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...]
Botanical Areas
Hiking trails in places of particular botanical splendor, including through rare habitats and in areas with rare plant species.
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...]
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...]
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...]
Wakulla Springs State Park – Cherokee Sink Trail
A karst window into the watery world of the Woodville Karst Plain, Cherokee Sink is a large, deep water-filled sinkhole in a less-traveled section of Wakulla Springs State Park. More than 250 wide at … [Read more...]
Goethe State Forest – Buck Island Pond Trail
Looping around a cypress-lined pond in the midst of pine flatwoods, the Buck Island Pond Trail at Goethe State Forest has quite a few interesting features going for it. For one, a great little … [Read more...]
Cellon Oak Park
In our North Florida explorations, one goal of mine was to visit the Cellon Oak, Florida's largest live oak (in terms of crown spread) and the current cover photo of Big Trees: The Florida Register, … [Read more...]
Florida Trail, Little Big Econ State Forest
Flanking the banks of the Econlockhatchee River, a ribbon of wilderness protects a swath of forests edged on one side by suburbia, on the other by ranchland. It is the Little-Big Econ State Forest, … [Read more...]
