Containing one of the largest stands of southern live oak remaining on the east coast of Florida, the park's "star" is the Fairchild Oak. Over four centuries old, it is among the largest of its kind in the southern United States. It was a seedling around 1600-1620 CE when the Spanish were colonizing La Florida, and when the Timucua lived along the Tomoka River and the marshes and creeks later named Bulow. Known locally as the Ormond Oak for at least a century, the tree was christened Fairchild on December 11, 1955, in honor of Dr. David Fairchild, a world-famous botanist and naturalist who was fond of the tree.
It is said James Ormond II and the future Seminole leader Coacoochee, or Wildcat as he also was called, were childhood friends who spent endless hours playing under the Fairchild Oak and climbing its highest branches. Later, they would fight against each other in the battle of Dunlawton during the Second Seminole War. James Ormond II is laid to rest in a tomb not far from the Fairchild Oak, and atop what many believe to be a Timucua burial mound.
After you visit the Fairchild Oak you can hike or bike one of several trails built and maintained in order to provide visitors a glimpse of unique habitats and wildlife. The longest trail is the Bulow Woods Trail, a 6.8 mile hiking trail that runs from the Fairchild Oak to Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park. If the entire 6.8 mile hike seems a little daunting you may choose to park at a second entrance off of Walter Boardman Lane and hike a short distance North or South.