Our 2020 update of the state of the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee. Thru-hikers should continue to use Okeechobee West as their route around the lake. We provide full details on why.
Best Hikes on the Florida Trail
Explore our picks for the best scenic hikes along the Florida Trail. We’ve hiked the entire trail: these are pieces of the trail we’d be happy to hike again and again.
Biking the Florida Trail
Eager for an off-road ride on our statewide National Scenic Trail, the Florida Trail? We’ve compiled a guide to the best locations for touring and bikepacking, with details on where bikes are and aren’t allowed to ride the trail.
Caladesi Island State Park
Protecting a windswept shoreline and a variety of habitats on a barrier island, Caladesi Island State Park is one of the gems of the Florida State Parks system
Caladesi Island Trail
On the Island Trail, discover how virgin pines and mangrove swamps define the wild side of Caladesi Island, a slender barrier island north of Clearwater Beach
Caloosahatchee Regional Park
Providing a rare peek into unspoiled upland and floodplain habitats along the Caloosahatchee River, Caloosahatchee Regional Park evokes the wilderness in which the Calusa lived
Circle B Bar Reserve
For fabulous birding and more alligators than you can count, roam the marshy edge of Lake Hancock on miles of causeways through Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland
East or West around Lake Okeechobee?
Making the decision to walk the Florida Trail east or west around Lake Okeechobee used to be easy. Now, with construction zones blocking access to much of the southern half of the lake, it isn’t. Here are the facts on each route’s strengths and weaknesses to help you decide the best route for you.
Edison & Ford Winter Estates
Tropical gardens from the 1920s grow lavishly around the historic winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers
Flat Island Preserve
Established as a botanical preserve for native plants, Flat Island Preserve protects islands in the Okahumpa Marsh, offering hikers and paddlers immersion in a lush wilderness
Florida Trail, KICCO North
3.4 miles. Take in a panorama of marshes busy with birds in the Kissimmee River floodplain at River Ranch along the northernmost reaches of the Kissimmee River
Florida Trail, KICCO South
10.1 miles. Ancient live oaks break up the expanse of cattle pastures and prairies along the Florida Trail adjoining the Kissimmee River in KICCO