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Broad path in pine flatwoods

Florida Trail Orlando Future Corridor

In a long-term effort to nudge the Orlando corridor of the Florida Trail closer to suburbia, discontinuous federally-designated fragments of trail east of the airport offer enjoyable day hikes.

Article by Sandra Friend & John Keatley (November 4, 2021)

Largely developed in the 1980s and 1990s, the Orlando section of the Florida Trail roughly follows the St. Johns River floodplain in a long arc from Bull Creek north.

For close to a decade, an effort has been underway to move that corridor closer to the edge of metro Orlando, largely to eliminate the 30-mile roadwalk from Bull Creek through Deseret Ranch.

FT Orlando future corridor map
Future corridor map shown on Crosby Island Marsh kiosk

The public lands and trails we list below are all part of this new corridor, but very few of them interconnect.

Exceptions are the corridor between Split Oak WEA, Moss Park, and Crosby Island Marsh Preserve, and the connectivity from Hal Scott Preserve through Pine Lily Preserve.

At the present time, there is no viable roadwalk between other trail segments due to major highways and private lands blocking a north-south route.

White sand path past trail sign
The Lake Lizzie Trail at Lake Lizzie Conservation Area near St. Cloud is blazed orange and signposted FNST at both termini

Resources

Resources for exploring the area
Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover 50 Hikes in Central Florida 5 Star Trails Orlando Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover Paddlers Guide Florida
 
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.

About the Corridor

Radical relocations of trail corridor such as these bring a whole host of problems, particularly as subdivisions sprawl farther across the region.

Filling the gaps between existing lands is costly and difficult during periods of high market value, and existing infrastructure can cause headaches.

Day pack in front of sign in woods Split Oak Forest remains at risk of being ripped up for toll roads


For this planned corridor, one of the biggest issues is getting across Toll 528, the highway connecting Orlando and Cocoa Beach.

At the present time, it is not at all possible to roadwalk between Crosby Island Marsh Preserve in Lake Nona and Hal Scott Preserve in Wedgefield.

pine savanna longleaf Vast pine savannas are protected by Hal Scott Preserve


Nevertheless, a persistent effort has been underway to clear, blaze, signpost, and designate trails on public lands in Osceola and Orange County as the Florida National Scenic Trail.

This creates some confusion for people, since these pieces do not connect to the thru-trail, and with few exceptions, do not connect to each other.

FNST sign at trail stile Prominent FNST sign at Crosby Island Marsh


The lands and trails listed below, south to north, are all a part of this future Florida Trail corridor. At the south end, it diverges from the existing route from the hunt camp at Bull Creek WMA.

At the north end, connectivity will occur through Orlando Wetlands Park to Bronson State Forest. Both Tosohatchee and Seminole Ranch will end up bypassed entirely.

Orange blaze in oak hammock Lush oak hammock in Savage Christmas Creek Preserve


Orange-blazed, FNST-signposted trail leads from the south end of Split Oak Forest WEA through the front gate of Moss Park, a popular Orange County Park and lakeside camping destination. A quarter-mile roadwalk connects to Crosby Island Marsh Preserve.

While no orange blazes exist south of the Red Loop in Hal Scott Preserve, blazes lead from the northeast corner of that loop to the trail system at adjoining Pine Lily Preserve.

Dark water at the base of a cypress Triple N Ranch One of the most rugged trails in Central Florida, the 7.1 mile Blue Loop at Triple N Ranch traverses open pine flatwoods and deeply shaded hardwood hammocks.
Marsh Loop at Lake Lizzie Lake Lizzie Conservation Area Hugging the eastern shore of Lake Lizzie, Lake Lizzie Conservation Area encompasses more than a thousand acres, a vast mosaic of prairies, pine flatwoods, and scrub forest.
Split Oak at Split Oak Forest Split Oak Forest WEA A live oak tree more than 200 years old is the centerpiece of Split Oak Forest, a 2,000-acre prairie and scrub preserve near Orlando, home to families of sandhill cranes
Marshy landscape in Florida Swamp Trail, Moss Park Traversing the marshes that exchange waters between Lake Hart and Lake Mary Jane, the Swamp Trail is an easy hike between Moss Park and Split Oak Forest.

Oak arch over orange blazed trail Florida Trail, Moss Park Overlaid in part on the scenic Bear Island Nature Trail, orange blazes lead across Moss Park to connect hikers with adjoining Split Oak Forest and nearby Crosby Island Marsh.
Ribbon of marsh beyond pines Crosby Island Marsh Preserve On an isthmus between floodplain marshes in eastern Orange County, Crosby Island Marsh Preserve provides an easy walk through a ribbon of sandhill habitat.
Young longleaf pines at Hal Scott Hal Scott Preserve Explore vast prairies and seepage bogs, cross the Econ River at Curry Ford, and camp under a live oak canopy—all just east of the Orlando International Airport.
Florida myrtle blooming next to a trail with a puddle Pine Lily Preserve In every season, wildflowers are the highlight along more than 4 miles of trails at Pine Lily Preserve, where its namesake lilies bloom in late summer.

Pine flatwoods panorama Savage Christmas Creek Preserve Protecting more than a thousand acres, Savage Christmas Creek Preserve east of Orlando has more than 8 miles of trails through panoramic prairie and pine flatwoods landscapes.
Open marsh at Orlando Wetlands Park Orlando Wetlands For a hike filled with the flutter and squawk of birds, Orlando Wetlands is one of the best birding spots in the state. This 5-mile loop follows our favorite route.

Explore More!

Learn about the current Orlando corridor of the Florida Trail

Words Florida Trail Orlando overlaid on blazed trail leading into cypress swamp edged with cabbage palms. Florida Trail, Orlando Between the prairies of Osceola County and the Ocala National Forest, this 150 mile section of the Florida Trail slips through suburbs of the Orlando metro.

Explore Tosohatchee and Seminole Ranch

Dense palm hammock Florida Trail, Tosohatchee Bridging an immense expanse of pine flatwoods bisected by floodplain forests, an 11-mile segment of the statewide Florida Trail crosses Tosohatchee WMA.
Palm hammock Florida Trail, Seminole Ranch Savor a thousand shades of green amid enormous trees by following the Florida Trail 4.6 miles through ancient palm hammocks along the St. Johns River floodplain at Seminole Ranch.

Slideshow

See our photos from along the future Orlando Corridor of the FT


FNST 5 Year Strategic Plan (PDF) Official Website for FNST Planning

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Sandra Friend & John Keatley
Articles jointly researched, written, and photographed by Sandra Friend & John Keatley, authors and publishers of FloridaHikes.com.
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Category: ArticlesTag: Florida Trail, Florida Trail Association, FT Orlando, Hal Scott Preserve, Holopaw, Lake Lizzie CA, Pine Lily Preserve, Savage Christmas Creek Preserve, Split Oak Forest

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FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

METROS: Bradenton. Clearwater. Crestview. Daytona Beach. Destin. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Myers. Fort Walton Beach. Gainesville. Jacksonville. Kissimmee. Lakeland. Melbourne. Miami. Naples. Ocala. Orlando. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Port St. Lucie. Punta Gorda. St. Petersburg. Sanford. Sarasota. Sebring. Stuart. Tallahassee. Tampa. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach.

MULTI-REGION: Atlantic Coastal Ridge. Atlantic Coast. Bartram Trail. Big Bend. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail. Gulf Coast. Lake Wales Ridge. WATERWAYS: Indian River Lagoon. Intracoastal Waterway. Kissimmee River. St. Johns River. Withlacoochee River.

NORTHWEST FLORIDA: Altha. Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Big Bend Scenic Byway. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Bruce. Cantonment. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. DeFuniak Springs. Eastpoint. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Freeport. Fountain. Gulf Breeze. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Holt. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Munson. Navarre. Navarre Beach. Newport. Niceville. Panacea. Panama City . Perdido Key. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Santa Rosa Beach. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. George Island. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Sumatra. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka. Woodville. WATERWAYS: Apalachicola River. Blackwater Bay. Blackwater River. Chipola River. Choctawhatchee Bay. Choctawhatchee River. Coastal Dune Lakes. Ochlockonee Bay. Perdido River. St. Marks River. Wacissa River. Wakulla River. Yellow River.

NORTH FLORIDA: Alachua. Amelia Island. Archer. Baldwin. Branford. Bronson. Bunnell. Callahan. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Crescent City. Cross City. Cross Creek. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fanning Springs. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Fort White. Glen St. Mary. Green Cove Springs. Hawthorne. High Springs. Inglis. Jacksonville Beaches. Jacksonville Northshore. Jasper. Jennings. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler. Lake City. Live Oak.Macclenny. Mandarin. Mayo. Mayport. Micanopy. Middleburg. Old Town. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Palm Valley. Perry. Ponte Vedra. Rodman. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Waldo. Welaka. White Springs. Williston. Worthington Springs. Yankeetown. WATERWAYS: Santa Fe River. St. Marys River. Suwannee River. Tolomato River. Upper Withlacoochee River.

CENTRAL FLORIDA: Altamonte Springs. Apollo Beach. Apopka. Astatula. Astor. Auburndale. Bartow. Babson Park. Bayport. Belleview. Bithlo. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Cassadaga. Christmas. Chuluota. Citrus Springs. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Edgewater. Enterprise. Eustis. Ferndale. Fort Meade. Frostproof. Geneva. Gibsonton. Haines City. Hernando. Hernando Beach. Holopaw. Homosassa. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Largo. Leesburg. Lithia. Longwood. Lutz. Maitland. Malabar. McIntosh. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. Narcoossee/Lake Nona. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Nobleton. Oak Hill. Oakland. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Ocoee. Oldsmar. Orange City. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Paisley. Palm Bay. Plant City. Poinciana. Polk City. Ponce Inlet. Port Orange. Ridge Manor. Riverview. Ruskin. Safety Harbor. Silver Springs. Sorrento. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. Tarpon Springs. Thonotosassa. Titusville . Umatilla. Viera. Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Weirsdale. Wimauma. Windermere. Winter Garden. Winter Haven. Winter Park. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction. Zephyrhills. WATERWAYS: Alafia River. Halifax River. Hillsborough River. Lake Apopka. Little Manatee River. Ochlawaha River. Rainbow River. Tampa Bay. Wekiva River. Wekiva River Basin.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA: Alva. Boca Grande. Cape Coral. Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Ellenton. Englewood. Estero. Immokalee. Marco Island. North Port. Osprey. Palma Sola. Palmetto. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Sanibel Island. Venice. WATERWAYS: Caloosahatchee River. Manatee River. Myakka River. Pine Island Sound.

SOUTH FLORIDA: Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Big Cypress Swamp. Bowling Green. Clewiston. Everglades City. Indiantown. LaBelle. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Ortona. Pahokee. Palmdale. Port Mayaca. South Bay. Wauchula. Zolfo Springs. WATERWAYS: Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Peace River.

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA: Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coconut Creek. Coral Gables. Coral Springs. Davie. Delray Beach. Fellsmere. Flamingo. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Indrio. Jensen Beach. Juno Beach. Jupiter. Jupiter Farms. Key Biscayne. North Hutchison Island. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Palm Beach. Palm Beach Gardens. Pompano Beach. Redland. Sebastian. South Hutchinson Island. WATERWAYS: Florida Bay. St. Lucie River.

FLORIDA KEYS: Big Pine Key. Islamorada. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Overseas Heritage Trail.


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