In early June, the USDA Forest Service, National Forests in Florida released the 2012 Florida National Scenic Trail Strategic Plan. This planning document is the first guidance document for the future of the Florida Trail since the trail’s original inception as a National Scenic Trail in 1986.
The Florida Hikes! Blog
News, trail updates, and conservation issues, as well as our explorations of trails around Florida and the world.
2012 State of the Trail Report now available
The Florida National Scenic Trail 2012 State of the Trail Report is now available for download from the USDA Forest Service.
4th of July Fireworks from the Florida Trail
Dueling fireworks – Winter Springs and Oviedo – were visible from the Florida Trail the other night if you knew where to look! My friend Joan, aka Bluetrail, had a great plan – head out on the Cross Seminole Trail bridge over SR 434 after dark. Sure enough, it was a high enough vantage point […]
A chat with Nimblewill Nomad
I had a pleasant chat Wednesday night with one of my hiking heroes, M.J. Eberhart, aka Nimblewill Nomad, calling from Paradise. That’s Paradise, Michigan, and Eb is within a couple of days of completing the North Country Trail through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and swinging down into the rest of Michigan as he continues […]
A new perspective on the St. Johns River
If you’ve ever hiked along or near the St Johns River off SR 46 between Sanford and Mims, you know the landscapes are flat. Sometimes the braided river channels through this chain of lakes may have just enough elevation for an oak hammock, limbs gracefully arched over the marshy shallows. Sometimes the floodplain is a […]
A night in Clewiston
When you reach the turnoff to continue north on the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee, you don’t quite reach the town of Clewiston. After all the heat and bugs while camping and cooking outdoors, the group decided to enjoy real food and a night in an air-conditioned, bug-free motel room. The owner gave us a […]
A Peaceful Donation
A donation of the 4,171 acre Peaceful Horse Ranch on the Peace River was turned down by DEP two years ago. It was just accepted as a future Florida State Forest
A quick trip through Leon Sinks Natural Area
I’m trying out a few new tricks using WordPress plugins and specialized code from my image host, SmugMug.com. Let’s see how this works… [HTML1]
A ramble on the new Hinson Trail
A ramble along the newly opened Hinson Trail, a loop trail system on the southern edge of Marianna along the Chipola River Greenway – scenic, rugged, unusual, and historic.
A ramble through Robinson Preserve
Several years ago, while researching Exploring Florida’s Botanical Wonders, I stumbled across the newly opened Robinson Preserve in Palma Sola. Managed by Manatee County and directly across the road from Palma Sola Botanical Gardens, this preserve of mud flats and mangrove-lined shores has one of the best observation tower views in Florida, as well as […]