Florida Hikes

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

Alligator flag in Corkscrew Strand

Southwest Florida

Along the Gulf Coast from Tampa Bay to Naples, Southwest Florida has a tropical vibe, with hiking, biking, and paddling along its rivers, bays, and barrier islands.

INTERACTIVE MAP

Otter Mound Preserve

Marco Island   0.1 miles

On the site of historic Caxambas on Marco Island, Otter Mound Preserve protects a tropical hammock and the remnants of a homestead with unique whelk shell terraces.

Oyster Creek Environmental Park

Englewood   2.4 miles

Along the northern shore of a mangrove-lined creek, Oyster Creek Environmental Park offers gentle hiking trails with interpretive stops beneath old-growth slash pines.

Palma Sola Botanical Park

Palma Sola   0.6 miles

Now a showcase for temperate and tropical species, this former ten acre nursery encompasses collections of palms, fruit trees, and flowering tropical trees.

Panther Prowls & Gator Growls

Will you see a panther when hiking at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge? I was fortunate to hike with a panther biologist and go on a tracking expedition, but we still came up empty-handed when it came to finding a big cat.

Panther Trail

Immokalee   1.3 miles

Tunnel through verdant tropical forests and wade across open prairies on the Panther Trail, a 1.3 mile natural surface circuit through Florida panther territory at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.

Panther Walk Preserve

Naples   0.5 miles

Well-placed trail markers lead through Florida panther habitat, immersing visitors within a primordial cypress strand near Naples within the Big Cypress Swamp.

Pepper Ranch Kite Flight Trail

Immokalee   5.4 miles

On the Kite Flight Trail, explore hammocks, bottomland forests, and strand swamps on a wild perimeter surrounding expansive cattle pastures at Pepper Ranch Preserve.

Pepper Ranch Preserve

Immokalee   17.6 miles

Miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails span Pepper Ranch Preserve, an important link in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed and habitat for the Florida panther.

Perico Preserve

Bradenton   2.2 miles

Hugging the edge of Perico Bayou on Perico Island, Perico Preserve adjoins Robinson Preserve in Palma Sola, presenting similar habitats on a smaller scale.

Phillippi Estate Park

Sarasota   0.9 miles

A historic mansion and farmhouse anchor this 60-acre county park with paddler access to Phillippi Creek, fishing piers, and shell paths along a coastal hammock.

Pine Island

Once an important cultural center for the indigenous Calusa, Pine Island north of San Carlos Bay is a laid-back outdoor destination near Fort Myers.