most popular state park in Florida, Hontoon Island remains a favorite among die-hards. Wildlife is as abundant as it should be, but it will take some fancy footwork to get close to much of it.
While you’ll read of bears and alligators living here, you’ll likely not see any. Hiding is their specialty, waiting for visitors to go home and for things to get back to normal. The way they’ve been for centuries. Unique birds, like ibis and limpkins, will give you a show, though, often wading around the marina.
The vast majority of Hontoon Island can be explored on designated trails. The longest is a couple of miles and ends at the Bear Tree, a massive oak. Another trail ends at a large shell midden, worth the hike on its own. A map can be found at the visitor center, though it’s tough to get turned around.
While on the island, you’re sure to pass the campground. This primitive area once offered space for tent campers, as well as six rustic cabins. The previous flooding wiped out the accommodations, leaving a rebuild in place. Like all Hontoon junkies, I aspire for the reopening of the units, and promise myself an overnighter when the day comes. I can only imagine the night sounds in this mystical place.
Currently, no overnight accommodations of any kind are available at Hontoon Island State Park. Plenty of boat slips are open and maintained, but they close up at day’s end.
And once daylight falls across Hontoon, only the secrets are left. Riding on the wind as they’ve done for centuries, the words of the Mayaca invite us back tomorrow.
