Florida Hikes

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

Fakahatchee ferns

Launch Points

Parks and other public lands where you can launch your own canoe, kayak, or paddleboard. These locations may or may not have rentals available.

Savannas North End Trails

Port St. Lucie   4.1 miles

Expansive panoramas of wetlands and pine savannas define the North End Trails, a network of loops exploring the northern reaches of Savannas Preserve State Park.

Savannas Preserve State Park

At Savannas Preserve State Park, a grand expanse of wet prairies and pine flatwoods extends across two counties to the west of the Indian River Lagoon.

Savannas Recreation Area

Fort Pierce   3.4 miles

Camp, paddle, bike, or hike to explore the north end of a tall, narrow basin of freshwater marshes and pine savannas west of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in Fort Pierce.

Scherer Thaxton Preserve

Osprey   3.5 miles

A system of multiuse trails traverses increasingly wild environments, circling an artificial lake to enter pine flatwoods habitat extending into adjacent Oscar Scherer State Park.

Seminole State Forest

Sorrento   miles

With nearly 50 miles of trails and roads for hiking, biking, and equestrian use, Seminole State Forest offers surprising panoramas and bubbling springs north of Orlando.

Shell Bluff Park

Bunnell   0.7 miles

Walk beneath an unbroken hardwood canopy evocative of Old Florida on the well-maintained pathways of rural Shell Bluff Park near Crescent Lake.

Shingle Creek Management Area

Orlando   6.6 miles

Boardwalks and trails venture alongside Shingle Creek and into a mosaic of pine flatwoods and cypress swamps at the headwaters of the Everglades.

Shoreline Park

Gulf Breeze   2.2 miles

Explore a network of well-maintained and signposted nature trails threading through natural habitats atop bluffs and within wetlands along the shoreline of Santa Rosa Sound.

Sombrero Beach

At the southern tip of Marathon, Sombrero Beach offers beachgoers a natural strand and an easy beach walk within sight of the Keys' largest lighthouse.

Spruce Creek Park

Port Orange   0.8 miles

Buffered by Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve, this island along US 1 features easy access to the Rose Bay Trail and its own loop with waterfront views.

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge

Stretching across 86,000 acres in Florida's Big Bend, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge protects one of Florida's longest wild shorelines, more than 43 miles in three counties.