Hiking Resources

My friend Linda “Earthworm” Patton (of BooksForHikers.com) is planning a dream trip, cross-country, to see the national parks between Florida and the West. Lots of friends have dug up good tips for RV travel – and a rental RV is how Linda is going to get to hike in all these gorgeous places. I just [...]

If you have an iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, or other mobile device you’ll be pleased to know that the Florida Hikes! website is mobile-enabled for ease of use when you’re out driving around looking for a hike. I’ve also been working with app publishers to create new multidimensional guides for you to enjoy Florida’s outdoors more. [...]

Back in February I joined Chad Crawford for a segment of “How to Do Florida,” an outdoors show that provides a hands-on approach of enjoying Florida’s outdoors. The episode, filmed at Florida Caverns State Park, just aired in Orlando on Channel 9 yesterday, and will be showing up in other Florida markets next Sunday. Check [...]

It’s upsetting to hear about bear attacks on hikers in other states. After getting way closer to a bear early this month than I’d been before, it got me thinking … what if I was on foot? The bear was near the trail I’d been on. My bear savvy came from hiking in the Appalachians, [...]

With the hot temperatures and sudden thunderstorms we’ve been having of late, it’s a reminder that Florida’s hiking season is NOT summertime. Granted, you can go out into the swamps of South Florida and enjoy yourself, or hit the trail in our northerly areas early, but summer doldrums are at their peak right now, with [...]

Here’s a new one for the blogroll: Florida Footpaths, a website celebrating the stories along the trails of the Ocala National Forest by actress Kim Crow. She and her husband have a home in Hog Valley, and they meander the byways and trails soaking up stories and sharing them via audio and video presentations. See the site!

Interested in digging into the details of what’s going on in Florida forests and the forests of the Southeast in general? The Forest Encyclopedia Network is one of those websites you should bookmark. It’s a gateway to research papers on the Southern Appalachians, fire science in the Southeast, bioenergy resources, and all branches of the [...]

In 2008, I pioneered the concept of “Grab & Go” PDF hike downloads in one of the last projects I did as a staff member of the Florida Trail Association.  The idea led me to start the Hike-A-Week later on.  Feel free to download, print, and share these mini-guides to hikes along the Florida Trail. [...]

These guides to hiking Florida are guidebooks I’ve authored or co-authored since 2001 to introduce you to thousands of miles of Florida’s hiking trails. The Florida Trail: The Official Guide is now out of print, but I am working on a new digital edition to be shared as a series of PDF files on this [...]

Thanks to a posting about Mike DeWitt’s video (see a few blogs ago), I stumbled across a website called BestHike.com. Today’s post concerns hikers lost in the jungles of French Guyana for 7 weeks. Since I’ve hiked all around the world, it’s a blast to find a site devoted to hiking everywhere and anywhere. Bookmark [...]

One of the best digital tools for connecting with fellow hikers, Meetup.com provides a treasure trove of organized groups for you to join and get out on a hike this hiking season. I’m glad to see that many chapters of the Florida Trail Association have embraced Meetup, but there is also quite an array of [...]

Since my post a few weeks ago, Meetup for a Hike, I’ve learned of two more Florida Trail chapters that have Meetup sites. The Suncoast Chapter of the Florida Trail Association -  centered around Tampa Bay and covering trails from Inverness to Venice – posts their activities at http://www.meetup.com/Suncoast-Florida-Trail-Hiking The Loxahatchee Chapter of the Florida [...]

Tripped over a snake on a Florida trail? Stopped in your tracks watching one in the water? We’ve all had these moments that make us wary. The good news is that there are only six species of venomous snakes in Florida, and they’re pretty easy to identify. Especially after you take a look at this [...]

I’m surprised I haven’t seen this message in every newspaper and outdoor-related magazine across Florida: outdoor recreation on National Lands just became affordable! In January, the Federal Government started selling a new National Public Lands Pass. It’s designed to replace the mess of passes that one person had to get to visit all the federal [...]

Yesterday, the National Forests in Florida unveiled a new website that will have outdoor enthusiasts roaming even more of the Ocala National Forest in search of their favorite activities. I’m delighted to share that I played a role in putting this together (as a part of the National Forests in Florida web team) to promote [...]

In 2008, I learned podcasting and went on to produce a series of podcasts about Florida Trail segments for the Florida Trail Association. Episodes of “Inside the Florida Trail” >> Download and play (mp3) Florida Trail, Bradwell Bay Florida Trail, Cross Florida Greenway Florida Trail, Lake Okeechobee Florida Trail, Osceola National Forest That fall, I [...]

Florida is dry. Downright crispy. And these conditions make it easy for fires to spark and spread. Have you noticed smoke in your neighborhood lately? I’ve seen it for weeks here in Ocala – first from the big fires in the Okeefenokee Swamp, and now drifting in from fires more local to us. Before you [...]

Read a book, create an adventure! That’s the idea of the special focus on the outdoors that the Florida Department of Education is creating with its new summer reading program, “Just Read, Families!” From their lengthy list, I chose these books because they set the stage for a family outdoor adventure.  The first step: read [...]

In a cooperative effort with the Office of Greenways and Trails, Florida State Parks, and other state agencies, VISIT FLORIDA, the official marketing agency of Florida tourism, plans to unveil a Florida Trails website later in the month as part of www.visitflorida.com. The website will provide basic information on hiking, biking, paddling, and equestrian trails [...]

A discussion came up this week on our Facebook page regarding concerns about running into feral hogs when hiking. I’ve encountered them a few times myself, generally fleeing the scene. One big boar stood his ground once, however, and he was so big that myself and my friend Gary thought he might be a bear. [...]