Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Gear recommendations, hike planning, where to hike, and how to get the most out of your hike
Our detailed recommendations and reviews of the best hiking and backpacking gear for your thru-hike or section hike of the Florida Trail based on our own successful use of certain tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, and more.
Got kids? If any of them are in fourth grade, they can get a free pass to ALL Federal public lands good for the whole family through the end of August. Here’s how.
Explore our top picks for the best scenic hikes along the Florida Trail
It’s Florida’s roughest, wettest, weirdest backpacking trip, best tackled with friends. Along this 30 mile stretch of the Florida Trail in the heart of Big Cypress National Preserve, immersing in the swamp is the point of the hike. Sandra tackled it as the final stretch of her multi-year 1,110-mile section hike of the Florida Trail, end-to-end.
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.
Our 2018 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.
Fall is a fabulous time for hiking in Florida, but you need to be aware that you may be sharing the trails with hunters, too. Here’s how to find out where, and where you can go where hunting is not permitted.
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.
Our beloved Florida Trail is only one piece in a nationwide network of trails born of the National Trails System Act, established 50 years ago by the U.S. Congress. Learn about the many National Trails across America.
At the Florida Trail Association (FTA) Annual Meeting on April 7, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida, longtime FTA volunteer, author, trail expert, and FloridaHikes.com publisher Sandra Friend was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
When we revisited Spring Hammock Preserve in December 2017 for research for our third edition of 50 Hikes in Central Florida, we discovered radical changes to the trail system that needed explanation. Here’s what’s up at one of our favorite preserves.
With more than 1,400 miles of hiking statewide, the Florida Trail provides a gateway to grand landscapes for botanical beauty. Here are our top suggestions for fascinating botanical destinations along the Florida Trail.
