Dueling fireworks – Winter Springs and Oviedo – were visible from the Florida Trail the other night if you knew where to look! My friend Joan, aka Bluetrail, had a great plan – head out on the Cross Seminole Trail bridge over SR 434 after dark. Sure enough, it was a high enough vantage point […]
Archives for July 2009
Apalachicola: More than oysters
One of my favorite getaways in Florida, the historic coastal city of Apalachicola is renowned for its oysters – not this time of year, however, given the lack of R in the month 😉 It’s a walkable downtown, easy to stroll and explore. One of the most recent hikes I’ve added to the site is […]
Apollo Beach?
Perched above Tampa Bay on crumbling bluffs, the Apollo Beach Nature Preserve wasn’t quite what I expected. Perhaps the name, with its Greek roots, or the recognition of how Jules Verne predicted Florida space travel, albeit it launched from the shores of Tampa Bay, wrapped an aura of romance around the idea of a nature […]
Big Lagoon’s Sandy Sweep
Out past Pensacola within earshot of the Gulf of Mexico, Big Lagoon State Park is notable for being a gateway to the Great Florida Birding Trail, with a large observation tower overlooking the vast sweep of the namesake lagoon. There are always wading birds and raptors here, either poking around the shallows or diving for […]
Climb a mountain this weekend
Hobe Mountain, that is … the highest point in Florida south of Lake Okeechobee, if you don’t count the mountainous landfills seen along Florida’s Turnpike. Okay, make that the highest natural landform in South Florida. And to top it off … a tower. Check out this short walk with a fabulous view at Jonathan Dickinson […]
Cool down in the Blackwater River
Enjoy a cool dip in the Blackwater River at Blackwater River State Park near Milton. The Florida Trail runs right through the park, crossing Deaton Bridge, but your best access to the least-busy broad sandy beach on a river bend is along the Chain of Lakes Trail, an interpretive trail that follows old oxbows left […]
E.G. Simmons Park
E.G. Simmons Park in Ruskin offers a campground along with its beaches and mazy mangrove-lined waterways for paddlers and anglers along Tampa Bay.
Gator rumble at Green Cay Wetlands
One alligator attacks another in a surprise wildlife encounter filmed safely from the boardwalk at Green Cay Wetlands in Boynton Beach.
Hernando Beach isn’t
There is no beach at Hernando Beach, save the one that lets you splash into the springs at Jenkins Creek.
Hikes between Orlando and Fort Lauderdale
Recommendations made for mild to medium hiking and backpacking opportunities in Central and South Florida between Orlando and Ft Lauderdale