Day hikes of 1 to 15 miles, providing a good morning workout or a full day of hiking. I consider hikes under 3 miles as day hikes if the terrain is rugged or the trail not the easiest to follow … they’ll keep you occupied!
See a MAP of all day hikes on this website
Alderman’s Ford Preserve - Part of an extensive corridor of natural lands – more than 10,000 acres worth east of Tampa – protecting the flow of the Alafia River, Alderman’s Ford Nature Preserve offers a surprising treat for a [...]
Alfred A. Ring Park - I came here in search of a garden, and found a park. Having read that a small wildflower garden was tucked within this 22 acre park in northern Gainesville, I figured it was worth visiting [...]
Anastasia State Park – Ancient Dunes Trail - Many footsteps have pressed into the sands of Anastasia Island, from the most ancient peoples who thrived on its bountiful shores to the Timucua who explored the coastline in their canoes, and the Spanish explorers [...]
Apalachicola National Forest – Camel Lake Loop - Circle a cypress lined pond in the Apalachicola National Forest on the Camel Lake Loop. It’s a short hike on high ground in a place where most habitats are downright swampy. Despite the name of [...]
Apalachicola National Forest – Wright Lake Trail - This well-kept loop along the western edge of the Apalachicola National Forest was a real surprise to me. I expected pine plantations (and there were many), but did not expect the diversity of longleaf pine [...]
Babcock Ranch – Ecotour Trail - For a taste of the palmetto prairie that attracted ranchers to South Florida, head off the beaten path to explore Babcock Ranch on foot. At Babcock Wilderness Adventures – a popular ecotourism attraction east of [...]
Babcock Ranch – Footprints Trail - Mind the “Beware of Cows” sign as you enter this trail system in the heart of Babcock Ranch, where cattle roam free across thousands of acres of open prairie and cypress swamps east of Punta [...]
Bald Point State Park - Beaches in the Big Bend are rare, since this stretch of shoreline is defined by coastal estuaries and there is a lack of barrier islands. Still, in the sweep of the shallows of the Gulf [...]
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 levees, the Levy Loop [...]
Bayard Point Conservation Area - The St. Johns River runs broad and deep near Green Cove Springs, where Bayard Point Conservation Area preserves an untouched Florida riverfront, bottomland floodplain with dense stands of bald cypress, sweet gum, and red maples. [...]
Bear Cut Nature Preserve - On the shores of Biscayne Bay at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, Bear Cut Nature Preserve is a precious sliver of natural bayfront in Miami. The preserve provides hiking along the waterfront and in the [...]
Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve - Nestled in an unexpected corner of Flagler Beach, Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve protects more than 200 acres of mangrove marsh, mud flats, and coastal uplands right on the edge of this downtown beach community. Established [...]
Big Lagoon State Park - Between Pensacola and Perdido Key, Big Lagoon is best known for its (really big) lagoon, high observation tower, and campground, but the trail system is a delight for hardy hikers. It’s easy to make short [...]
Big Oak Trail - The Big Oak Trail is one of the most scenic hikes in North Florida and is part of the statewide Florida Trail. Much of the hiking parallels the Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers, which meet here [...]
Big Shoals State Park – Big Shoals Trail - When you think about Florida’s rivers and streams, the image of raging, foaming water never springs to mind. Yet up on the Suwannee River, just a few miles outside the historic town of White Springs, [...]
Big Shoals State Park – Long Branch Trail - Starting at the canoe launch opposite the Big Shoals Trail, the Long Branch Trail heads upriver to follow a mellow Suwannee River—broad and shaded by overhanging tupelo trees. It’s a relaxed hike through scrubby flatwoods [...]
Big Talbot Island State Park – Blackrock Beach - A barrier island on the Atlantic Coast between Amelia Island and Little Talbot Island, Big Talbot Island is best known for its unusual rocky shoreline called Blackrock Beach. One step on this beach, overlooking a [...]
Big Talbot Island State Park – Bluffs Beach Walk - From the high bluffs at Big Talbot Island State Park, you can see forever—or at least to the horizon, the Atlantic Ocean shimmering in the sun. Within the main state park complex, the Bluffs Picnic [...]
Big Talbot Island State Park – Jones Cut Trail - Jones Cut provides a meander into the heart of the maritime forest that carpets Big Talbot Island, but it’s not the easiest trail to find. It lets you explore the heart of a dense maritime [...]
Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake - Long known as Turkey Lake Park, the City of Orlando’s largest park covers 178 acres of rolling hills on the western shore of the lake. It’s an urban complex for outdoor recreation of all sorts, [...]
Black Bear Wilderness Area - One of Seminole County’s newest natural lands, the Black Bear Wilderness Area offers some of the best birding and wildlife watching in the region. True to its name, it was a place to find bear [...]
Blackwater River State Park – Chain of Lakes - Many people hike a short distance on this interpretive trail and never do the entire loop. Why? The Chain of Lakes Trail leads to one of the more beautiful sandbar beaches on the entire Blackwater [...]
Blazing Star Nature Preserve - Remnants of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, ancient dunes that once marked the oceanfront in Southeastern Florida, pop up now and again in the most unexpected places. Blazing Star Preserve is one of those spots. It’s [...]
Blountstown Greenway - A ribbon of asphalt that connects communities and parks within the historic Apalachicola River town of Blountstown, the Blountstown Greenway is ideal for walking or biking and, in part, serves as a path for the [...]
Blowing Rocks Preserve - Stretching more than a mile along Jupiter Island, a tall limestone terrace dominates the meeting of sand and sea, the longest and most dramatic stretch of rocky shoreline in Florida. Preserved by local residents in [...]
Blue Spring State Park – Pine Island Trail - Starting near the exit of the lower parking area, the Pine Island Trail at Blue Spring State Park is lesser-known and lesser-used than its popular counterpart, the Blue Spring Trail(and boardwalk) along Blue Spring Run. [...]
Boyd Hill Nature Park - Boyd Hill Park originally began its life as a zoo and botanical garden for the city of St. Petersburg. It has since evolved over the decades into a mosaic of natural habitats and wild tropical [...]
Buck Lake Conservation Area – East Loop - A sprawling wildlife management area encompassing more than 9,600 acres along SR 46 between Mims and the St. Johns River, Buck Lake includes a diverse array of uplands and wetlands habitats. The East Loop isn’t [...]
Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park – Bulow Creek Loop - With a trailhead just outside the park gate of Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park, the yellow-blazed Bulow Creek Loop is part of a larger trail system that includes the Bulow Creek Trail – stretching 6.8 [...]
Bulow Woods Trail - The essence of primordial Florida still echoes through Bulow Hammock, a dark and mysterious place running like a ribbon of the “Land of the Lost” trapped between the flow of traffic on Interstate 95 and [...]
Caladesi Island State Park - Protecting a windswept shoreline and a variety of habitats on a barrier island off the historic coastal community of Dunedin, Caladesi Island State Park is undoubtedly one of the gems of the Florida State Parks [...]
Caloosahatchee Regional Park - To the northeast of Fort Myers, the 768-acre Caloosahatchee Regional Park – which was intended to become a state park – provides an outdoor escape along the Caloosahatchee River. The trail system, while a little [...]
Canaveral Marshes Conservation Area - Covering more than 6,700 acres of marshlands surrounding the meandering flow of the St. Johns River between Christmas and Titusville, Canaveral Marshes Conservation Area surrounds more than 20 miles of the river’s shoreline. You’ll hear [...]
Carney Island Park - As a peninsula in Lake Weir, parts of Carney Island Park are naturally air-conditioned, like the benches adjoining the trailhead parking area, overlooking the lake. While waiting there for a group of hikers to assemble, [...]
Cary State Forest – Cary Nature Trail - At Cary State Forest, you have the opportunity for a highly accessible, close-up look at carnivorous pitcher plants in the wild. While the 3,413-acre forest has dozens of miles of multi-use trails and is popular [...]
Cayo Costa State Park - To spend a day or a weekend on your own deserted island…heaven. Cayo Costa State Park is one of the tougher and costlier state parks to get to, but well worth it. Solitude is guaranteed. [...]
Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park – Alligator Creek - Showcasing the interface of freshwater and saltwater habitats along Charlotte Harbor, Alligator Creek Preserve in Punta Gorda is an outreach center and living laboratory of the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center at Charlotte Harbor Preserve State [...]
Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park – Old Datsun Trail - Providing a different take on the uplands around Charlotte Harbor, the Old Datsun Trail at Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park meanders through an area once covered in vegetable farms – the historic Miles School of [...]
Chinsegut WEA – Big Pine Tract - The southernmost concentration of ancient longleaf pine in America, the Big Pine Tract of Chinsegut WEA is also the second largest contiguous tract of old-growth longleaf pine in Florida. Protected within over 400 acres flanking [...]
Chinsegut WEA – Nature Center Tract - At Chinsegut WEA, the Nature Center Tract is a birder’s delight. On a hike there with my parents, we saw at least two different pileated woodpeckers, and could hear sandhill cranes in the distance. The [...]
Circle B Bar Reserve - Sitting along Lake Hancock between Lakeland and Auburndale, Circle B Bar Reserve is a success story that Aldo Leopold would be proud of. Formerly a cattle ranch, the reserve encompasses more than 1,200 acres being [...]
Clear Creek Nature Trail - When I arrived at the peak of pitcher plant blooming season at the Clear Creek Nature Trail (early April) and walked the boardwalk across the bog, I’d felt like I’d stepped into an 18th century [...]
Coconut Point Sanctuary - Call it the Ocean-to-Lagoon Hike: this loop trail through one of Brevard County’s most diverse natural lands connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon in Melbourne Beach. Showcasing an array of habitats that [...]
Collier-Seminole Hiking Trail - Created by the Florida Trail Association, the Collier-Seminole Hiking Trail is one of South Florida’s most beautiful trails, but it’s not for the inexperienced hiker. Wilderness savvy is in order, as you’ll be wading the [...]
Conservation Park - It’s not easy to find Conservation Park, hidden in plain sight behind a commercial district along US 98 in Panama City Beach. There are no signs on this major highway – yet – to point [...]
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary - You’ll find Florida’s best and most extensive boardwalk hike at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, meandering 2.3 miles through an old-growth cypress forest. Managed by the National Audubon Society since 1912, Corkscrew Swamp, encompassing 315 square miles, [...]
Crews Lake Park - Crews Lake Park in northern Pasco County offers a hiking loop with a nice immersion into the sandhills, where you’ll see lots of spring and fall wildflowers. The trail loses its natural feel as it [...]
Crystal River Preserve State Park – Churchhouse Hammock - In Crystal River, you can immerse in the beauty of a palm and cedar hammock right across the street from the Crystal River Mall. A wooden boardwalk leads into jungle-like cabbage palm flatwoods, with a [...]
Curry Hammock Nature Trail - While Florida thatch palms (Thrinax radiata) are often seen in South Florida landscaping, they’re a rare and endangered species in the wild. At Curry Hammock, a 1.5-mile interpretive trail twists and winds from the paved [...]
D.J. Wilcox Natural Area - Hidden behind a screen of mangroves along the Indian River Lagoon, D.J. Wilcox Natural Area is an offbeat place to find a hike. You wouldn’t expect it as you drive down the entrance road, which [...]
De Soto National Memorial - Commemorating the landing of Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando De Soto, the De Soto National Memorial is a significant archaeological site where the Manatee River flows into Tampa Bay. The Riverview Point Trail offers perspectives [...]
Deer Lake State Park - The coast of Walton County is home to rare coastal dune lakes, an ecosystem that only exists in Florida and in Australia and Africa, and you’ll find them at Deer Lake State Park. As the [...]
DeLeon Springs State Park – Wild Persimmon Trail - Was De Leon Springs the Fountain of Youth? History relates that when he sailed to Florida in 1513, he “ascended a large river, passing through two small rivers and three lakes, whence we came to [...]
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park - At the northernmost end of Naples, the breezy shores of Delnor-Wiggins State Park entice thousands of beachgoers on summer days – especially on weekends. On weekdays and early mornings and evenings, people who like a [...]
Devil’s Millhopper State Park - On the northern edge of Gainesville, Devil’s Millhopper Geologic State Park showcases a geologic formation known to generations of visitors to the area. You’d think you were in the Amazon, or Hawaii, when you hear [...]
Dicerandra Scrub Sanctuary - One of a string of scrub preserves that sprinkle the Space Coast between Titusville and Fellsmere, Dicerandra Scrub protects a sliver of scrub – only 44 acres – atop the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in an [...]
Ding Darling NWR – Bailey Tract - One of the lesser-known trails of Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is at the Bailey Tract, separate from the other nature trails that are found along Wildlife Drive. This separate tract of the refuge is [...]
Ding Darling NWR – Indigo Trail - One of the most popular birding sites in the entire National Wildlife Refuge System, Ding Darling NWR was established in 1945 thanks largely to efforts spearheaded by Sanibel Island resident and famed editorial cartoonist J.N. [...]
Disney Wilderness Preserve - Managed by The Nature Conservancy, the Disney Wilderness Preserve is a 12,000 acre showcase for habitat restoration and conservation in a region where development continues – with major loss of habitat – at a startling [...]
Dunns Creek State Park - Dunns Creek State Park protects sandhills and scrub along a sharp bend in the St. Johns River. It is home to at least eight healthy populations of rare Etonia rosemary (Conradina etonia), the only other [...]
Eagle Lake Park - In the heart of Pinellas County, Eagle Lake Park is the legacy of the Taylor family, who helped to found Largo – then known as Citrus City – with their groves and citrus packing plant. [...]
Econ River Wilderness - In the suburbs of Orlando, the Econ River Wilderness is in one of those places where you’d never suspect wilderness still existed, 240 acres tucked one road back from strip malls and squeezed between subdivisions [...]
Econfina Nature Trail - Sluicing its way through high bluffs and low flatlands, Econfina Creek is one of Florida’s most beautiful and unsung waterways. The Florida Trail follows it for nearly 20 miles through Washington and Bay Counties. This [...]
Econlockhatchee Sandhills Conservation Area - Nestled up against the floodplain of the Econlockhatchee River, the Econlockhatchee Sandhills Conservation Area is a 706-acre showcase of upland habitat diversity jointly managed by Orange County and the St. Johns Water Management District to [...]
Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park - Ancient magnolias, massive tulip poplars, and sinuous alluvial streams are all part of the delights of Phipps Park, the city of Tallahassee’s most expansive and wild urban park. With 670 acres along the shores of [...]
Enchanted Forest Sanctuary - It’s not rocket science: the first and finest of the Brevard County EEL (Environmental Endangered Lands), Enchanted Forest Sanctuary in Titusville is a fabulous destination for family hiking. From the moment you step out of [...]
Estero Scrub Preserve State Park - One of the tougher places to hike in Southwest Florida, Estero Scrub Preserve State Park, established in 1966 as Florida’s first aquatic preserve, has several loops through wet flatwoods and tidal marshes along the rim [...]
Everglades National Park – Bayshore Loop - Providing a walk through the mangrove-lined edge of Florida Bay and the unique coastal prairie habitat within a short loop, the Bayshore Loop is an excellent sampler of what some of the Flamingo area’s longer [...]
Everglades National Park – Bear Lake Trail - Paralleling the former Homestead Canal, an attempt by early developers to drain the coastal prairies around Cape Sable, the Bear Lake Trail takes you on a journey down an old road built of limestone fill [...]
Everglades National Park – Christian Point Trail - The Christian Point Trail is one of the more challenging trails in Everglades National Park, This is one of the more challenging trails in Flamingo, especially after the storm surge damage of Hurricanes Katrina and [...]
Everglades National Park – Coastal Prairie Trail - Ready for a hard-core Florida wilderness challenge? The rangers at the Flamingo Visitor Center don’t recommend you hike this trail, but they’ll still issue you a backcountry permit for camping if you insist. Consider it [...]
Everglades National Park – Guy Bradley Trail - In the early 1900s, naturalists were well aware of the vast bird life in the Everglades, and so were plume hunters, looking to cash in on the use of heron plumage as a New York [...]
Everglades National Park – Old Ingraham Highway - Opened in 1922 as the first motorway to Flamingo, the Old Ingraham Highway saw its share of Model Ts and other roadsters as intrepid motorists made their way down to the small fishing village on [...]
Everglades National Park – Otter Cave Hammock Trail - Complementing Shark Valley’s popular bike and tram trail and Bobcat Boardwalk, the Otter Cave Trail gets you out into the Everglades at a walking pace, where you’ll see much more wildlife. Although the park considers [...]
Everglades National Park – Pinelands Ecotone - Unnamed, un-blazed, and wild, following an old jeep road, the Pinelands Ecotone is an extraordinary hike along the ecotone between two rare habitats – pine rocklands and sawgrass prairies. It immerses you in one of [...]
Everglades National Park – Snake Bight / Rowdy Bend - It’s a wild corner of Florida, where tropical forests meet the mangrove shorelines of Florida Bay, where crocodiles cruise the saline shallows and mosquitoes thicken the air. It’s getting even wilder these days, with the [...]
Falling Waters State Park - Iconic as the home of Florida’s tallest waterfall, Falling Waters State Park is a showcase for Florida geology. The park sits atop a high ridge, offering steep slopes on its short but delightful trail system [...]
Fanny Bay Trail - If you’re driving along I-10 from Jacksonville to Lake City and want to take a break by taking a hike, this interpretive trail in the Osceola National Forest provides an interesting spot to stretch your [...]
Faver-Dykes State Park - Near the mouth of the Matanzas River, Faver-Dykes State Park is a popular launch point for paddlers eager to explore the estuaries between the barrier islands and the coast. Nestled in oak hammocks along Pellicer [...]
Ferndale Preserve - Along Lake Apopka’s western shore, Ferndale Preserve offers some of the finest panorama views of the largest lake in Central Florida. A restoration area that was, in the not too recent past, a working orange [...]
Flat Island Preserve - At Flat Island Preserve south of Leesburg, Dr. Rexford Daubenmire, a noted botanist, and his wife and fellow botanist Jean explored the lush hardwood hammocks and uplands on this island surrounded by the Okahumpa Marsh. [...]
Florida Caverns State Park – Caverns Trail System - One of the best parts of Florida Caverns State Park is its Caverns Trail System, an interconnected group of nature trails that surround the big show cave. Most folks don’t step off that paved path [...]
Florida Panther NWR - In addition to the very gentle 0.4-mile Leslie Duncan Memorial Trail that starts at this trailhead, a longer 1.3 mile loop appeals to hikers willing to get their feet wet while they feel a real [...]
Florida Trail, Alexander Springs to Farles Lake - Get acquainted with Big Scrub on this 8.4-mile stretch of the Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest as it rises through longleaf pine forests to meet the world’s largest sand pine scrub, punctuated by [...]
Florida Trail, Baseline to Marshall Swamp - Along this woodland in Ocala, enjoy a swath of true urban wilderness, a mile-wide corridor edged on both sides by subdivisions and strip malls. Both remain gratefully out of sight and sound as you walk [...]
Florida Trail, Bell Springs to Big Shoals - With Florida’s only Class III whitewater and the beauty of a Florida waterfall along a stretch of trail that is rugged but extremely scenic, this 2.8 mile section of the Florida Trail is a real [...]
Florida Trail, Bradwell Bay - You’re guaranteed to get wet on Florida’s roughest, wildest swamp walk on the Florida Trail in Bradwell Bay, a wild place where hiking with friends is a smart idea. Situated south of Tallahassee, the Bradwell [...]
Florida Trail, Bronson State Forest - Part of the new corridor that the Florida Trail follows in its arc around the east side of the Orlando metro area. Bronson State Forest – a new addition to the Division of Forestry – [...]
Florida Trail, Buckman Lock to SR 20 - Connecting the Ocala National Forest and the northern end of the Cross Florida Greenway with Rice Creek Conservation Area, the Florida Trail between Buckman Lock and SR 20 west of Palatka is a 7.4-mile ramble [...]
Florida Trail, Bull Creek WMA - Immerse in the pine savannas of Central Florida along the Florida Trail at Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area. With a 20.5 mile loop traversing these wide open spaces as well as the tributaries of Crabgrass [...]
Florida Trail, Chandler Slough West - Chandler Slough is a significant natural feature in the middle of the Okeechobee prairies. It’s especially noticeable as you’re hiking the Florida Trail, since from a distance it looks like a mountain ridge. In fact, [...]
Florida Trail, Chuluota Wilderness to Joshua Creek - With a surprising amount of habitat diversity, the northerly stretch of the Florida Trail newly built through Bronson State Forest and into adjacent Chuluota Wilderness Area is quite the delight. Hiking this section southbound gives [...]
Florida Trail, Clearwater Lake to Alexander Springs - The oldest section of the Florida Trail is one of the prettiest, as well. First blazed in the Ocala National Forest in 1966 by a hardy crew of trail maintainers led by Jim Kern, the [...]
Florida Trail, Clewiston to South Bay - As of May 1, 2013, the Army Corps of Engineers has closed this section and it will not reopen until sometime in 2014. Backpackers / thru-hikers / section hikers: please use the Okeechobee West route. [...]
Florida Trail, CR25A to Stephen Foster - This roly-poly section of the Florida Trail is pretty rugged despite its short distance, since it involves a lot of scrambling in and out of ravines and eroded bluffs created when the Suwannee River seasonally [...]
Florida Trail, Disappearing Creek Loop - Rapids between cypress knees? That’s what you’ll see when “surf’s up” along the Suwannee after a good rain. This region has spectacular geology thanks to its karst topography. Karst occurs when water and mild acid [...]
Florida Trail, Econfina Creek - Following the course of Econfina Creek, this protected segment of the Florida Trail provides a gorgeous weekend backpacking experience, particularly in springtime when the mountain laurel and azalea are in full fragrant bloom. The upper [...]
Florida Trail, Eglin East - This segment of the Florida Trail near Destin is on a swath of public land with a long and storied history. Established concurrently with the Ocala National Forest in 1908, the Choctawhatchee National Forest protected [...]
Florida Trail, Eglin West - Bordered by the tangled floodplain forests of the Yellow River to the north, this 14.2-mile segment of the Florida Trail traverses high, dry sandhills topped with longleaf pine forest and planted pine, dropping in elevation [...]
Florida Trail, Etoniah West - Protecting nearly 9,000 acres of between Palatka and Keystone Heights, Etoniah Creek State Forest is home to a segment of the Florida Trail where backpackers and day hikers alike can get out and explore. This [...]
Florida Trail, Fort Pickens - At the westernmost point of Santa Rosa Island, along the shimmering sands of the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Trail comes to an end at one of the most important historic sites in Florida’s Panhandle—Fort [...]
Florida Trail, Gold Head Branch State Park - One of Florida’s oldest state parks, the Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park opened in the 1930s, its facilities built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It is one of the few state parks that [...]
Florida Trail, Henry Creek to Okeechobee - Arcing northward along the shoreline of Lake Okeechobee, this paved segment of the Florida Trail – known locally as the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail – offers spectacular sweeping views of the open water of one [...]
Florida Trail, Hickory Hammock to Bluff Hammock - With its spreading moss-draped oaks and tall hickory trees, dark floodplain forests of cabbage palms and beautiful riverside campsite, the Hickory Hammock section is one of the jewels of the Florida Trail System. This is [...]
Florida Trail, Hickory Hammock to Chandler Slough West - Following a narrow ribbon of oak hammocks along the rim of vast prairies edging the Kissimmee River floodplain, this segment of the Florida Trail weaves back and forth from US 98 into cattle pastures and [...]
Florida Trail, Hopkins Prairie to Juniper Springs - Long referred to as the “jewel of the Florida Trail,” Juniper Prairie Wilderness in the Ocala National Forest is a complex mosaic of ancient scrub forests, pine islands, and broad, open prairies where wildlife thrives. [...]
Florida Trail, Hopkins Prairie to Salt Springs - While the Ocala National Forest is best known for having the largest expanse of scrub forest in the world, a lesser known facet of the forest – unless you hike the Florida Trail – are [...]
Florida Trail, Juniper Creek - The Florida Trail along Juniper Creek (also known as the Juniper Creek Trail, Blackwater River State Forest) is a gorgeous place to explore in springtime, when mountain laurel blooms in both pink and white and [...]
Florida Trail, Juniper Springs to Farles Lake - For a real blast, hike south on the Florida Trail from Juniper Springs in the Ocala National Forest. Back in the 1940s, Jimmy Doolittle and his squadron trained here for their bombing runs on Japan; [...]
Florida Trail, Lake Delancy to The 88 Store - An immersion in both sandhills and scrub awaits on a walk along the Florida Trail between Lake Delancy and Lake Kerr. Amid the tall longleaf pines of Riverside Island and the diminutive oaks of the [...]
Florida Trail, Lakeport to Moore Haven - Along the western marshes of Lake Okeechobee, the segment of Florida Trail between Lakeport and Moore Haven offers something that no other portion of the trail around the lake does: several miles where the dike [...]
Florida Trail, Land Bridge Trailhead to Santos - As the Cross Florida Greenway sweeps through Ocala and along the edge of Belleview, it provides access to a series of forests broken by unobtrusive road crossings in the heart of horse country, canopied roads [...]
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, more [...]
Florida Trail, Marshall Swamp - Tarzan’s signature cry once echoed along the crystalline Silver River less than a mile from this section of the Florida Trail, which leads you through a dense, dark floodplain forest beneath a canopy of deep [...]
Florida Trail, Mills Creek - As the Florida Trail follows the curve of the basin in which Mills Creek drains from Lake Mills into a bowl of marshlands to the east of Chuluota, it leads you through a colorful array [...]
Florida Trail, Moore Haven to Clewiston - One of my favorite sections of the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee, the walk from Alvin Ward Park in Moore Haven to Clewiston Park offers up the best sunrises to be found anywhere along the [...]
Florida Trail, Nice Wander Loop - In the Osceola National Forest, this short loop adjacent to Olustee Battlefield is one of the easiest places in the state to see red-cockaded woodpeckers. It’s part of the statewide Florida Trail, and provides a [...]![Florida Trail, Corbett [view slides]](http://www.floridahikes.com/wp-content/uploads/ftcorbett-121x91.jpg)
Florida Trail, Ocean to Lake: Corbett WMA - Seen on your GPS or a satellite photo, Corbett WMA appears to be wetlands, wetlands, and more wetlands. But this popular wildlife management area west of West Palm Beach is a place of superlatives: vast [...]
Florida Trail, Pahokee to Port Mayaca - *** Hiking south of Port Mayaca to Pahokee is currently prohibited due to reconstruction work on the dike. Thru-hikers should use the western route around Lake Okeechobee. *** The sweep of Lake Okeechobee curves away [...]
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 [...]
Florida Trail, Port Mayaca to Henry Creek - One of the segments of the Florida Trail that are paved around Lake Okeechobee, the 13.7-mile walk between Port Mayaca and Henry Creek offers unparalleled vistas of both open water and the marshes of Chauncey [...]
Florida Trail, Pruitt - It’s not just the ancient live oaks, but the switchbacks and scrambles, the habitat diversity, the stories that the landscape tells—and “Stonehenge.” These are some of the reasons that the Pruitt section of the Florida [...]
Florida Trail, Pruitt to Ross Prairie - As a protected corridor south of Ocala, this section of the Florida Trail is the westernmost segment on the Cross Florida Greenway, showing off the unusual terrain created during construction of the Cross Florida Ship [...]
Florida Trail, Rodman to Lake Delancy - One of the most awe-inspiring sections of the Florida Trail, the segment between the Rodman Dam (more properly known as the George Kirkpatrick Dam) and Lake Delancy immerses you into longleaf pine forests that seem [...]
Florida Trail, Ross Prairie to SW 49th Ave - As a protected corridor south of Ocala, this section of the Florida Trail on the Cross Florida Greenway offers delights you just can’t imagine from the roads that bisect it—CR 484 and SW 49th Avenue. [...]
Florida Trail, Salt Springs to The 88 Store - Amid a patchwork of scrub ridges and longleaf pine islands, the Florida Trail makes its way northwest around the vastness of Lake Kerr on this 10.1 mile section. It’s accessible to day hikers via two [...]
Florida Trail, Santos to Baseline - In its mile-wide sweep across a swath of Central Florida, the Cross Florida Greenway hits an interruption just a few miles to the north of Belleview. The community of Santos was “in the way” during [...]
Florida Trail, Seminole Ranch - At Seminole Ranch, the Florida Trail follows a string of hydric hammocks in the St. Johns River floodplain, spanning bridges over slow-moving tannic streams with steep sand bluffs. Ferns sprout from the tops and trunks [...]
Florida Trail, Seminole State Forest - One of the older sections of the Florida Trail near Orlando is also one of its finest. A hike through Seminole State Forest leads you through the kind of vast, open spaces that you’d never [...]
Florida Trail, SW 49th Ave to Land Bridge Trailhead - This short segment of the Florida Trail on the Cross Florida Greenway offers easy access to one of its most popular destinations—the Land Bridge over Interstate 75. From the highway, it looks somewhat odd, topped [...]
Florida Trail, Three Lakes WMA - One of the largest expanses of open prairie remaining in the Southeast, the Kissimmee Prairie straddles the Kissimmee River between the southern fridge of suburbia in Kissimmee-St. Cloud and the north shore of Lake Okeechobee. [...]
Florida Trail, Tosohatchee - Bridging an immense expanse of pine flatwoods bisected by floodplain forests, the orange-blazed Florida Trail crosses Tosohatchee Reserve, a 28,000 acre tract of lands protecting the western edge of the St. Johns River floodplain. Walk [...]
Florida Trail, Wheeler Road to Joshua Creek - Dancing along the rim of the St. Johns River floodplain, the Florida Trail through Seminole Ranch and the southern section of Bronson State Forest provides an unexpected array of botanical delights. Ancient oaks knit their [...]
Fort Center - Explore a pre-Colombian village lost in Florida’s past – and uncovered again in modern times, thanks to the efforts of curious archaeologists – by following this trail in Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area. The Fort [...]
Fort Cooper State Park - Fort Cooper is a quiet place, a woodland on the shores of Lake Holathlikaha just south of Inverness, a place where families come to play and picnic and walk gentle trails where wildlife sightings are [...]
Fort De Soto Park – Arrowhead Nature Trail - Explore several coastal habitats on the Arrowhead Nature Trail at Fort De Soto Park, an interpretive walk with plenty of stops where you’ll learn all about the salt-dependent plants along the rim of Mullet Key [...]
Fort De Soto Park – Soldier’s Hole Nature Trail - Its name comes from legends of soldiers deserting the fort in the dead of night, slipping through the mangrove swamps to freedom. Soldier’s Hole is a cove in the mangrove forest, abuzz with mosquitoes and [...]
Fort Drum Marsh - Zipping along SR 60 between Florida’s Turnpike and Vero Beach, you just don’t think about hiking. Orange groves, perhaps, or prairies or swamps. Cypresses, maybe. But hikes? It wasn’t until I was “on assignment” for [...]
Fort Pierce Inlet State Park - At a state park best known for its great surfing, the Maritime Hammock Trail at Fort Pierce State Park is a gentle introduction to a seaside semi-tropical forest, a counterpoint of deep shade to the [...]
Four Mile Cove Eco Preserve - A forest of mangroves along the Caloosahatchee River, Four Mile Cove Eco Preserve is a rare find in Cape Coral, where most of the landscape has been developed (to the detriment of those little burrowing [...]
Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park - Hugging the shoreline of Rocky Bayou, an important aquatic preserve, Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park near Niceville has one of the prettiest campgrounds in the Florida State Park system – well air-conditioned by a [...]
Garcon Point Trail - On a peninsula separating Blackwater Bay and East Bay, Garcon Point Preserve presents an open landscape of wind-swept prairies punctuated by oak hammocks and tall longleaf pines.The Western Gate Chapter of the Florida Trail Association [...]
Garden of Eden Trail - This is one hike that’s no walk in the park. In fact, I’d rate it the second most difficult day hike in Florida, right after a day-long wade through Bradwell Bay on the Florida Trail. [...]
Gator Creek Preserve - As the headwaters of four of Central Florida’s largest rivers, – the Hillsborough, the Withlacoochee, the Ocklawaha, and the Peace – the Green Swamp is one of Central Florida’s most crucial natural resources. Despite the [...]
Gemini Springs Park - More than 150 years ago, this forest along the marshes of the St. Johns River was cleared for farming, becoming the Padgett homestead on outskirts of busy Enterprise. It later operated as a cattle ranch [...]
Geneva Wilderness Area - My first visit to Geneva Wilderness was also my first Florida Trail activity. I’d driven two hours to meet up with the group and got there as the heavens opened. So we packed it in [...]
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 boardwalk [...]
Gold Head Branch State Park – Ridge and Ravine Trails - The steephead ravine that forms Gold Head Branch is a riot of green: deep green needle palms, ferns of every shape and size, water trickling, merging, and flowing downstream, and the canopy of native trees [...]
Grassy Waters Preserve - Protecting a sheet flow of rainfall moving steadily southward and parallel to the Atlantic Ocean, Grassy Waters Preserve bears a striking resemblance to the Florida Everglades. It’s hard to imagine now, with the crush of [...]
Green Cay Wetlands - Boardwalks meander through a recreated wetlands that bring a touch of the Everglades back to its original home in Boynton Beach. One family can make a difference in the quality of life for their community. [...]
GTM Reserve - Circling a peninsula of land between the Guana River and the Tolomato River, the extenstive trail system at GTM Reserve is open to biking and hiking. Enjoy a walk through maritime forests riffled by a [...]
Gulf Islands National Seashore – Naval Live Oaks Preserve - Naval Live Oaks Preserve outside Pensacola was our nation’s first tree farm, established in 1828 by President John Quincy Adams to protect a significant coastal stand of live oaks for military use. In those days, [...]
Hal Scott Preserve - Vast prairies and seepage bogs, a historic crossing of the Econlockhatchee River, and a campsite set under a live oak canopy—it’s all within minutes of the Orlando International Airport. I fell in love with these [...]
Hickory Bluff Preserve - As the St. Johns River snakes its way north from the Canaveral Marshes, it passes through a series of vast marshes and lakes well-known to Central Florida residents – Lake Harney, Lake Jesup, and Lake [...]
Hidden Waters Preserve - From an aerial view, it’s obvious the region around Eustis and Mount Dora is pockmarked with sinkholes. Hidden Waters Preserve is managed by the Lake County Water Authority to protect and utilize a massive sinkhole— [...]
Highlands Hammock State Park - Encompassing a virtual jungle of ancient oak hammocks and floodplain forests to the west of Lake Jackson, Highlands Hammock State Park is Sebring’s crown jewel and a Florida State Park that you won’t want to [...]
Hillsborough River State Park - One of the Tampa Bay area’s most beloved state parks, Hillsborough River State Park has always been a family favorite because of its rapids. Yes, rapids. Until I spent years researching Florida’s history and discovered [...]
Hogtown Creek Greenway - Ever since I went to the Hogtown Medieval Faire for the first time, I’ve wondered about old Hogtown. I’ve seen the signs for Hogtown Creek—poor thing, encased in concrete culverts and shunted beneath lanes and [...]
Honeymoon Island State Park - On this barrier island just north of Clearwater Beach, the Osprey Trail at Honeymoon Island State Park offers a close-up look at a rookery of “sea eagles,” the noble osprey. There are nesting colonies of [...]
Hontoon Island State Park – Indian Mound Nature Trail - There are many public lands on islands in Florida, but Hontoon Island State Park is one of the few surrounded by fresh water and accessible via a free ferryboat. For more than three thousand years, [...]
Indrio Savannahs - Call it arrested development. Sitting between Fort Pierce and Vero Beach, Indrio Savannas was a gleam in a developer’s eye more than a decade ago, but thankfully this particular subdivision never came to fruition. Only [...]
Isle of Pine Preserve – Blue Trail - Creating a loop through upland habitats perfect for gopher tortoise survival, the Blue Trail is one of two separate trails through the 550-acre Isle of Pine Preserve, located beyond the southeast edge of the Isle [...]
Isle of Pine Preserve – Green Trail - Providing access to the floodplain forest along Lake Mary Jane, the Green Trail is one of two separate trails through the 550-acre Isle of Pine Preserve, tucked away at the south end of the Isle [...]
Jack Island Preserve State Park - For a Florida State Park, Jack Island is long on solitude. Ironically, it isn’t all that far from Fort Pierce and the hustle and bustle of the US 1 corridor through St. Lucie County. But [...]
James E Grey Preserve - James E. Grey Preserve is a hidden treasure on the outskirts of New Port Richey, a quiet rural breather along the Pithlachascotee River. It’s in a most unexpected place: surrounded by modern-day subdivisions, a tiny [...]
John Chesnut Sr. Park - With its extensive waterfront on Lake Tarpon and Brooker Creek in Oldsmar, John Chesnut Sr. Park has always been a popular natural getaway for folks near Tampa and Clearwater Beach. Pop in any weekend and [...]
Jonathan Dickinson State Park – East Loop Trail - For backpackers headed to the urban southeastern part of the Florida, Jonathan Dickinson State Park provides more than 11,000 acres to roam on a series of three trails maintained by the Florida Trail Association. Although [...]
Jonathan Dickinson State Park – Kitching Creek Loop - Brilliant pink orchids. The clatter of sandhill cranes. Ferns rising from depression marshes. Cabbage palms shading your campsite. These are reasons to head into the woods on the second of two stacked loops for long [...]
Juno Dunes Natural Area - Diversity is the name of the game along the trail at Juno Dunes, where you’ll find not just coastal scrub atop the Atlantic Coastal Ridge but an interesting mosaic of wetlands among the swale between [...]
Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park - With cool ocean breezes and a plunge in the surf after your hike, the 2.7-mile trail at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park in Jacksonville is a great choice for a summer outing. Hanna Park, as it [...]
Kelly Park – Kelly Loop Trail - Most folks come here for the tubing – the narrow, gushing channel down which Rock Springs Run pours is the best natural water park in Florida – but some of us appreciate the trails, too. [...]
Kelly Park – Oakhill and Prairie Lakes Trails - While most visitors come to Kelly Park for the swimming and tubing – Rock Springs Run is the southernmost tubing run in Florida, and one of the most beautiful natural water parks in the state [...]
Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park - Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park is truly a botanical treasure, with the highest concentration of champion trees in one place in the United States—and none are over 45 feet tall. Current and prior national [...]
Kilpatrick Hammock Trail - Florida’s most impressive prairie vistas are well-buffered from civilization by massive cattle ranches to the north of Lake Okeechobee. Just to get to Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park means a drive of 10 to 17 [...]
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park - Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park protects a remnant of what was once the great Indian Prairie stretching to Lake Okeechobee, a mosaic of wet and dry grasslands where wildflowers flourish Look into the grasses to [...]
Ladell Brothers Outdoor Environmental Center - The nature trail at Ladell Brothers Outdoor Environmental Center, North Florida Community College in Madison is a place for students and visitors to get away from it all in the midst of the college campus. [...]
Lake Ashby Park - At this small rural park, explore the cypress-lined shore of Lake Ashby on a gentle trail system consisting of a boardwalk and easy pathways beneath deep shade along the lakeshore. An excellent spot for birding, [...]
Lake Eaton Trail - Two trails, one trailhead. The Lake Eaton Trail is in the heart of the Big Scrub, part of the “Lake Eaton Trails” on the northeast side of Lake Eaton in the Ocala National Forest, halfway [...]
Lake George State Forest – Bluffton Nature Trail - South of Astor along the St. Johns River, the Bluffton Recreation Area in Lake George State Forest paints a picture of Florida’s prehistoric past. As botanist William Bartram canoed the St. Johns River in 1773, [...]
Lake Harney Wilderness Area - A 300-acre preserve at the outflow of Lake Harney, one of the many Central Florida lakes formed by the St. Johns River as it flows north, Lake Harney Wilderness Area encompasses diverse landscapes. Deer browse [...]
Lake Jackson Mounds State Park – Butler Mill Trail - Lake Jackson Mounds is best known for being one of the largest ceremonial temple mound complexes in the Southeast, but it offers a cool, shady nature trail, too. There are six earthen temple mounds, the [...]
Lake Jesup Conservation Area – Cameron Tract - With panoramic views of the Lake Jesup floodplain, the Cameron Tract of Lake Jesup Conservation Area is a surprisingly beautiful location for a short hike. In late summer and early fall, swamp sunflowers paint the [...]
Lake Jesup Conservation Area – East Tract - One of the few places where you can take in a panorama of vast Lake Jesup, the East Tract of Lake Jesup Conservation Area in Oviedo offers a 2.1-mile hike out to an observation tower [...]
Lake Jesup Conservation Area – Marl Bed Flats - Featuring one of the prettiest hammocks of ancient live oaks that you’ll find along Lake Jesup, the Marl Bed Flats Tract of Lake Jesup Conservation Area along the lake’s north shore is a delightful place [...]
Lake Jesup Wilderness - A dazzling array of swamp sunflowers await each fall at Lake Jesup Wilderness, an expansive wetland area along the northern shore of Lake Jesup. The trail system zigzags through prairies that flood during the wet [...]
Lake June-in-Winter Scrub State Park – Bobcat Trail - Protecting 845 acres of the whitest, brightest sand on the Lake Wales Ridge, this passive preserve has one of the highest concentrations of rare and endemic plants in North America. A pristine snapshot of Florida’s [...]
Lake Kissimmee State Park – Buster Island Loop - Comprised of wet prairies, pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, and scrub, Buster Island in Lake Kissimmee State Park is indeed an island, surrounded by three lakes and waterways that flow into them. The trail loops through [...]
Lake Kissimmee State Park – North Loop & Gobbler Ridge - Most visitors to Lake Kissimmee State Park never see the lake. Certainly, they see the marina, and the Zipprer Canal that connects Lake Rosalie and Lake Kissimmee. Alligators sun on the canal banks, and you [...]
Lake Lotus Park - In the most improbable of places, surrounded by highways, apartments, and shopping centers where Altamonte Springs and Maitland meet, Lake Lotus Park was my secret getaway when I lived far too close to I-4 and [...]
Lake Louisa State Park - In the rolling hills of the Lake Wales Ridge south of Clermont, Lake Louisa is the southernmost lake in the Palatlakaha River chain of lakes, its waters flowing northward to feed Lake Susan, Lake Minehaha, [...]
Lake Marion Creek WMA – Huckleberry Island - Providing an easy walk into 8,000 acres of uplands draining into Lake Marion Creek, the trail system at Huckleberry Island follows old roads through the preserve, avoiding getting your feet wet by offering a little [...]
Lake Mills Park - One of Seminole County’s prettiest county parks, Lake Mills Park perches along the southwest shore of Lake Mills, where a hardwood swamp dominated by tall cypresses provides a focal point for a series of boardwalks [...]
Lake Proctor Wilderness Area - Protecting 475 acres of marshlands, prairie, and scrub forest near the community of Geneva, Lake Proctor Wilderness Area is one of the best places in the region to see sandhill cranes. They gather in the [...]
Lake Runnymede Conservation Area - Managed by Osceola County, Lake Runnymede Conservation Area is only 43 acres, but what a preserve! Sandwiched between the massive East Lake Tohopekaliga – which, despite being on the other side of Rummel Road, can [...]
Lake Talquin State Forest – Fort Braden Trails - Showcasing bluff forests and deep ravines above Lake Talquin – a dammed reservoir in the Ocklochnee River west of Tallahassee – the Fort Braden Trails offer enough hiking for a weekend in the woods. Built [...]
Lake Talquin State Forest – Ravine Trail - If you think Florida doesn’t have steep trails, this one will dispel the myth. To the west of Tallahassee, The Ravine Trail at Lake Talquin State Forest is part of the Terry Rhodes Trail System [...]
Lake Talquin State Park - A vast reservoir along the Ochlockonee River behind the Jackson Bluff Dam, which feeds a hydroelectric plant helping to power Tallahassee, Lake Talquin is a rarity in Florida due to its sheer size and character. [...]
Lake Woodruff NWR - Wide open spaces for wintering waterfowl: that’s the primary purpose of Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, with 21,500 acres snuggled against Spring Garden Run (the outflow from De Leon Springs) and the St. Johns River. [...]
Lakeland Highlands Scrub - It’s an unexpected find, this quiet preserve down a dirt road not far from the waves of suburban sprawl pushing south from the Polk Parkway, letting Lakeland flow towards Bartow. One of the first acquisitions [...]
Leon Sinks Geological Area - In the Apalachicola National Forest just south of Tallahassee, Leon Sinks Geological Area offers a delightful introduction to the wonders of karst topography. Karst is a landscape that happens through deep erosion of a soft [...]
Lettuce Lake Park - At the north edge of Tampa, Lettuce Lake Park protects 240 acres along the Hillsborough River, providing a getaway for hikers, bicyclists, and picnickers. Trapped between tall cypress trees in ponds dense with water lettuce, [...]
Limestone Creek Natural Area - With a grand stand of healthy pine flatwoods providing a gateway to 53 acres of protected land hemmed in by residential and commercial development in Jupiter, Limestone Creek Natural Area is a green gem in [...]
Little Manatee River 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 [...]
Little Talbot Island State Park – Island Hiking Trail - A barrier island on the Atlantic Coast at the mouth of the St. Johns River, Little Talbot Island attracts a steady stream of beachgoers from nearby Jacksonville. But if your idea of a day at [...]
Little-Big Econ State Forest – Kolokee Loop - One of the most scenic places to hike in the Orlando metro, Little-Big Econ State Forest offers a loop hike that starts less than a mile from the Barr Street trailhead. Named the Kolokee Loop [...]
Long Key State Park – Golden Orb Trail - A coconut palm plantation. An exclusive fishing resort. Long Key has been many things over the past century. We can be glad it’s now a Florida State Park, a place where you can camp along [...]
Lovers Key State Park – Black Island Trail - Lovers Key State Park is a favorite place for beachcombers thanks to the broad, sunny strand on the Gulf of Mexico and its excellent shelling. But for a bit of adventure, head to the north [...]
Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park - As one of several “Sandhills Trails” throughout Florida, the Sandhills Nature Trail at Lower Wekiva Preserve State Park lives up to its name. It’s a 2.2-mile loop through longleaf pine and wiregrass, an ecosystem that [...]
Lyonia Preserve - The Florida scrub-jay, one of Florida’s most colorful native birds, is the star of the show at Lyonia Preserve in Deltona, a precious slice of ancient scrub habitat remaining on a high ridge now otherwise [...]
Manasota Scrub Preserve - A Sarasota County preserve established as habitat for the Florida scrub-jay, Manasota Scrub Preserve immerses you in 145 acres of scrubby flatwoods pressed between the development pressures of the coast between Venice and Englewood. A [...]
Maritime Hammock Sanctuary - Bordering and managed by the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge – the first wildlife refuge in America established to protect sea turtles – Maritime Hammock Sanctuary showcases maritime, or coastal hammock, marshlands, and mangroves along [...]
Matheson Hammock Park – Hammock Trail - One of the wilder places showcasing a remaining piece of the grand hammock that once stretched from Miami down along Biscayne Bay, Matheson Hammock Park is a popular swimming and picnic destination along the bay. [...]
Mill Creek Preserve - North of Gainesville, the northern forests make their southern stand. Mill Creek Preserve, north of Alachua and part of the Alachua County Forever registry, encompasses nearly 1,200 acres of unexpected delights in an area well-known [...]
Moccasin Lake Nature Park - Sitting at the base of busy US 19 in Clearwater, Moccasin Lake Nature Park preserves a lush patch of native forest and a stream for the public to enjoy. Centered on a popular nature center, [...]
Myakka River State Park – Canopy Walk and Boylston Nature Trail - Other than the Bird Trail, a boardwalk out into the Myakka River, the Myakka Canopy Walk is the most popular short trail in Myakka River State Park in Sarasota, one of Southwest Florida’s largest state [...]
Myakka River State Park – Myakka Hiking Trail - For immersion in Florida’s central prairies, the Myakka Hiking Trail is a serious backpacking destination. A 39-mile loop in the heart of Myakka River State Park, it provides a mosaic of habitats to explore, including [...]
Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park - Sunlight glimmers off the tannic waters of Myakkahatchee Creek, a floodplain creek that flows naturally between tall sand banks through the northernmost reaches of North Port. An excellent spot for birding, this off-the-beaten-path linear park [...]
Oak Hammock Park - Buried in a sea of development, Oak Hammock Park is one of those little gems that shouldn’t be missed. The canopy of centuries-old live oaks is a strong counterpoint to the surrounding manicured lawns and [...]
Oakland Nature Preserve - One of the closest trail systems to Florida’s Turnpike, Oakland Nature Preserve showcases 128 acres of natural shoreline on Lake Apopka, Florida’s third largest lake and, like Lake Okeechobee, one that has undergone dramatic change [...]
Ocala National Forest – Bear Swamp Trail - Little known except to those who frequent this beautiful campground in the Salt Springs Recreation Area in the Ocala National Forest, the Bear Swamp Trail provides a glimpse into the ancient forest that undoubtedly crowded [...]
Ocala National Forest – Clearwater Lake Loop - Most hikers headed for Clearwater Lake in the Ocala National Forest are looking for the Florida Trail, which starts its northbound journey of 70 unbroken miles just north of SR 42 in Paisley. But the [...]
Ocala National Forest – Salt Springs Loop - For a hint of fall color in the Ocala National Forest, the Salt Springs Loop trail just south of the town of Salt Springs showcases a variety of habitats, among them a floodplain forest along [...]
Ochlockonee River State Park - At the confluence of the Ochlockonee River and the marshes fed by the Sopchoppy River, Ochlockonee River State Park is tucked behind a corner of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge just south of Sopchoppy as you [...]
Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area - Winding northward from Lake Griffin, the Ocklawaha River was once a meandering river through vast marshes, cypress swamps, and floodplain forests as it worked its way towards the St. Johns River near Palatka. But channelization [...]
Olustee Battlefield - Wind through the pines and step back in time to trace the unfolding of the Battle of Olustee near Lake City. The hike through Olustee Battlefield is short, but its historical significance is great. More [...]
Orlando Wetlands Park - The granddaddy of wetlands parks, Orlando Wetlands Park is a City of Orlando wastewater reclamation project that’s become a world-class haven for waterfowl. The project began in the mid-1980s with the acquisition of a dairy [...]
Oscar Scherer State Park – Lake Osprey Trail - Circling one of Oscar Scherer State Park’s notable water features, Lake Osprey, the wheelchair-accessible Lake Osprey Trail – the park’s newest trail, opened in 2010 – offers a natural surface exploration of the uplands surrounding [...]
Oscar Scherer State Park – South Creek and Lester Finley Trails - Protecting more than 1,300 acres of uplands in a region where development has swarmed across the natural landscapes, Oscar Scherer State Park is a stronghold for the Florida scrub-jay, a colorful species found only in [...]
Osceola National Forest – Mount Carrie Wayside - This short and easily accessible loop in the Osceola National Forest showcases an old growth longleaf pine forest with a population of red-cockaded woodpeckers best viewed in the early morning. Some of the pines sport [...]
Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area - Lush tropical hammocks, great birding, and a dash of history along the mangrove-edged waters of the Indian River Lagoon make Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area a diverse and interesting place to explore. Ferns and wild coffee [...]
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park – La Chua Trail - There are a handful of places that stand out as excellent locations for wildlife watching in Florida – Circle B Bar, the Anhinga Trail, Shark Valley, Green Cay Wetlands, Orlando Wetlands Park – but the [...]
PEAR Environmental Park - At the Palatlakaha Environmental and Agricultural Reserve Park south of Leesburg, work is underway to transform what was once an University of Florida agricultural research center for watermelon and grapes to a working farm, restored [...]
Picayune Strand State Forest – Sabal Palm Trail - Take a walk on the wet side—built by Boy Scouts, this slosh through swampland celebrates the preservation of a segment of the Big Cypress Swamp that was once a part of the biggest real estate [...]
Pine Lily Preserve - A showcase for the colorful pine lily (Lilium catesbaei Walter), a threatened species that thrives in wet flatwoods, Pine Lily Preserve protects 409 acres in the Econlockhatchee River basin. Connecting directly to Hal Scott Preserve [...]
Pine Log State Forest - Mist rising off Sand Pond in morning—a must-see, making the cypress-lined lake ever so ghostly in the middle of Florida’s first state forest, Pine Log. From the Sand Pond trailhead, which starts near the campground, [...]
Poe Springs Park - With a nature trail showcasing Florida’s weird karst geology and a cypress swamp along the Santa Fe River near High Springs, Poe Springs Park provides a glimpse into Florida’s fossilized past. A second-magnitude spring, Poe [...]
Ponce Preserve - Just south of Daytona Beach, Ponce Preserve protects a cross-section of barrier island habitats in a 40-acre ribbon between the Atlantic Ocean and the Halifax River at Ponce Inlet. Home of the Green Mound, a [...]
Princess Place Preserve - At the confluence of Pellicer Creek and the Matanzas River, Princess Place Preserve is a Flagler County park protecting the oldest homestead in the county, Cherokee Grove. In 1791, this land grant from the King [...]
Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park - Within the city limits of Jacksonville yet certifiably wild, Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park is a high dry wilderness on bluffs above the Nassau River. The preserve protects more than 4,000 acres along the [...]
Rainbow Springs State Park – Sandhill Trail - More than a century ago, the forests surrounding first-magnitude Rainbow Springs were a beehive of activity as miners dug pits in the limestone to find nuggets that made Dunnellon a boomtown—phosphate. This area was the [...]
Ravine Gardens State Park - Built in 1934 by CCC workers with 250,000 ornamental plants and 95,000 azaleas, Ravine Gardens was named the “Nation’s Outstanding Citizen Works Administration Project” when it opened. In 1970, it became a state park. A [...]
Reedy Creek Swamp - Although the Osceola District Schools Environmental Study Center is only open to the public on weekends, its trails provide an up-close look at more than a dozen old growth cypresses and wildlife along Reedy Creek. [...]
Rice Creek Conservation Area - In the 1780s, British loyalists Thomas Forbes and William Panton fled from the American Revolution in Georgia to Florida, then a British colony. Applying for a land grant, they received acreage west of modern-day Palatka. [...]
Riverbend Park - Riverbend Park has been more than a decade in the making. It’s been more than a decade since Riverbend Park was first established, and now that it’s open, the 680 acre preserve is an ideal [...]
Robinson Preserve - A 487-acre mosaic of mud flats, mangrove swamps, and beaches, Robinson Preserve is a testament to the spirit of Aldo Leopold. Formerly farmland in a district of Bradenton known for its tropical plant nurseries, this [...]
Rock Springs Run State Reserve - Protecting more than 14,000 acres along the Wekiva River basin, Rock Springs Run State Reserve is well known for its Florida black bear population. While the trail system here was established more than a decade [...]
Rocky Point Hammock - An oasis of tropical hammock in a sea of suburbia, Rocky Point Hammock is perched along the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in Port Salerno, south of Stuart. This unique location creates an appealing mix of scrub [...]
Ross Prairie Loop - Starting at the Ross Prairie Trailhead, the 3.5-mile Ross Prairie Loop offers an overview of Ross Prairie, a sprawling complex of grasslands and ponds nearly three miles long. Edged by sand pine scrub, longleaf pine [...]
Ross Prairie State Forest – Holly Hammock Hiking Trail - At the Ross Prairie Trailhead of the Cross Florida Greenway, there are two loop trails you can access – and this is the shorter of the two, taking you on a journey into the quiet [...]
Sabal Point Sanctuary - Following an old logging tramway into the heart of a protected 2,500-acre floodplain forest where the Wekiva River and Little Wekiva River meet, the trail through Sabal Point Sanctuary is a simple one but quite [...]
Saddle Creek Park Nature Trail - An urban park just on the fringe of the industrial area east of downtown Lakeland, Saddle Creek Park draws a lot of attention for its primary attraction—fishing. Like those at nearby Tenoroc Fish Management Area, [...]
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, [...]
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 Sink Trail – [...]
Savage Christmas Creek Preserve - An Orange County natural land protecting more than 200 acres near Christmas, Savage Christmas Creek Preserve is a mosaic of prairies and wet pine flatwoods with islands of bayhead swamp and scrub forest, traversed by [...]
Savannas Preserve State Park – Hawks Bluff Trail - One of the rare places in South Florida where you can experience five habitats in just one mile of hiking, Hawks Bluff Trail at Savannas Preserve State Park shows off the highlight of this 10-mile-long [...]
Seabranch Preserve State Park - Seabranch Preserve State Park encompasses nearly 1,000 acres along the Intracoastal Waterway south of Stuart, and protects several critical habitats in an area overrun with coastal development. In addition to supporting populations of Florida scrub-jays [...]
Seminole Ranch Conservation Area – Loughman Lake - One of the mysteries of the St. Johns River is its salt lakes, fed by pockets of prehistoric salt water less than ten miles from the Atlantic Ocean. At the northern end of Seminole Ranch [...]
Seminole Ranch Conservation Area – Puzzle Lake - On January 11, 1765, royal botanist John Bartram guided his canoe into the confusing waters of Puzzle Lake. He and his son, William, scouted the marshes for several days, but found no clear route, and [...]
Seminole State Forest – Lower Wekiva Loop - A lesser-known but beautiful loop trail within Seminole State Forest, the Lower Wekiva Loop provides a long day hike or overnight backpacking trip on its 8.8-mile route. Tracing the edge of both the Wekiva River [...]
Shingle Creek Regional Park – Historic Babb Landing - Most notable as the northernmost waterway feeding the Everglades ecosystem – via the Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee – Shingle Creek rises from wetlands in a part of Orlando buried by the bustle of International [...]
Shingle Creek Regional Park – Historic Steffee Homestead - On its southward flow towards Lake Tohopekaliga, Shingle Creek – the northernmost tributary feeding Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades – winds through what is now some of the densest urban mass in Central Florida. Shingle [...]
Silver River Connector - Gushing more than 550 million gallons of water out of a cluster of springs each day, Silver Springs is the birthplace of the Silver River, a wild and scenic waterway that my paddler friends like [...]
Silver River State Park – River Trails - Silver River State Park has plenty of hiking, and these two trails are probably the most popular of the bunch. Walk under the “River Trails” arch to start your adventure into the cypress swamps and [...]
Silver River State Park – Sandhill Nature Trail - Back in the 1980s, when I first heard that land had been acquired near Silver Springs for a state park, I was thrilled. Having grown up nearby, it bothered me that the Silver Springs attraction [...]
Silver River State Park – Sinkhole Trail - Take a hike around a giant sinkhole and explore the uplands above the Silver River at Silver River State Park. Near the environmental education center and Pioneer Village, start at the Sinkhole Trail archway for this [...]
Silver Springs Conservation Area - It’s been a long time coming – Marion County’s first conservation area is now open for hikers to enjoy. Tucked between residential and business areas in Silver Springs across from Silver River State Park, this [...]
Simmons State Forest - Sitting right on the state line southeast of Folkston, Georgia, the Ralph E. Simmons Memorial State Forest is certainly a place to get away from it all. The sluggish tannic waters of the St. Marys [...]
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve - Humidity crept into the still morning air, coloring the swamp with a mild haze. Standing behind his medium-format camera, the photographer watched and waited, waited and watched. A green heron appeared, fluttering down to the [...]
Smyrna Dunes Park - As the wind whips across a broad, sweeping peninsula reaching out towards Ponce Inlet, you can hear the squawks of shorebirds and the rustle of gopher tortoises intermingle with engines gunning and dogs barking. At [...]
Split Oak Forest WEA - Notable for its namesake, a live oak tree more than two centuries old that split down the middle and still lives, Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area encompasses more than 2,000 acres set aside [...]
Spring Hammock Preserve - Fed by a trickle of hidden springs through lush hammocks of cabbage palms, Spring Hammock Preserve in Winter Springs is one of the most delightful places to take a hike in the Orlando area. In [...]
St. Francis Trail - It’s hard to believe, as you walk under bowers of live oaks and cabbage palms, that a town once crowded the wharf where the St. Johns River turns away from the St. Francis Dead River, [...]
St. George Island State Park – Gap Point Trail - Tall slash pines dominate the windswept remnant of coastal scrub forest that St. George Island State Park protects at the easternmost tip of this barrier island dividing the mouth of the Apalachicola River from the [...]
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park – St. Joseph Bay Trail - For a sampling of the fragile coastal habitats protected along St. Joseph Bay by St Joseph Peninsula State Park, take a short walk on this spectacularly scenic coastal trail. You’ll meander through a diminutive scrub [...]
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park – Wilderness Preserve Trail - If you’ve dreamed of camping on a deserted beach, here’s your chance. The westernmost tip of the St Joseph Peninsula is set aside for hikers to explore, a wilderness of windswept coastal scrub and sand [...]
St. Marks NWR – Mounds Pool Trail - Hugging the “Forgotten Coast” of the Big Bend, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge encompasses a broad sweep of salt marshes and tidal flats, brackish impoundments, cabbage palm hammocks, and pinelands. The Mounds Pool Interpretive Trail [...]
St. Marks River State Park - Explore river bottom forest around the St. Marks River at one of the most recent acquisitions by Florida State Parks. St. Marks River State Park protects 2,589 acres southeast of Tallahassee, straddling the Jefferson and [...]
Stokes Landing Conservation Area - Tucked away behind a suburban St. Augustine neighborhood, Stokes Landing Conservation Area is a hidden gem of the St. Johns Water Management District, providing an outdoor classroom for local schools and beautiful panoramic views of [...]
Sugar Sand Park - In the highly urbanized Interstate 95 corridor through Palm Beach County, Sugar Sand Park is a local getaway that hits the spot for families with young children. A portion of the park is given over [...]
SUMICA - The prairies of Central Florida are fascinating places, rich with wildlife. Here, you’ll see flocks of wild turkeys and sandhill cranes, and that unusual looking falcon, the caracara. Protecting more than 4,000 acres of this [...]
Sunnyhill Restoration Area – Levee Trail - A 4,405-acre swath of public land in the Ocklawaha River floodplain, Sunnyhill Conservation Area offers five different trailheads for hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians to roam its vast network of forest roads and levees. I’ve ducked [...]
Sweetwater Preserve - Two different faces, two different spaces: the 125-acre Sweetwater Preserve, acquired in 2006, is a unique natural land in the city of Gainesville. It provides a buffer and wildlife corridor on the northern rim of [...]
T. Mabry Carlton Reserve - Set aside as part of a ribbon of wild lands on the southeastern side of Sarasota County, T. Mabry Carlton Reserve is less than a dozen miles from downtown Venice but wild enough that the [...]
Tarkiln Bayou State Park - In 2003, The Nature Conservancy assisted the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with the purchase of this critical wetland along Tarkiln Bayou, known as the Perdido Pitcher Plant Prairie. Adjoining wetlands had already been [...]
Tate’s Hell State Forest – High Bluff Coastal Trail - In Tate’s Hell State Forest, the High Bluff Coastal Trail along US 98 near Carrabelle leads you over relict dunes covered with scrub plants like Florida rosemary and scrub mint, partially shaded by a canopy [...]
Taylor Creek Loop, Tosohatchee WMA - An exploration into the wilderness fringe along the St. Johns River near Cocoa, the Taylor Creek Loop invites you to immerse in the shade of ancient palm trees in the river floodplain. Built by the [...]
Ten Thousand Islands Marsh Trail - One of the world’s most mysterious places, the Ten Thousand Islands is where the Florida peninsula breaks apart into thousands and thousands of tiny pieces – clusters of mangroves forming islands in a shallow estuary [...]
The Friends Trail - Looping through pine flatwoods in the middle of suburbia, the Friends Trail at Brooker Creek Preserve offers an escape from busy Pinellas County life. This was the first trail to open on the county’s largest [...]
Three Lakes WMA – Sunset Ranch Trail - Within the 64,000 acre expanse of Three Lakes WMA, the Sunset Ranch Trail at the Prairie Lakes Unit north of Kenansville provides an easy interpretive day hike to sample the habitats found in the preserve [...]
Three Rivers State Park - Defined by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers creating the Apalachicola River, Three Rivers State Park includes Lake Seminole, a top-notch bass fishing destination, as well as a large lakeside campground with a [...]
Tibet-Butler Preserve - 4/13/13 – Tibet-Butler Preserve is closed, likely through the end of April, due to a fire on the property. Please call ahead before you plan to visit: (407) 876-6696 With a big, beautiful nature center [...]
Tiger Creek Preserve – Jenkins Trail - Starting at a small trailhead off a side road off Wakeford Rd, the Jenkins Trail leads you to a cool tannic stream slicing through the desert-like scrub of the Lake Wales Ridge: Tiger Creek, for [...]
Tillie K Fowler Regional Park – Island Trail - Protecting 509 acres in an otherwise crowded urban area, a large swath of floodplain forest and pine flatwoods along the Ortega River – a tributary of the St. Johns River – Tillie K. Fowler Regional [...]
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park - A sweep of fragile dunes along a shore that’s vanished, over time, under the rush of development: Topsail Hill State Park is a very special place. Protecting more than 3 miles of oceanfront on the [...]
Torreya State Park – Torreya Hiking Trail - One of the most rugged hikes in Florida, the Torreya Hiking Trail treats you to an billowing landscape of bluffs and ravines, rising to 300 feet above the Apalachicola River at Logan’s Bluff. The unusual [...]
Tosohatchee WMA – White Loop - Protecting more than 30,000 acres of wild space along the St. Johns River between Orlando and Titusville, Tosohatchee WMA is a grand expanse for hikers to play in. The Florida Trail runs through the preserve, [...]
Trail of Lakes - By itself, the Trail of Lakes is a 3.9-mile blue blazed connector between two portions of the Florida Trail around Camel Lake, a soggy, boggy walk in the Apalachicola National Forest. To enjoy it as [...]
Triple N Ranch - With a rugged but well-marked loop trail traversing landscapes both panoramic and intimate, Triple N Ranch WMA protects more than 16,000 acres of wide open pine savanna, grassy prairies, cypress domes, and the cypress-lined floodplain [...]
Turkey Creek Sanctuary - Surrounded by suburbia in Palm Bay, Turkey Creek Sanctuary is a precious preserve of 117 acres, protecting the gentle bends of Turkey Creek as it carves a deep path through sandy banks on its winding [...]
Upper Hillsborough River Hiking Trail - A linear hiking trail, the Upper Hillsborough River Hiking Trail meanders through pine flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods, open fields, oak hammocks, and floodplain forests along the edge of the Hillsborough River basin Resources Overview Location: [...]
UWF Dunes Preserve - If you’ve ever wanted to scramble up and down Florida dunes, here’s your chance! This part of Santa Rosa Island is a coastal desert that the Florida Trail weaves up and over. The Florida Trail [...]
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 the best [...]
Wakulla Springs State Park - Created by volunteers from the Friends of Wakulla Springs, the new Wakulla Springs Trail provides up to 10 miles of hiking in a round-trip and loop that showcases the variety of habitats along the river’s [...]
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 its [...]
Washington Oaks Gardens State Park – Bella Vista Trail - At lush Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, a treasure along the Atlantic coast, the Bella Vista Trail leads you along its white-blazed Timucuan Loop through a shady maritime hammock of red bay, southern magnolia, and [...]
Watermelon Pond WEA - On the westernmost edge of Alachua County, Watermelon Pond is a sprawling prairie complex that was once a massive lake, a haven for wading birds. Unfortunately, the dewatering effects of continued development in the region [...]
Wekiwa Springs Hiking Trail - More than a million people live within twenty miles of Wekiwa Springs State Park, where Orlando’s suburban sprawl encroaches from several directions. It’s one of Florida’s most busy and popular state parks, with Wekiwa Springs [...]
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park - Preserving more than 30 acres of tropical hammock north of Islamorada – saved from condo development in the 1980s, with support from local residents – Windley Key Fossil Reef is a very unique place. In [...]
Wiregrass Prairie Preserve – Yellow Loop - Part of a 1,400-acre watershed encompassing wetlands that flow out of Lake Ashby towards the St. Johns River basin, Wiregrass Prairie Preserve is a wild and rugged place in a distinctly rural setting. This hike [...]
Withlacoochee River Park - Most folks who hear about the Green Swamp imagine a giant watery wilderness like the Okeefenokee or the Everglades, but this swamp is very different. It is the headwaters of four Florida rivers—the north-flowing Withlacoochee [...]
Withlacoochee State Forest – Citrus Hiking Trail - Four days, 43 miles: that’s just part of the challenge of the Citrus Hiking Trail, the second-longest backpacking loop on a single piece of land in the state of Florida. Add aggressively rolling sandhills, steep [...]
Withlacoochee State Forest – Hog Island Nature Trail - For a dip into the primordial wilderness that envelopes the Withlacoochee River on its northward flow to the Gulf of Mexico, take a short jaunt to Nobleton (Hernando County) for a nature trail that showcases [...]
Withlacoochee State Forest – Oxbow Trail - A lesser-known part of Withlacoochee State Forest, the Oxbow Trail is on the northernmost tract of the forest along the Withlacoochee River, the trails and campsites all Eagle Scout projects. While the easy-to-follow big loop [...]
Yearling Trail - In the fall of 1876, Reuben and Sara Jane Long established a homestead on Pat’s Island, a high spot in the Big Scrub. Shaded by longleaf pine and turkey oak, they grew sugar cane and [...]
Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park - Where wet pine flatwoods slope towards Blackwater Bay, a sweeping panorama of wet prairies is host to the largest concentration of pitcher plants in all of Florida. Even from the side of the road – [...]
