Florida Hikes

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

Ichetucknee Springs

Springs in Florida

Nearly 900 springs bubble to the surface in Florida. Explore our major springs to swim, snorkel, and paddle.

INTERACTIVE MAP

Merritt’s Mill Pond

The astounding hues of spring-fed Merritt's Mill Pond make it a compelling destination for paddling and diving.

Morrison Springs Park

Surrounded by a rim of old growth cypress, Morrison Springs is a beautiful second magnitude spring with swimming and diver access down an interpretive boardwalk.

Mud Spring Trail

Welaka   1.7 miles

At Mud Spring, mud isn't what you'll see in the gently rounded basin that cradles an underwater garden, but a glassy natural pool.

Ocala National Forest

Established in 1908 as the first National Forest east of the Mississippi, the Ocala National Forest is a mecca for hikers and campers, and the birthplace of the Florida Trail.

Otter Springs

Trenton   3.0 miles

At an inviting second magnitude spring, a shaded nature trail traces the spring run as it flows towards picturesque views on the Lower Suwannee River.

Paddling the Weeki Wachee River

One of Florida's most beautiful paddling trips, the Weeki Wachee River rises from first magnitude Weeki Wachee Springs and winds through lush floodplain forests as it is fed by hundreds of smaller springs along this 5.5-mile paddling run.

Pitt and Sylvan Springs

Fountain   miles

Distinctly different in nature, massive Pitt Spring and burbling Sylvan Springs make up a popular swimming and launch area along Econfina Creek.

Poe Springs Park

High Springs   1.5 miles

At Poe Springs Park, the Poe Springs Nature Trail carries you across a landscape shaped by water acting on limestone, where surface rock is obvious and studded with fossils.

Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

In the middle of the Florida Panhandle, Ponce de Leon Springs is along the upper end of a belt of shimmering springs that feed the Choctawhatchee River basin.

Rainbow Springs State Park

Dunnellon   5.0 miles

A botanical and a geological delight, Rainbow Springs wraps the beauty of a first-magnitude spring with gardens and waterfalls once part of a classic Florida attraction.

Royal Springs

Branford   0.5 miles

Staring into Royal Springs, it feels like looking into a bottomless pit. Steep and broad, it drops 42 feet into shimmering waters of turquoise and royal blue.

Salt Springs Recreation Area

See the beauty of William Bartram's "amazing crystal fountain" as you gaze into the depths of this rocky spring in the Ocala National Forest