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How to Do Florida backpacking

Backpacking With Your Kids

How to Do Florida TV host Chad Crawford takes his daughter on a backpacking trip on the Florida Trail. Let him inspire you to plan your next family adventure!

September 14, 2015    Sandra Friend

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If you’re a parent, have you taken your kids backpacking? There’s no better way to let them fall in love with the outdoors than to walk out into the woods and spend the night there.

On an episode of How to Do Florida, TV host and outdoor adventurer Chad Crawford takes his daughter Kasey on an overnighter from Clearwater Lake to Alexander Springs on the Florida Trail. Here’s a peek.

The Florida Trail through the Ocala National Forest makes for an excellent first-time backpacking trip for families.

Since random camping is permitted – except during general gun hunting season, when hikers must use established campgrounds and sites – you can let the kids pick out a high, dry spot under the pines wherever they like. Just make sure you haul enough water in for everyone!

Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Florida Trail, Ocala

72.3 miles. The birthplace of the Florida Trail and home of the world’s largest sand pine scrub forest, the Ocala section is Florida’s top backpacking destination


Places To Go Backpacking

Families may want to try short loop backpacking trails with their kids before taking them on longer hikes. Here are a few suggested destinations with low mileage.

White blazed tree and trail into forest

Buster Island Loop

The 6.9-mile Buster Island Loop at Lake Kissimmee State Park is a favorite for both day hikers and backpackers, as it shows off a variety of habitats along the open prairies

Flat Island Preserve

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, Gold Head Branch State Park

Florida Trail, Gold Head Branch

Following the high ground above Devil’s Washbasin and Gold Head Ravine, the Florida Trail works its way across Gold Head Branch State Park on a scenic 3.5 mile route

Florida Trail, Juniper Creek

Florida Trail, Juniper Creek

7.3 miles. Also known as the Juniper Creek Trail, the Florida Trail at Juniper Creek is a gorgeous place to explore, with its panorama at Red Rocks and botanical delights along and above the creek basin.

Florida Trail, Mills Creek Woodlands

Florida Trail, Mills Creek

As the Florida Trail follows the curve of the basin in which Mills Creek into a bowl of marshlands, enjoy old-growth trees and long boardwalks along this 2 mile hike

White blazed post in pine savanna

Prairie Lakes Loop

Enjoy the counterpoint of moss-draped oak hammocks and expansive prairies at Prairie Lakes along one of the older and more beloved pieces of the Florida Trail.

Florida Trail, Rice Creek

Florida Trail, Rice Creek

Home of ancient cypress trees and the remains of a 1700s rice plantation, Rice Creek Conservation Area has a fascinating loop trail along the statewide Florida Trail

Prairie Loop Trail

Prairie Loop Trail

On a day hike into one of our state’s largest prairies, sample Florida’s own big sky at the state’s first International Dark Sky Park

Wekiwa Springs Hiking Trail

Wekiwa Springs Hiking Trail

A 10.2-mile loop through landscapes both vast and intimate, the Wekiwa Springs Hiking Trail shows off the best of nature at Wekiwa Springs State Park.

While some Florida State Parks offer backpacking loops, the linear Florida National Scenic Trail is our premiere destination for backpacking in Florida.

If a little bit of comfort makes a difference, certain portions of the Florida Trail have an abundance of designated primitive campsites that provide very basic amenities like benches or a picnic table and a fire ring.

Along the Suwannee River and most of the Orlando section, you can hike in and claim a site for your own. Permits and payment are required in state parks and for primitive campsites in state forests in the Orlando area.

Along the Kissimmee River, Green Swamp, and Eglin sections of the Florida Trail, permits are required in advance for these campsites.

Don’t forget trail shelters, too. These are like little cabins in the woods that the family can sleep in. The best ones, of course, are screened.

Two pretty little shelters near Palatka attract a lot of weekend campers: the “Rice Creek Hilton” at Rice Creek Conservation Area, and Iron Bridge Shelter at Etoniah Creek State Forest.

Prepare For Your Hike

Before you head into the great outdoors, make sure you know how to prepare for a backpacking trip in Florida. Here’s a checklist of the basics you should take with you.

Involve the entire family in gear selection and food preparation before you leave. Planning is part of the fun of backpacking!

How to Do Florida features outdoor adventures for the entire family. Learn more on their website.

Category: Articles, BackpackingTag: Family-Friendly, Florida Trail

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Our Florida Trail Books

The Florida Trail Guide

The Florida Trail GuideThe comprehensive mile-by-mile guidebook to planning section and thru-hikes along the entire length of the Florida Trail. 356 pages, $19.95 + tax and shipping.

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Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail HikesFifty of the best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail, plus nine of the best section hikes. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

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Discovering the Florida Trail

Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock
Our virtual walk along the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

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The Florida Trail

Florida Trail large coffee table book cover of trail down swamp causeway under ancient pines

Our history of the first 50 years of the Florida Trail, from its founding in 1966 to becoming a National Scenic Trail to volunteer efforts today.

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The Florida Trail App

Comprehensive logistics and offline maps all in one: The Florida Trail Guide is now also an interactive map-based mile-by-mile app by Guthook Guides.

Get the App!

Florida Trail Updates


Get periodic recaps of changes to the Florida Trail, which we accumulate between editions of our guidebook. Find all official Trail Closures & Notices here.

Hiking the Florida Trail

  • Florida Trail Overview
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Florida Trail by Section

Porter Lake, Apalachicola National Forest

Florida Trail, Apalachicola

Florida Trail, Apalachicola
Florida Trail Big Bend view

Florida Trail, Big Bend

Florida Trail, Big Bend
Florida Trail Big Cypress

Florida Trail, Big Cypress

Florida Trail, Big Cypress

Florida Trail, Blackwater

Florida Trail, Blackwater
Florida Trail Nokuse

Florida Trail, Central Panhandle

Florida Trail, Central Panhandle
Eglin Weaver Creek

Florida Trail, Eglin

Florida Trail, Eglin
Florida Trail Kissimmee

Florida Trail, Kissimmee

Florida Trail, Kissimmee
Florida Trail at Rice Creek

Florida Trail, Northeast Florida

Florida Trail, Northeast Florida
Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Florida Trail, Ocala

Florida Trail, Ocala
Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail

Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail

Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail
Florida Trail, Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Okeechobee
Florida Trail at Forever Florida

Florida Trail, Orlando

Florida Trail, Orlando
Florida Trail Seashore Dunes

Florida Trail, Seashore

Florida Trail, Seashore
Florida Trail along a canal south of Clewiston

Florida Trail, Seminole

Florida Trail, Seminole
No Name Creek

Florida Trail, Suwannee

Florida Trail, Suwannee
Cypress Lakes Preserve

Florida Trail, Western Corridor

Florida Trail, Western Corridor

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