Gold Head Branch State Park is located near Keystone, FL. Once you enter the park, keep your eyes open for the Moss Man!! The maybe lingering near the road..he will surely be watching for you.
This is one of those parks where sites are selected/assigned when your reservation is made. If you have never visited the park, you don't know what you are getting until you arrive. Well when we arrived we discovered the water hookup was on one side and the electrical was on the other. The site was also very shaded, which is good for summer but not for cold weather. I found a couple of empty sites with all the hookups on the same side, made a call to the office and was happy to discover one of them was available. Within a short time we were set-up and ready to explore the park.
We had spotted the moss man when we had arrived, so we went back to take a few pictures. If you follow the path next to him, it is a short walk to a beautiful lake known as Sheeler Lake. This is one of five lakes in the park, one of which offers swimming in the summer. Big Johnson Lake shows the most impact from the lack of rain.
All the points of interest are well marked such as the Gorge Overlook, Water Tower, Ravine Stariway and Mill Site. From the overlook you can see how deep this natural gorge is. If you take the trail for the Ravine, you will find wide concrete steps with several platforms leading down. At the bottom is a stream which is created from ground water, this is not a spring and should not be drank!!! You will also find two hiking trails at the bottom of the gorge. With 2,000 acres you should find plenty to keep you busy.
Michelle, one of the park rangers hosted a sunset "Gifts of Nature" class. We watched the sand cranes as they came in to roost & listened to them "talking" to each other. As part of the class, Michelle showed us lots of thing she had collected from different locations when she has worked such as rattlesnake rattlers, fish jawbones, dolphin vertebra.
The weather was cold when we arrived, but the following day it warmed up to 60 degrees for the high. That night the rain moved in and the temperatures started do drop. Overnight started running around 28 degrees and 48 to 50 during the day. Cold but not all that bad for winter camping well until one gas bottle ran out and we discover the second one was very low. We woke one morning to a 21 degree wind chill and saw a few snowflakes...Yep, in sunny Florida! We were worried the roads would ice over with the coming rain, which this part of the country is not equipped to handle of we packed-up and headed home.
THE LEGEND OF THE FAMOUS
GOLD HEAD MOSS MAN
No one knows where the moss man calls home
He just showed up one day all alone.
A strange glowing light was seen after dark
In late October...he appeared in the park.
In various locations the moss man's been seen
But most frequently, he appears about the ravine.
He seems to be quite timid and shy
He stands perfectly still as people go by.
At night when light hits his eyes,
They glow red and blue from his surprise.
No one is certain there is only one
There may a mate, or even a son.
So should you spot him near the ravine
Or anywhere else that he might be seen
Feel free to take a picture or a snapshot,
But always remember to touch him not.
For we know not his origin or if he will stay
But we sure don't want him running away
He brings excitement, happiness and joy
To all our campers girls and boys.
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