With some of the state’s largest population centers – and easiest access by air – Central Florida is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts in the know. Thousands of lakes, dozens of rivers, and the vast expanse of Tampa Bay provide shorelines for hiking and launching a paddling trip. Despite the urban mass in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Orlando, there are many wild places to explore. Some are tiny patches inside city limits, others expansive preserves on the outskirts of “civilization.” Home of the Ocala National Forest and dozens of state parks, this region is prime for planning your next outdoor vacation.
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 [...]
Alderman’s Ford Park - An easy loop at this popular county park, the Lithia Nature Trail slips behind the nature center for a walk in deeply shaded woods. Along the river’s floodplain corridor, you are in hammocks where massive [...]
Bear Creek Nature Trail - A patch of wild in a sea of Winter Springs suburbia, Bear Creek provides nearly a mile’s worth of exploration atop sandy bluffs in a deeply shaded creekside hammock. Walking among the ancient cypress, oaks, [...]
Big Tree Park - On March 2, 2013, the boardwalk at Big Tree Park reopened as part of the Seminole County Centennial celebration. The Senator is no more, but a clone of the Senator was planted on the grand [...]
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 [...]
Black Hammock Wilderness Area - For those in the know, Black Hammock is a bit of Old Florida still clinging to the old ways along the shores of Lake Jesup, where folks still grow celery and strawberries and ride their [...]
Blue Spring State Park - If you’ve never seen manatees by the dozens, let alone a hundred or more, there’s no better place in Florida to watch these gentle giants drift past than near Deland along the boardwalk at Blue [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Caloosa Nature Trail - Atop Florida’s most ancient of landscapes, the Lake Wales Ridge, the Audubon Center at Babson Park has a mission of interpreting the uniqueness of the plants and animals that call this island of biodiversity home. [...]
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 [...]
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 lagoon. Deeply [...]
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 State House, the last remaining [...]
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 from the former fishing village of [...]
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 archeological site dating back [...]
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, [...]
Catfish Creek Preserve State Park - Hang on for one wild walk! Allan David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park isn’t just “a perfect example of Lake Wales Ridge Scrub,” it’s a landscape unlike any other you’ll find in Florida. The [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Crooked Lake Prairie - In a region where development has started to spread, Crooked Lake Prairie is a refreshing excursion into habitats found on the high hills of the Lake Wales Ridge. The network of interlinking loop trails includes [...]
Crooked River Preserve - At the northernmost end of the Lake Wales Ridge, a significant landform that stretches from Minneola down towards Lake Okeechobee, creating the “spine” of the Florida peninsula, Crooked River Preserve showcases a wide variety of [...]
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 [...]
Dade Battlefield Historic State Park – Pine Flatwoods Trail - Walk a gentle loop through the longleaf pine forest that saw one of the bloodiest moments in Florida history. On December 28, 1835, Seminole warriors who opposed the federal government’s attempt to remove them from [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]- Egmont Key State Park - Resources Overview Location: Egmont Key Length: 1 mile Lat-Lon: 27.613088, -82.736473 (for ferryboat dock) Type: round-trip Fees: state park access fee Difficulty: easy to moderate Bug Factor: moderate Restroom: not on the island Pets are [...]
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 [...]
Erna Nixon Park - Although Erna Nixon Park is just down the street from one of the busiest shopping malls on the Space Coast – Melbourne Square – it transports you right out of suburbia and back into the [...]
Eureka Springs - In 1938, amateur botanist and world traveler Albert Greenburg established a botanical garden with tropical plants around springs that fed a lush floodplain forest along Six Mile Creek. Years later, he started the first tropical [...]
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 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, 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, 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, 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, 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 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, 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, 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, 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, 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 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 – Barrier Free Trail - Dangling like an anchor into the southern waters of Tampa Bay, Mullet Key is known to the world as Fort De Soto Park, home of a rare find: unspoiled, uninhabited Suncoast beaches. During the Spanish-American [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Green Spring Park - Hidden deep in a leafy glade, a shimmering pool rises from the earth to pour through palm hammocks towards the St. Johns River. At Green Spring Park, the trails are short but well-groomed, with options [...]
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 [...]
Hickory Lake Scrub - Along the eastern shore of Hickory Lake, this 57-acre preserve showcases some of the unusual plants you can only find on the Lake Wales Ridge. When the rest of Florida was under a few feet [...]
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— [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Juniper Springs - Surrounded by the dryness of the Big Scrub, the world’s largest scrub forest, Juniper Springs is a playground of hydrological wonders, the center of a jungle-like oasis of riotous growth. Here, you’ll find every sort [...]
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 [...]
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 Sinkhole Trail - In the heart of the Big Scrub of the Ocala National Forest, the Lake Eaton Sinkhole is a relatively young phenomenon compared to the other large sinkhole in the region, Devil’s Millhopper. It punctured the [...]
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 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 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 Monroe Conservation Area – Kratzert Tract - For a quick dip into the beauty of the St. Johns River floodplain, the Kratzert White Loop offers a family-friendly walk beneath ancient oaks and cabbage palms of enormous size. This 1.5-mile loop was originally [...]
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 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 [...]
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, [...]
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-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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Mead Garden - Established in 1937 as a memorial to world-renowned horticulturalist Theodore L. Mead, Winter Garden’s original showcase of camellias was reborn in the 1960s with community volunteers enhancing the property with nature trails, boardwalks, and formal [...]
Merritt Island NWR – Visitor Center Boardwalk - Offshore from Titusville, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is one of the top destinations in Florida for winter birding. The Visitor Center boardwalk eases you into an introduction to typical habitats on the refuge and [...]
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, [...]
Mosaic Peace River Park - The site of an open-pit phosphate mine until the early 1980s, this reclamation project borders the Peace River floodplain, where the boardwalk winds through the floodplain forest out to the river. Interpretive signs give background [...]
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 [...]
Ocala National Forest – Timucuan Trail - In less than a mile, you experience all of the major habitats of the Ocala National Forest—and can cool off with a swim. Noted for its clarity, Alexander Springs gushes out of a subterranean crevice [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Palm Island Park - A stay at the Lakeside Inn jogged my memory of when I first discovered Palm Island Park. I was in the thick of researching a travel guide, and had walked down to the Dora Lighthouse [...]
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 [...]
Pelican Island NWR – Centennial Trail - Pelican Island isn’t just a National Wildlife Refuge, it’s the National Wildlife Refuge that started the whole concept going, back in 1903. Even further back, in 1858, the small island in the Indian River Lagoon [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
Sarah Maude Mason Nature Preserve - A short but deeply-shaded and scenic walk, the nature trail at Sarah Maude Mason Nature Preserve in Howey-in-the-Hills spends most of its time on a boardwalk over a floodplain forest along Little Lake Harris. Bring [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
Trimble Park - At the end of a 71-acre peninsula – once an isthmus – between Lake Beauclair and Lake Carlton in the Harris chain of lakes, Trimble Park is an under-the-radar beauty spot of which Orange County [...]
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: [...]
Upper Tampa Bay County Park - Located west of Tampa off Hillsborough Avenue, this 2,144 acre park protects a large swath of the sensitive mangrove-lined northern shores of Upper Tampa Bay, a massive estuary. Centered on a large Environmental Study Center, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Wekiwa Springs State Park – Wet to Dry Trail - While the Wet to Dry Nature Trail at Wekiwa Springs State Park is the shortest of all of the park’s hiking trails, it’s also the busiest. Starting near the outflow of Wekiwa Springs as it [...]
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 – Johnson Pond Trail - One of my favorites for many years, the Johnson Pond Trail is Hike #3 in 50 Hikes in Central Florida. Although it combines elements of hikes I’m not fond of – shared use in a [...]
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 [...]
