Marion County’s first conservation area opened with a whisper in May, 330 acres of upland recharge area just to the southwest of the famed Silver Springs. Located at 5415 N.E. 7th St just west of Baseline Road, the trailhead has interpretive maps to guide you along the triple-loop trail system.

From a Google Earth view, it’s [...]

Here’s my new favorite hike in the heart of Florida - the weird and wonderful landscape of Allan David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve. My first visit year six years ago was brief, just enough to walk through the oak hammock since the trail system looked to be all equestrian. This time, I had time to [...]

In the early days of  Florida’s European settlement, one of the most important products along our coasts were naval stores - the tapping of slash pines for turpentine and other spirits used in the upkeep of wooden ships. Now it’s often along Floida’s trails that I’ll spy a tree with a catface, a carved slash [...]

Out along SR 24 on the way to Cedar Key, the Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve (Hike #9 in 50 Hikes in North Florida) is the northernmost spot I’ve seen Florida scrub-jays. Good news for the scrub-jays and other species that thrive in the coastal scrub: The Nature Conservancy completed a deal to preserve more [...]

While spending the week in Jupiter for meetings, I’m taking whatever free time I can muster to explore places I haven’t hiked before. Juno Dunes Natural Area was acquired when I worked my way through here for “Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State,” but the only trail in place was the one on the beach [...]