Longleaf Pine Trail

Longleaf Pine Trail traverses a restored longleaf pine savanna within Percy Quin State Park, showcasing one of North America's most biodiverse and most endangered ecosystems. Longleaf pine once covered nearly 90 million acres across the southeastern coastal plain, from Virginia to Texas, but has been reduced to less than 3 percent of its original extent through logging, fire suppression, and land conversion. The restoration area in Percy Quin State Park represents an effort to reestablish this fire-dependent ecosystem in a setting where prescribed burns can be used to maintain the open, park-like character that makes longleaf savannas so distinctive. The ground layer beneath mature longleaf pines supports exceptional plant diversity, with dozens of native wildflower, grass, and sedge species competing in the light-drenched understory created by the relatively open canopy. Spring burns followed by summer rains produce spectacular wildflower displays including native orchids, pitcher plants in wet depressions, and numerous composites and legumes. The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, a longleaf pine specialist, is present in some restored areas and may be heard or seen. The $4 vehicle fee applies. Interpretive materials along the trail explain the history and ecology of the longleaf pine ecosystem and the restoration methods being used to reclaim this critically important habitat.