We spent our Thanksgiving at a park in Putnam County called Hog Waller. It is a privately owned and managed property comprised of 1100 acres of woods with ATV and UTV trails. Back in the early 1900s, this property and surrounding areas were part of a logging community called Rodman according to the park’s website. “Many thousands of acres of forest land were harvested and many farms surrounded the community. The main source of food for these families was the overabundance of wild hogs, not to mention a major nuisance to the loggers who worked the woods.” It goes on to explain that over the years, the folklore of a monstrous hog who would torment farmers and loggers took shape. Many of the main roads within the park are over a century old. The roads are either old railroad beds from the Ocklawaha Valley Railroad or support roads from timber operations of the old Rodman Sawmill from the early 1900s.
Although families once feasted on hogs abundant in the area, our Thanksgiving dinner consisted of deep-fried turkey and all the fixings. We prepared all our fixings beforehand and deep fried our turkey out in the woods. We sat around the campfire and ate our Thanksgiving dinner. Fresh air and good food, you can’t beat that. We woke up, cooked breakfast, and went off into the woods to ride some of the park’s 50 miles of ATV trails and play in the mud. Hog Waller has one main six-acre mud pit that is 10 feet below ground level. For safety, there is a fence with 2 thick gauge cables around the entire pit.
Some amenities include food trucks, a mechanic shop, a novelty store, and clean bathrooms.
The park is family-friendly for all members of the family, from two-months-old to 70 or 80 years old. The older generations tend to outdo the younger crowd. You’ll see homemade campers to million-dollar campers. And when the sun goes down over the mud holes, the sunset looks beautiful- believe it or not. There is a spring-fed water hole, that all the kids call the beach. Fresh clean cool water with a sandy bottom.
We had a blast.
LOCATION:
Hog Waller Mud Bog is located 10 miles Southwest of Palatka, FL.
Google Map Search: 440 County Road 310, Palatka, FL 32177
CALL: 386-643-8042
ONLINE:
http://www.hogwallermudbog.com/
