On March 16, join Mitch Sapp from the Florida Trail Association as he leads a hike of approximately 4 hours through San Felasco Preserve State Park along Millhopper Road, west of Devil’s Millhopper State Park. The redbud trees are in bloom and plenty of spring color awaits. This is one of the best destinations in the Gainesville area for a broad variety of spring wildflowers.

Please call ahead before 8 AM Tuesday Mar 16 to let Mitch know you’ll be participating - he needs a minimum of at least 3 hikers to take the trip. You can contact Mitch at 352-332-2065 or 352-284-1357.

A Grand Opening in the swamp! Join the Big Cypress National Preserve and the South Florida National Parks Trust to celebrate the grand opening of the new Big Cypress Welcome Center just east of the intersection of SR 29 and US 41 north of Everglades City in Ochopee. This new welcome center presents the integrated story of the Big Cypress ecosystem and ALL of the public lands involved in protecting the sheet flow of rainwater across more than a million acres of Southwest Florida.

An Open House starts at 11 AM on March 20, followed by a BBQ lunch at 1 PM. Come see the exhibits, meet Clyde Butcher and filmmaker Elam Stolzfus, and Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be at 12 noon.

For more information, contact 305-665-4769 or visit the Big Cypress National Preserve website

Get outdoors this weekend and give the Apalachicola National Forest a hand! A Super Cleanup is going on Saturday and volunteers not only get fed, they get a free ticket to Disneyworld. Cmon out and help!

Here’s how…

Central Florida is up for some great weather this weekend, so celebrate “Take a Hike, Florida!” with a hike of your own if you can’t meet up with an organized group. I’ve been rambling along the Cross Florida Greenway and I can attest that, although the segment between the Land Bridge and Santos seems like it might be too suburban with all those road crossings, you barely see a house along it AND it’s geologically and visually spectacular. Here’s a peek … I just posted it on Florida Hikes and shared with subscribers as the Hike-A-Week.  Learn more…

From my friends at the The Florida Forever Coalition:

Across Florida, local supporters of the Florida Forever program have organized hikes and outings for “Take A Hike, Florida” on February 20. We hope you’ll join us for this celebration of Florida’s natural treasures and the outdoor recreation opportunities provided by Florida Forever and its predecessor, Preservation 2000. The combined programs have protected more than 2.4 million acres of land. The land has many uses, from recreation to water quality preservation to protecting our military. Florida Forever has touched nearly every county in Florida and greatly improved our state’s quality of life.

There are nine hikes planned across the state, from Miami-Dade to Santa Rosa. Each outing has a unique local partner, from the Florida Trail Association, to the U.S. Navy, to county parks and recreation departments. We hope you’ll take this opportunity to enjoy what makes Florida unique. Get outdoors and take a hike!

To find a hike in your area please visit www.supportfloridaforever.org or e-mail info@supportfloridaforever.org. Please note that some state parks and forests may have an entrance fee between $2-$6.