Stokes Landing Conservation Area
St. Augustine 2.7 milesFronting a vast estuary along the Tolomato River basin, Stokes Landing Conservation Area contrasts deeply shaded maritime hammock and marsh rims with panoramic views.
Stranding Steves at Fakahatchee
Exploring Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park for a chapter of a new book we're writing, a pair of park rangers named Steve guide us to the park's beauty spots
Strangler Fig
Slowly suffocating its host by creating a leafy canopy above it and roots that surround it, the strangler fig (Ficus aurea) earns its name. You'll see it throughout tropical habitats in South Florida.
Stuckeys
On my way home from Pensacola, I had to stop in Bagdad to visit Florida’s last real Stuckeys. When I was a kid and my family did road trips to Florida down the East Coast every year, we’d always stop at Stuckeys. The distinctive yellow-roofed …
Stump Pass Beach State Park
At the south tip of Manasota Key, Stump Pass Beach State Park sits at just the right angle to collect seashells like a scoop, so early risers have great shelling
Sugar Mill Ruins Park
New Smyrna Beach 0.3 milesAt Sugar Mill Ruins Park in New Smyrna Beach, an interpretive trail tells the story of the Cruger-dePeyster Sugar Mill, established in 1830 and abandoned in 1835 after a Seminole raid.
Sugar Sand Park
Boca Raton 1.5 milesIn Boca Raton, the trails at Sugar Sand Park radiate from a nature center and playground surrounded by the remains of a coastal scrub and pine flatwoods in this urbanized area.
SUMICA
Lake Wales 6.2 milesWith up to 6.2 miles of trails - many of them a bit wet - SUMICA is one of the natural lands in Polk County where birding is especially superb.
Summer at Corkscrew
There is a special magic surrounding a summer hike through Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, where ghost orchids dance high above in the soft green canopy created by the ancient cypress protected here
Summer birding at Sunnyhill
Birding at Sunnyhill Restoration is best along the Levee Trail adjoining the Ocklawaha River and in the marshes beyond it. A round-trip walk leads to a purpose-built bird blind in a hot spot.
Summer in Big Cypress
Vibrant, green, and blooming - there's no better time to visit Big Cypress National Preserve than in the summer months, when the gentle flow of collected raindrops across the landscape nourishes the sawgrass prairies and cypress strands
Summer in Florida
Summer isn't the best time to hike in Florida, but it's still fun to see the beauty of our forests during the rainy season. Hike early AM, or take a short stroll.