Spiderwebs and fog
On a cool, crisp morning in Central Florida, fog billows in long streamers across rural landscapes. It's time to visit Pine Lily Preserve in the mist.
Hiking in Moonshadows
Hiking in the moonlight? This trek through Hal Scott Preserve after dark is a regular offering of the Central Florida Chapter of the Florida Trail Association.
Swamp sunflowers at Lake Lotus Park
Swamp sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius) are one of the delights of fall in Florida when they bloom en masse.
Hiking to Happahatchee
A conservationist and a Floridian who truly made a difference for Florida, Ellen Peterson, founded Florida's Sierra Club chapter in the 1970s and fought to keep Fisheating Creek open to paddlers. She leaves behind a sterling legacy for our state.
Friends Along the Way
What makes the Big O Hike stand out from all other hiking events is the friendships that you make - good, deep friendships born out of traveling together at a walking pace for nine days around Lake Okeechobee.
Matching Florida books to outdoor adventures
Have you ever matched a book to an outdoor adventure? Well, now’s the time to try it out. A special focus on the outdoors is part of this year’s summer reading program “Just Read, Families!” from the Florida Department of Education. …
Cross Florida Greenway History: Bridge to the Future
The history of the Cross Florida Greenway's birth and the building the Land Bridge - and the Florida Trail - across this new stretch of public land in Central Florida in 1999.
Florida Wildlife
From toothsome alligators to scampering lizards, you will see wildlife while enjoying Florida's outdoors. Here are photos and descriptions of some of the creatures you may encounter along our trails.
Permits and Passes
How to obtain passes and permits for Florida's public lands, including state parks, state forests, national parks, and Eglin Air Force Base.
Out of Time
Breaking away from the everyday for nine days to immerse yourself in the goal of walking around Lake Okeechobee brings on a certain sense of calm, a time out of the normal pace of time, despite time framing each day.
Everglades, Interrupted
When you're traveling at the speed of feet, it's easy to spend hours reflecting on the Everglades that once was, the vast wilds erased by the agro-industrial complex that brought sugar cane to Lake Okeechobee.
Turtle Time
In hiking and in life, there are tortoises and hares. On the Big O Hike, the Loxahatchee - "River of the Turtles" - Chapter participants walk at all speeds, but the speediest of our hikers are known as rabbits.