# Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park

> Place to go for families in the Jacksonville area (FL). Times are Eastern Time.

- When: Open 8 a.m. until sundown, 365 days a year
- Where: Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, 6239 State Road 21, Keystone Heights, FL 32656
- Ages: All ages
- Price: $5 vehicle (up to 8 passengers); $4 single-occupant vehicle and motorcycles; $2 pedestrians, bicyclists and extra passengers
- Schedule: Open 8 a.m. until sundown, 365 days a year
- Organizer: Florida State Parks
- Official page: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/mike-roess-gold-head-branch-state-park
- Last checked: Sat, Oct 24

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 24, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/jacksonville/activities/mike-roess-gold-head-branch-state-park--listing-5aeca4e9af88d2308538da7d

## About

One of Florida's first state parks, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s on 600 acres of rolling sandhills near Keystone Heights in southern Clay County. A steep-sided ravine with seepage springs forms Gold Head Branch and cuts through the park, and the uplands hold one of the few remaining old-growth longleaf pine stands. Families can hike the nature trails and a 5.44-mile stretch of the Florida National Scenic Trail, swim, fish or canoe on Little Lake Johnson, and use the large picnic area with tables, grills, pavilions and a playground. The park has three campgrounds and lakefront cabins, some built by the CCC.

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