The Meadow
An inviting entrance to a hike across distant balds
The Memory of Feet
Muscle memory built in childhood guided my footsteps today
The Moon Tree Garden
Florida's most unique arboretum features a circle of sycamores honoring the Apollo missions, all here thanks to an Apollo 14 project for the U.S. Forest Service to take tree seedings into orbit around the moon.
The Naples Preserve
Naples 0.4 milesAlong US 41 near downtown Naples, traverse a tiny urban patch of pine flatwoods and oak scrub along an accessible boardwalk to watch gopher tortoises below.
The new 50 Hikes in Central Florida
We launched a new full-color edition of 50 Hikes in Central Florida at the National Trails Festival in Deland the first weekend of October. Take a peek inside.
The Other Side of Farles Prairie
What's it like to do trail research? Here's a typical day out on the trail for us when we're tracking down relocations of the Florida Trail or finding new trails to add to this website.
The Over 80 Across Florida Hike
In 2007, a group of senior hikers made Florida hiking history by successfully completing a backpacking trip from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico via backroads, the Florida Trail, and the Withlacoochee Bay Trail. All were over age 80.
The Pint-sized Ponces of Punta Gorda
Ponce de Leon, it seems, was a short fellow. In Punta Gorda, Florida, you'll find pint-sized statues, murals, and even the Fountain of Youth to recollect his 1513 visit to Charlotte Harbor.
The Quarter-Gallon Club
Visions of ice cream dance in our heads
The Rainbow Swamp
A perfect combination of cold weather, blue skies, and winter in a North Florida cypress swamp let us happen upon two instances of rainbow swamps on a hike in the Osecola Experimental Forest. Does that make a double rainbow?
The Right Gear
If what you have isn't working, upgrade
The Sheltered Life
Some hikers rely on shelters. We'd rather not. But Plumorchard was special.