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.
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Overview
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.
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, it 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.
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, 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
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. Suggested Articles
Florida Trail Backpacking Backpackers will appreciate the many places the Florida Trail provides a pleasant overnight, three-day-weekend, or multi-day hiking experience to escape to the outdoors.
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. Explore More
Learn more about the Cross Florida Greenway section of the Florida Trail
Florida Trail, Cross Florida Greenway 43.8 miles. A prime destination for backpacking and day hiking south of Ocala, the Florida Trail follows the Cross Florida Greenway between the Withlacoochee and Ocklawaha Rivers.Slideshow
See our photos from this hike
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring nearby
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.
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.
Silver River Connector Built to showcase the Cross Florida Greenway, the Silver River Connector is a 3-mile round-trip between the former Ocklawaha Visitor Center and Ray Wayside Park.
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.Official Map (PDF) Interactive App Reserve a Campsite Official Website
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