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Marshall Swamp

Florida Trail, Marshall Swamp

3 miles. Marvel at towering trees in an ancient forest along this Florida Trail segment on the Cross Florida Greenway

Florida Trail, Western Corridor  |  Florida Trail, Cross Florida Greenway
( 29.1623, -82.0321 )      3.0 miles

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In winter, shades of red and yellow and purple sweep across the floodplain forest. In the spring, the trees cloak themselves in vibrant new green leaves.

This is a place to savor the forest, an ancient landscape where cypress trees once dominated. As you walk the Florida Trail through Marshall Swamp, clues to those giants – and their ultimate fate – are everywhere.

Marshall Swamp on the Cross Florida Greenway
Hiking in Marshall Swamp on the Cross Florida Greenway

Resources

Florida Trail Hikes book cover Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover Florida Trail history book  
Full details on this hike, including a trail map, are in our full-color guidebook Florida Trail Hikes. You’ll also find this and many of the other segments of the Cross Florida Greenway in our book Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala.

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.


Guthook GuidesGuthook Guides GPS-driven map-based guide to the Florida National Scenic Trail with thousands of waypoints from The Florida Trail Guide. Works offline. For iPhone and Android.


Overview

Location: Silver Springs
Length: 3.0 miles linear
Trailhead: 29.1623, -82.0321
Fees / Permits: Free
Restroom: Portable toilet at south end, restrooms at north end
Land Manager: Cross Florida Greenway
Phone: 352-236-7143
 
Open 8 AM until sunset daily. While leashed pets are welcome, this is one of the more likely places on the Cross Florida Greenway to encounter alligators. You may want to leave your dog safely at home.
 
Cyclists and hikers share the trail. There are several benches for rest stops, but expect uneven terrain with puddles.

Directions

 
From the intersection of CR 464 (Maricamp Rd) and CR 35 (Baseline Rd), drive east on CR 464 for a half mile and turn left onto SE 64th Ave Rd. Follow it for 2.1 miles. The SE 64th Ave Rd trailhead is on the left just before the road dead-ends.
 
The Marshall Swamp trailhead is prominently signposted along Sharpes Ferry Rd, 2.6 miles east of CR 35 in Silver Springs.

Hike

The Marshall Swamp section of the Florida Trail starts just past a blue-blazed connector trail coming in from the nearest trailhead, SE 64 Ave Rd. It’s a quarter mile walk from the trailhead to meet the orange blazes.

The Marshall Swamp sign signals the beginning of a very different hike than the walk up here from Baseline. No longer high and dry, it drops down to the edge of the floodplain, shaded by hickories and oaks.

After a short tunnel under the trees, there is a break in the forest. A social trail leads to the right to the end of SE 64th Ave Rd. The trailhead is a quarter mile south of here. If you’re hiking out and back, you can use this as a shortcut, walking past several houses, on your return trip.

Passing one of the very old footprint signs, the trail makes a sharp left after it goes by two side trails leading to the community adjoining the forest. The tunnel effect becomes more pronounced, particularly when you join the tramway that crosses the heart of the swamp.

Florida Trail, Baseline to Marshall Swamp
The turning point off the tramway in Marshall Swamp

At the picnic table after 0.9 mile, turn left off the tramway to start a walk in the woods. The next mile of trail zigzags along the edge of the deeper swamp, using boardwalks to cross places that remain wet most of the time, and touches the property boundary in places.

Throughout this portion of the trail, the trees tower well overhead, forming a high canopy. Where the forest floor isn’t damp – and even in some places where it is – it’s a riot of ferns and lichens swarming over rotting logs.

Marshall Swamp Trail
Hiking through the north end of Marshall Swamp

When you reach the loop trail junction and observation deck on the pond, you’ve walked 2.5 miles. Take the side trip to the pond to look for wildlife. Keep with the orange blazes to cross a long boardwalk over the outflow of the pond.

Rising up into a forest with an open understory and a lot of loblolly pines and oaks casting shade across the trail, you pass the other end of the loop trail coming in. After 3 miles, trail’s end is at the Marshall Swamp trailhead kiosk.

NORTHBOUND: Silver Springs State Park
SOUTHBOUND: Baseline to Marshall Swamp


Explore More

Slideshow

Our slides from hiking through Marshall Swamp


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Pine forest on the Cross Florida Greenway

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.

Indian Lake

Indian Lake State Forest

Purchased to protect an uplands recharge area for one of Florida’s largest springs, Indian Lake State Forest centers around a deep sinkhole lake called Indian Lake

Silver River Connector

Silver River Connector

Built to showcase the Cross Florida Greenway, the Silver River Connector is a 3-mile round-trip from the Ocklawaha Visitor Center to Ray Wayside Park.

Silver Springs Conservation Area

Silver Springs Conservation Area

Silver Springs Conservation Area protects upland habitats crucial to recharge of Silver Springs. Two stacked loop trails (with a cross-trail on the upper loop) provide several options for hiking.

Glass-bottomed boats at Silver Springs

Silver Springs State Park

One of the world’s largest and deepest springs, Silver Springs pours out more than 550 million gallons of water daily, forming the Silver River



Official Map (PDF) Official Website

Category: Biking, Central Florida, Day Hikes, Florida Trail, Hikes, TrailsTag: Big Trees, Birding, Cross Florida Greenway, Dog-friendly, Family-Friendly, Florida State Parks, Florida Trail, Florida Trail Biking, FT Cross Florida Greenway, FT Western Corridor, Observation Decks, Ocala, Picnic, Silver Springs, Wildlife Viewing

Have an update? Contact us.

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Our Florida Trail Books

The Florida Trail Guide

The Florida Trail GuideThe comprehensive mile-by-mile guidebook to planning section and thru-hikes along the entire length of the Florida Trail. 356 pages, $19.95 + tax and shipping.

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Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail HikesFifty of the best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail, plus nine of the best section hikes. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

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Discovering the Florida Trail

Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock
Our virtual walk along the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

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The Florida Trail

Florida Trail large coffee table book cover of trail down swamp causeway under ancient pines

Our history of the first 50 years of the Florida Trail, from its founding in 1966 to becoming a National Scenic Trail to volunteer efforts today.

Learn More

The Florida Trail App

Comprehensive logistics and offline maps all in one: The Florida Trail Guide is now also an interactive map-based mile-by-mile app by Guthook Guides.

Get the App!

Florida Trail Updates


Get periodic recaps of changes to the Florida Trail, which we accumulate between editions of our guidebook. Find all official Trail Closures & Notices here.

Hiking the Florida Trail

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Florida Trail by Section

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Florida Trail, Northeast Florida

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Juniper Prairie Wilderness

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Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail

Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail

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Florida Trail, Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Okeechobee
Florida Trail at Forever Florida

Florida Trail, Orlando

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Florida Trail Seashore Dunes

Florida Trail, Seashore

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Florida Trail along a canal south of Clewiston

Florida Trail, Seminole

Florida Trail, Seminole
No Name Creek

Florida Trail, Suwannee

Florida Trail, Suwannee
Cypress Lakes Preserve

Florida Trail, Western Corridor

Florida Trail, Western Corridor

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