A 217-acre natural area atop the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in Boca Raton, Yamato Scrub protects the largest chunk of native scrub habitat found this far south in Florida. Walking the northernmost trails … [Read more...]
Hikes
Hiking in Florida - places to hike and backpack throughout the Sunshine State, including loop trails, urban walks, nature trails, day hikes, backpacking trips, and segments of the Florida Trail, our National Scenic Trail in Florida.
Serenoa Glade Preserve
Atop one of the higher elevations in Boca Raton, Serenoa Glade Preserve is a rare undeveloped piece of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, featuring a transition zone from scrub habitat on the Atlantic Ocean … [Read more...]
Apoxee Wilderness Trail
In the wet prairies and tropical hammocks of Apoxee Park, the first urban wilderness area in Palm Beach County, you'll walk over and through the water supply of West Palm Beach. A fascinating 4.7-mile … [Read more...]
Bill Sadowski Park
At the Bill Sadowski Park and Nature Center, the Old Cutler Hammock Nature Trail offers a glimpse of what Cutler Ridge looked like before development. A verdant tropical hammock tops bizarre geologic … [Read more...]
John Prince Park – Custard Apple Trail
Winding through a tropical hammock and along open marshy areas, the interpretive Custard Apple Trail provides a taste of the wilderness that the first modern settlers (circa 1883) found when they came … [Read more...]
Okeeheelee Nature Trail
A network of wheelchair-accessible paved paths and hardpacked limestone natural walkways wind through 90 acres of pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, and dense palm hammocks behind the Okeeheelee Nature … [Read more...]
Tall Cypress Natural Area
Botanical diversity abounds in the 66-acre Tall Cypress Natural Area. Along the boardwalks, you'll wander through a cypress slough that is a wonderland of ferns, with a profusion of giant sword ferns, … [Read more...]
Daggerwing Nature Center
Behind Daggerwing Nature Center in busy South County Regional Park, a boardwalk leads you into habitats that have all but been erased from the surrounding crowd of suburbia in west Boca Raton. The … [Read more...]
Doris Davis Foreman Wilderness Preserve
A pretty patch of tropical hammock hides amid the bustle of suburbia in Parkland, a Broward County community, within the 20-acre Doris Davis Foreman Wilderness Preserve. The half-mile loop, mostly … [Read more...]
Grassy Waters Preserve – Eagle Trail
Forming a loop around Gator Lake in Grassy Waters Preserve, the Eagle Trail tunnels through a tropical hammock to provide overlooks across the wet prairies of the Loxahatchee Slough and across the … [Read more...]
Grassy Waters Preserve – Hog Hammock Trail
Offering another perspective on the vast Loxahatchee Slough, the Hog Hammock Trail at Grassy Waters Preserve, leads you into a tropical hammock and a dark, dense, fern-filled cabbage palm hammock … [Read more...]
Pine Jog Environmental Education Center – Wetland Hammock Trail
An outdoor classroom for countless young people in the Palm Beach County school system, Pine Jog Pine Jog Environmental Center is also open to the public to explore the deeply forested 135-acre urban … [Read more...]
Frenchman’s Forest Natural Area
Who would expect a nature preserve to be hiding behind the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens? That's what you'll find at Frenchman's Forest Natural Area, a 172-acre natural area with seven different … [Read more...]
San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park – Moonshine Creek Trails
Throughout Gainesville, creeks vanish into the ground, becoming part of the Floridan Aquifer. Along the two short but rugged trails that comprise this loop - the Moonshine Creek Trail and the Creek … [Read more...]
Salt Lake WMA
Pockets of prehistoric salt water lie deep beneath the marshes of the St. Johns River near Mims, bubbling up as salt springs. As a result, the salinity of South Lake, Loughman Lake, and Salt Lake, all … [Read more...]
Davenport Landing Trail
The most obscure interpretive trail in the Ocala National Forest is well off the beaten path along the Ocklawaha River, accessed via a narrow dirt road. Why here? Location, location, location—in the … [Read more...]
Florida Trail, Pat’s Island to Hidden Pond
One of the most popular hikes on the Florida Trail is also one of the most interesting. Hidden Pond is an oasis in the middle of the Juniper Prairie Wilderness, a designated wilderness area in the … [Read more...]
Viera Wetlands
On the boundary between modern subdivisions and the floodplain of the St. Johns River, Viera Wetlands - modeled after Orlando Wetlands Park, to process wastewater naturally - has proven to be one of … [Read more...]
John Mahon Nature Park
Ten acres isn't a lot of land for a nature park, but in this urban setting along one of the busiest thoroughfares in Gainesville, it's plenty for a quick, refreshing walk in the woods. Established in … [Read more...]
Barr Hammock Preserve
Encompassing more than 5,700 acres, Barr Hammock Preserve includes an expansive wetland area, the Levy Prairie, that is the centerpiece of the Levy Loop Trail. Literally. Entirely atop a set of … [Read more...]
Canaveral National Seashore – Turtle Mound Trail
Along Florida’s Atlantic Coast, the prominent feature of Turtle Mound has been a navigational aid for generations. It is an oyster shell midden rising 35 feet above the Mosquito Lagoon, an … [Read more...]
Canaveral National Seashore – Seminole Rest Trail
At the site of a former plantation and important archaeological site on the Indian River Lagoon, Seminole Rest provides excellent interpretation of this coastal outpost across the shimmering waters … [Read more...]
Canaveral National Seashore – Eldora Hammock Trail
Before Canaveral National Seashore, there was Eldora. Established in 1877, this fishing village prospered along Mosquito Lagoon, with access only by boat. Now, the shoreline is dominated by the Eldora … [Read more...]
Canaveral National Seashore – Castle Windy
There's always a breeze at Castle Windy, a trail that burrows through the coastal hammock on the Mosquito Lagoon side of Canaveral National Seashore, leading you out to a secluded beach along the … [Read more...]
