Little Manatee River Hiking Trail

Sand pine scrub along the Little Manatee Hiking Trail

Diversity, scenery, and botanical wonders: all key to a great Florida hike. Laid out as two loops on the northernmost portion of Little Manatee River State Park, the Little Manatee River Hiking Trail is one of my favorites in the state. A primitive campsite offers the opportunity for a quiet getaway, and the waterways you encounter are simply so scenic you won’t forget them. Spend a few hours or a weekend, and savor the hike.

The trailhead is tucked away behind a gated access north of the Little Manatee River. A blue-blazed connector trail guides you through a riot of ferns to the orange-blazed loop. Created and maintained by local volunteers from the Florida Trail Association, the trail is well-marked. Turn right to start a counterclockwise hike around the main loop, starting off in a slash pine forest. Each April, watch for plump blackberries in the open areas. After the first half mile, keep alert for poison ivy. There’s a lot of it in the shady oak hammocks. Pine flatwoods yield to high, dry sand pine scrub with tall sand pines. At 1.1 miles, you reach a junction with a blue-blazed cross trail. If you want to take the shortest possible hike, turn here to head down to Cypress Creek, for a loop hike of 2.9 miles. The prettiest parts of the trail are along the main loop, however, so plan a longer hike if you can.

At 1.4 miles, the trail drops down a steep slope into floodplain for Cypress Creek. Stop and enjoy the view from the bridge. This is by far one of the most beautiful and serene creeks in Central Florida, where the clear tea-colored water flows gently over rippled sand. Get your water here if you’re backpacking. When you head back out of the floodplain, you rise through sand pine scrub into open palmetto scrub, a great illustration of how small amounts of elevation radically change the types of habitats you encounter.

After 2.3 miles, you reach the blue-blazed 0.2-mile side trail to the primitive campsite, surrounded by oaks and longleaf pine. Even if you’re not spending the night, it’s worth a stroll down the trail for a break at the picnic tables. The trail continues into a dense oak scrub with more fallen pines, passing briefly under a stand of spreading live oaks. As the trail curves towards the river, the habitat changes to a moister flatwoods, where damp indentations fill with swamp lilies.