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Fakahatchee ferns

Archives for December 2020

Bethea State Forest

Big cypress in a narrow tannic waterway

Jacksonville      ( 26.990576, -82.302249 )      10.0 miles

With nearly 40,000 acres along the Florida-Georgia border, John M. Bethea State Forest provides an important corridor for wildlife migrating between the Okefenokee Swamp and Osceola National Forest.

Big Cypress Backcountry Access

An obvious watery path through wetlands

December 4, 2020    Sandra Friend

By December 15, all public comments are due on the new Big Cypress Backcountry Access Plan. Here’s our analysis of it and our opinions, along with a discussion of backcountry and wilderness in Florida.

Biking Pine Island Conservation Area

Pelicans on Pine Island Creek

December 20, 2020    John Keatley

Within sight of the massive Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, this ride to the Indian River Lagoon offers some of the best birding you’ll do by bike.

Biking Scottsmoor Flatwoods East

Bike rider on woodland trail

December 9, 2020    John Keatley

At Scottsmoor Flatwoods Sanctuary, the trails are open to hikers, cyclists, and equestrians. But as we learned, off-road biking here can be more than a little challenging.

Celery Fields

Wetlands at Celery Fields

Sarasota      ( 27.32539, -82.43339 )      3.2 miles

A historic agricultural area transformed into a haven for birders, Celery Fields offers easy walking, running, and biking on paved and unpaved trails built around restored wetlands.

Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve

Cabbage palms adjoining a trail

Tampa      ( 27.69134, -82.50167 )      1.8 miles

Directly across Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg, two loop trails in Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve navigate restored wetlands and a lookout point known as Mount Cockroach.

Florida Trail, Nice Wander Loop

White and orange blazes on longleaf pine in forest

Florida Trail, Northeast Florida  |  Osceola National Forest
( 30.212617, -82.389083 )      1.7 miles

In the Osceola National Forest, this short loop along the Florida Trail adjacent to Olustee Battlefield is one of the easiest places in the state to see red-cockaded woodpeckers.

Florida Trail, Turkey Run to Deep Creek

Pine flatwoods orange blaze and footpath

Florida Trail, Northeast Florida  |  Osceola National Forest
( 30.279284, -82.480162 )      11.4 miles

In the northwest corner of Osceola National Forest, this 11.4 mile segment of the Florida Trail offers strong contrasts between pine flatwoods and bogs.

Golden Aster Scrub Nature Preserve

Prairie at Golden Aster Scrub

Tampa      ( 27.82093, -82.35316 )      8.5 miles

Protecting uplands immediately east of Tampa Bay, Golden Aster Scrub Nature Preserve immerses hikers within oak scrub habitat along a sandy loop trail.

Hidden Pond Preserve

Nice view of pond with clouds reflecting in water

Bithlo      ( 28.5183, -81.0654 )      1.9 miles

Putting together several loops providing perspectives on pine flatwoods, prairie, swamp, and a showy pond, Hidden Pond Preserve offers a very enjoyable 1.9 mile hike.

Maple Set Trail

Tannic waterway nicely framed by forest

Bethea State Forest  |  Jacksonville
( 30.524425, -82.231083 )      2.5 miles

Providing a peek into an ecologically important area along the eastern edge of Bethea State Forest, the 2.5 mile Maple Set Trail showcases the beauty of the St. Marys River basin.

Osceola National Forest

Longleaf pine forest

Lake City      ( 30.212620, -82.389046 )      

The smallest of Florida’s national forests, the Osceola National Forest carries the weight of history hidden in its dense stands of longleaf pine.

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