Article by Scott Gann and the Bold Cities Project
Jacksonville’s Hidden Urban Creeks - McCoys Creek
Downtown Jacksonville is hiding two beautiful, but neglected, creeks that run through the core of the city; Hogans and McCoys Creeks. McCoys Creek is characterized by large bridges passing overhead, plenty of natural vegetation, an adjacent railroad, and a huge culvert underneath the Florida Times Union building.
This picture log captures round two of exploring downtown Jacksonville’s hidden urban creeks: McCoys Creek. Located in the Brooklyn neighborhood and passing under I-95, this is the second creek that the city has committed to invest in to create public space along the waterway. Compared to Hogans Creek, this one has much more natural vegetation, is significantly wider, and seems to have much less trash.
I took a couple days filming on my stand-up paddle-board to show what the creek looks like today because the city of Jacksonville, in partnership with Groundwork Jacksonville, is dedicating millions of dollars to revitalize these natural areas to create linear parks for the public. Can you imagine what it could look like? This video includes all of my footage of McCoys Creek, and an informational video exploring the future of both creeks will be coming soon.
The following picture log includes screenshots from the video highlighting key parts of the creek. For a more complete perspective of the creek go ahead and watch the video.
DISCLAIMER: The water may not be safe as it is could be contaminated with stuff that’s not good for humans (notably arsenic). There are warning signs along the creek that I didn’t read until later, but stay safe if you’re going to explore yourself.