Guidebook Updates for Florida Hiking

The GPS coordinates for Hickory Hammock are incorrect. They should be:  27.402100°, -81.169300°

According to friends who live near the area, Emeralda Island is permanently closed to hiking on the dike system adjoining Lake Griffin. The dikes are being removed to restore the natural filtration of the marsh.

In Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State, page 303, the lat-long for Carney Island Park is given as 29°00.884’ W081°57.870’ ... it's incorrect. Use 29°0'53.77"N, 81°57'51.52"W or 29.014936, -81.964311. See the map for the Carney Island Park hike for the actual  location.

In May, the Bugaboo Fire - Florida's largest ever wildfire, which crept over the state line from the Okeefenokee Swamp in Georgia - pretty much erased the pine forest and bayheads of the Big Gum Swamp Wilderness Area, which means the end of the Big Gum Swamp Trail until someone decides to blaze it again after the forest grows back.

This affects the following guidebooks of mine:
The Hiking Trails of Florida’s National Parks, Forests, and Preserves
Pages 147-148
50 Hikes in North Florida
Hike 11, Page 100
Hiker’s Guide to the Sunshine State
Hike NF-18, Page 167

When I get word from the National Forests in Florida that the trail has reopened, I'll remove this update and check it out. It's a rugged trail but fun. It lies north of the Florida Trail, which was not affected by the fire.

In May, the Bugaboo Fire - Florida's largest ever wildfire, which crept over the state line from the Okeefenokee Swamp in Georgia - pretty much erased the pine forest and bayheads of the Big Gum Swamp Wilderness Area, which means the end of the Big Gum Swamp Trail until someone decides to blaze it again after the forest grows back.

This affects the following guidebooks of mine:
The Hiking Trails of Florida’s National Parks, Forests, and Preserves
Pages 147-148
50 Hikes in North Florida
Hike 11, Page 100
Hiker’s Guide to the Sunshine State
Hike NF-18, Page 167

When I get word from the National Forests in Florida that the trail has reopened, I'll remove this update and check it out. It's a rugged trail but fun. It lies north of the Florida Trail, which was not affected by the fire.