Sweeping across Marion County and its communities, the mile-wide swath of public land known as the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway provides separate, parallel trail systems for hikers, cyclists, and equestrians.
Along more than 40 miles of the Florida Trail, it offers surprising changes in elevation thanks to piled-up remains of canal diggings up to a century old, now covered in forests.
Providing backpackers an alternative for overnight trips while fall hunting season is in full swing on other public lands, this section of the Florida Trail is ideal for day hiking thanks to its many trailheads.
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Trip Planning
Camping and Lodging
Designated campsites are open to backpacker use. In the fall, this section is popular for backpacking since no hunting is allowed along it.
Backpacking the Florida Trail across the Cross Florida Greenway requires one of two things: either a membership in the Florida Trail Association or a free permit.
Contact the Office of Greenways and Trails (352-236-7143) in advance of your trip and outline your planned route. Let them know where you are leaving your car while backpacking.
Both small motor courts and chain hotels are within two miles of the trailheads at Blue Run Park in Dunnellon, Land Bridge, Santos, and Marshall Swamp.
Dogs
Leashed dogs are welcome. This is an excellent section for backpacking with your dog. It is high and dry most of the way. Alligator sightings are unlikely except at Marshall Swamp.
Wildlife
While bears are infrequently seen along this piece of the Florida Trail, they have been spotted. You’ll want to bear bag your food to secure it from nosy raccoons.
Water
Water sources are very limited along the trail. Surface water is mostly non-existent except in the swamps at either end of this section.
Potable water can be found at the Ross Prairie, Shangri-La, Land Bridge, Santos, Baseline, and Marshall Swamp trailheads.
Water can be filtered from horse troughs (fed by wells) at the Pruitt and SW 49th Avenue trailheads, as well as at the land bridge.
Resupply
Long distance hikers have quite a few stops to choose from. Dunnellon is a welcoming trail town with services starting less than a mile off-trail.
You’ll find hotels, restaurants, and several full-service grocery stores to choose from. It’s worth a zero day for a float down the Rainbow River.
A Walmart is less than a mile north of the road crossing at SR 200. It’s 2 miles south along CR 475A to hotels, restaurants, and an array of services at SR 484 and Interstate 75.
The town of Belleview is less than 3 miles south off the trail for hotels, restaurants, and grocery stores.
Right outside the gate of the Santos trailhead, Greenway Bicycles has snacks and drinks geared to athletes.
The town of Silver Springs is 4.3 miles northwest of the Marshall Swamp trailhead, with hotels, restaurants, a Walmart, and access to one of the world’s largest springs.
Parking & Shuttle
If you’re leaving a car for multiple days, best to do so behind the gates of one of the campgrounds, where a camp host is present.
If you need assistance with a shuttle, join the Florida Trail Hikers Facebook group and ask for assistance. There are a number of volunteers in the area who can help. Be sure to compensate them for their gas and time.
Safety
Even with its buffer zone, much of the Cross Florida Greenway is surrounded by homes, subdivisions, and working ranches. Road crossings and trailheads may bustle with activity.
Flooding
The confluence of the Rainbow River with the Withlacoochee River in Dunnellon floods rarely. Marshall Swamp may flood. Otherwise, this entire section is high and dry.
Hunting
Hunting is not permitted along the Cross Florida Greenway.
Roadwalks
We suggest backpackers stick to the 32 miles between Pruitt and Marshall Swamp trailheads since minimal roadwalks are involved. For specifics on the roadwalks, see “Gaps” below.
People
While the Cross Florida Greenway is a mile wide, it does slice through a heavily populated area. Use street smarts.
Don’t leave your gear unattended, lock your car and leave nothing of value in view, and don’t stay at a trailhead if someone makes you uncomfortable.
Trail Map
Mileages
Key mile markers south to north.
0.0 – CR 39 trailhead
0.8 – Withlacoochee River bridge
2.3 – Bridges Road trailhead
7.2 – Pruitt trailhead #
12.2 – Ross Prairie trailhead and campground 0.7E #$
13.6 – Ross Prairie campsite+
14.1 – Spring Park campsite+
15.8 – Shangri-La trailhead and campground 0.9E #$
19.0 – SW 49th Ave trailhead 0.2E #
19.1 – SW 49th Ave campsite+
21.2 – Land Bridge #
22.2 – Land Bridge campsite+
22.4 – Land Bridge trailhead $
27.4 – Vortex trailhead
30.0 – Santos trailhead and campground 0.1E #$
34.1 – Baseline trailhead #
36.2 – SE 64th Ave trailhead 0.2E
39.2 – Marshall Swamp trailhead #
41.9 – Sharpes Ferry Road roadwalk
43.8 – Ocala National Forest
$ fee charged. + designated campsite. # water available
Trail Segments
Details about all segments of the Florida Trail in this section are in The Florida Trail Guide and app. The hikes below include some of our favorites for this section.
Each is described from the perspective of a day hiker, noting landmarks, water, and campsites along the way. Not all are oriented from south to north, but this is the order they are in northbound.
Florida Trail, Dunnellon 2.3 miles. Tunneling through dense floodplain forests to bridge the Withlacoochee River, the paved Dunnellon Trail segment of the Florida Trail offers accessible users an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.
Florida Trail, Pruitt to Ross Prairie 7.5 miles. With switchbacks, scrambles, and ancient oaks, the Pruitt section of the Florida Trail along the Cross Florida Greenway offers a fascinating hike into the history of the Cross Florida Ship Canal.
Florida Trail, Ross Prairie to SW 49th Ave 6.5 miles. With hilly terrain, fern-covered boulders, and large sinkholes beneath the pines, this is a rugged and interesting segment of the Florida Trail on the Cross Florida Greenway.
Florida Trail, SW 49th to Land Bridge Trailhead 3.6 miles. Bookended by soft sand pines and ancient oaks, this particularly fascinating hike along the Cross Florida Greenway includes a massive dune-like slope and the Land Bridge over Interstate 75. 
Florida Trail, Land Bridge Trailhead to Santos 6.7 miles. Between the Land Bridge Trailhead and Santos, the Florida Trail winds its way around horse farms to meander through stands of oaks and pines.
Florida Trail, Santos to Baseline 5.1 miles. History is on display along this segment of the abandoned Cross Florida Barge Canal, from a town demolished nearly a century ago to agricultural land undergoing habitat restoration.
Florida Trail, Baseline to SE 64th Ave 2.7 miles. On a sliver of restored sandhill, the Baseline section of the Florida Trail provides a stroll within a forested oasis surrounded by suburbia. 
Florida Trail, Marshall Swamp 3 miles. Marvel at towering trees in an ancient forest along this Florida Trail segment on the Cross Florida Greenway.Side Trails
Trails that interconnect with and sometimes share a portion of the Florida Trail route.
Blue Run of Dunnellon Park Enjoy a gentle family-friendly hike along the Rainbow River at Blue Run of Dunnellon Park, where woodland footpaths and paved trails keep you mostly in the shade with dry feet as you explore the river floodplain.
Ross Prairie Loop Circling the largest prairie ecosystem on the Cross Florida Greenway, the 3.5 mile Ross Prairie Loop showcases massive oaks and panoramic views.
Holly Hammock Hiking Trail A 2.4 mile loop showing off the habitat diversity of Ross Prairie State Forest, this easy hike provides scenic panoramas across the prairie on a mostly shaded trail.
Historic Ship Canal Trail The shortest trail on the Cross Florida Greenway interprets nearly a century's worth of efforts to dig a canal across the Florida peninsula and split it in two.Public Lands
The Florida Trail utilizes the Cross Florida Greenway for this entire section
Cross Florida Greenway Spanning 110 miles between the St. Johns River near Palatka and the Gulf of Mexico, the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway is a mile-wide recreational corridor.Connections
To the north, the Florida Trail leaves the Cross Florida Greenway to enter the Ocala West section within the Ocala National Forest.
Florida Trail, CR 314 to Eaton Creek 11.4 miles. In the damp southwest corner of the Ocala National Forest, the Florida Trail navigates boardwalks across a swampy subtropical jungle. To the south, it follows a connecting paved bike path from the CR 39 trailhead of the Dunnellon Trail to the Gulf Junction trailhead of the Withlacoochee State Trail.
Withlacoochee State Trail Tracing 44 miles of railroad history down forested corridors, past big lakes and city parks, and through quaint communities, the Withlacoochee State Trail is one sweet rideArticles
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.
Cross Florida Greenway History: Finding a Route A visit to the Barge Canal Diggings near I-75 after 13 years of the Florida Trail on the Cross Florida Greenway reveals steady changes over the years, shown in a series of photos.
Cross Florida Greenway History: The Land Bridge A landmark along Interstate 75 near Ocala, the Land Bridge remains one of the more popular destinations for hikers, bikers, and equestrians on the Cross Florida Greenway. 
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