• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida Hikes logo

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

  • Trails
  • Maps
  • Guidebooks
  • Search
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
Seminole State Forest

Florida Trail, Seminole State Forest

7.5 miles. Walk through vast, open spaces that you’d never imagine existed so close to Orlando.

Florida Trail, Orlando  |  Seminole State Forest
( 28.819203, -81.428048 )      7.5 miles

175shares

With nearly 28,000 acres along the Wekiva River basin, Seminole State Forest is an integral part of a wildlife corridor stretching from the edge of Orlando to the Ocala National Forest.

Wildlife is always present here. It’s one of the more likely places near Orlando for you to see a bear. Florida scrub-jays thrive in an extensive scrub habitat that the south end of this hike traverses.

Sandhill cranes and flocks of turkeys gather in the open prairies near Boggy Creek Lake. You can surprise a deer almost anywhere, from the deeply shaded floodplains to the open pine flatwoods.

Diverse and fascinating, the Florida Trail through this section provides an easy escape from the Orlando metro into a richly textured landscape with multiple campsites for backpackers.


Resources

Orlando & Central Florida: An Explorer's Guide 5 Star Trails Orlando Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State

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


Overview

Location: Cassia
Length: 7.5 miles
Trailhead: 28.819203, -81.428048
Fees: $2 per person entrance fee
Restroom: Vault toilets at trailheads
Land Manager: Florida Forest Service
Phone: 352-360-6675

Open 24 hours. Leashed pets welcome. Bicycles and horses are not permitted on the Florida Trail through this section.

A network of graded forest roads provides access to the interior of the forest, but may have puddles or soft sand in spots. See the forest map to determine where you can drive.

Seasonal hunting occurs in Seminole State Forest, so check on hunting dates in advance. Wear bright orange if you choose to hike during hunts.

Since hunting dates here are limited, hunters prefer that you stay out of the woods during those dates.

Backpackers must pay a an additional nightly fee for use of the four campsites along the Florida Trail and the Lower Wekiva Loop.

Bears are frequently seen in this area. We strongly urge you to bear bag or use a bear canister.


Directions

 
Bear Pond trailhead: From Interstate 4 exit 101C at Sanford, take SR 46 west for 5.2 miles. After you cross the Wekiva River, look for the entrance to Seminole State Forest on the right. Continue 0.3 mile along the forest road – stopping at the self-service kiosk to pay the $2 day use fee – to park on the left.
 
Cassia trailhead: For the northern trailhead for this section, continue west on SR 46 from Bear Pond for 2.2 miles to the traffic light with SR 46A. Drive north 5.6 miles to the traffic light with SR 44. Turn right and go 5.1 miles east on SR 44 to Brantley Branch Road on the right. Turn right. The Cassia trailhead is on the right.

Hike

Starting out from the Bear Pond trailhead, walk through the gap in the fence past the kiosk where you can reserve a campsite (and pay a fee for it).

Beyond a short stretch of pine flatwoods, oaks lean over the footpath, offering shade.

After 0.5 mile you cross a bridge over a creek. This is a water source for Shelter Camp, another quarter mile ahead.

One of the few shelters on the Florida Trail, it has a large sleeping area and a nice clearing for tent camping.

Just beyond Shelter Camp is a trail register in a mailbox at the junction with the Lower Wekiva Loop, an alternate route closer to the Wekiva River floodplain. Sign in and continue along the orange blazes.

This stretch of scrub forest that the trail winds through is the most likely place for you to spot Florida scrub-jays. Look for bear tracks, too, in the sand.

Crossing a graded forest road, East Spur Road, at 2.2 miles, the trail reaches a vast prairie ecosystem. The landscape rolls on to the distant horizon as the trail curves northwest.

Seminole State Forest
Open prairie at the heart of Seminole State Forest

Past Main Grade Road, the major north-south vehicle access through the forest, the trail parallels it, crossing a small bridge over an ephemeral wetland in the scrubby flatwoods.

Joining Main Grade to continue north through the floodplain of Black Water Creek, you pass the incoming blazes of the Lower Wekiva Loop on the right.

They are followed by blue blazes leading down to Blackwater Creek Camp, which sits on a bluff above the creek.

At 3.9 miles, cross Black Water Creek on the broad vehicular bridge. This creek is one of the biggest waterways feeding the Wekiva River.

The trail follows Sand Road on the other side, sweeping past a picnic bench with a nice view of the creek.

Lunch at Blackwater Creek
A crowd of day hikers enjoying lunch at Black Water Creek

At an intersection of roads, there is a kiosk and a horse trough. Keep right and follow the orange blazes into the woods. The trail follows an old railroad tramway for a stretch.

Passing a dry prairie pond, the trail parallels a forest road. Walking through a tight tunnel of saw palmetto, you emerge onto another old tramway, used for logging the ancient trees from this forest more than a century ago.

Keep alert for blazing through the next stretch as you cross a forest road and enter another stretch of sand pine scrub. The trail returns to the road, meeting the blue-blazed junction with the Sulphur Island Loop, a Trailwalker Trail.

Crossing the road, you enter Sulphur Camp at 5.2 miles. Easily reached by visitors in vehicles, it’s a clearing with picnic benches. Walk through it and look for the blue-blaze on the right. It’s worth taking a side trip down it.

The blue blaze leads downhill, narrowing and narrowing until it meets a crystalline waterway created by Shark Tooth Spring.

While you won’t run into them along the major trails, Seminole State Forest is home to many springs.

Continue up the path to where it ends at the base of the spring, which like nearby Rock Springs, flows right out of rocks at the base of a bluff.

Shark Tooth Spring
Shark Tooth Spring near Sulphur Camp. It was discovered and named by Wiley Dykes Sr. while he was building the trail in the early 90s

Back on the orange blazes, continue north as the trail loops over the headland above the spring basin. It is deep in pine duff as it climbs, reaching Pine Road at the crest.

You see the blue blazes of the Sulphur Island Loop again. Turn right, then right again to head downhill, following the orange blazes along Palatka Road as it curves through a showy floodplain.

Rising out of the floodplain forest on the other side, you meet a road junction at a kiosk.

In Fall 2019, the Florida Trail was relocated at this point to head northeast towards SR 44 to eliminate the roadwalk from the Cassia trailhead.

For purposes of a day hike to the Cassia trailhead – since there is no trailhead where the orange blazes now cross the highway – turn left and follow the white blazes.

Keep alert for where the the blazes leave the road on the right, as the trail becomes a footpath again.

Climb through a long corridor of saw palmetto to an open area, former pastureland near Boggy Creek Lake. A bench overlooks the lake at 6.5 miles.

Chucks Bench
Break time at Chuck’s bench overlooking lake. On the other side is Camp Boggy Creek, founded by Paul Newman and General Norman Schwarzkopf for seriously-ill children.

After winding through a sand pine scrub, the trail follows the rim of a large prairie north of the lake. It’s here that you we’ve seen sandhill cranes on every visit.

Up along another corridor of saw palmetto, the trail curves around a large, well-established sinkhole and a big blueberry patch where we saw a mama and baby bear on one of our hikes.

Dead Horse Sink, Seminole State Forest
Dead Horse Sink, just south of the Cassia trailhead.

Climbing uphill some more, you walk through a mixed hammock of pines and oaks. The footpath is soft and easy on the feet.

It’s almost a shame it’s come to an end. Passing another trail register in a mailbox, you reach the Cassia trailhead at 7.5 miles.

NORTHBOUND: Florida Trail, Cassia
SOUTHBOUND: Florida Trail, SR 46 roadwalk


Trail Map

Florida Trail Seminole State Forest map


Explore More

Slideshow

Our slides from hiking this segment of the Florida Trail


Nearby Parks and Trails

Other parks and trails connecting to this route or within an easy drive nearby.

Lower Wekiva Loop

Lower Wekiva Loop

Explore the Wekiva River and Black Water Creek floodplains on this lengthy loop hike in Seminole State Forest

Black Bear Wilderness

Black Bear Wilderness Area

North of Orlando, Black Bear Wilderness Area in Sanford offers some of the best wildlife watching in the region on its loop along the St. Johns River.

Kelly Loop Trail at Rock Springs

Kelly Park

Tubing down Rock Springs Run is why most folks show up at Kelly Park, but the Kelly Loop Trail is a nice dry way to see the waterway and wildlife.

Sandhills trail

Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park

Wet or dry: those are your choices for exploring Lower Wekiva River Preserve, either from a launch point at the old Katie’s Landing along the Wekiva River, or from the southern trailhead along SR 46.



Trail Map (PDF) Hunt Dates Official Website

Category: Backpacking, Central Florida, Day Hikes, Florida Trail, Hikes, Trails, Wildlife Management AreasTag: Best Camping, Birding, Botanical, Deland, Dog-friendly, Favorites, Fishing, Five Star Trails Orlando, Florida State Forests, FT Orlando, Geology, Picnic, Primitive Camping, Sanford, Scenic Hikes, Seminole State Forest, Sinkholes, Sorrento, Springs, Weekends, Wildflowers, Wildlife Viewing

Reader Interactions

Have an update? Contact us.

Primary Sidebar

Our Florida Trail Books

Florida Trail Guidebook cover The comprehensive mile-by-mile guidebook to planning section and thru-hikes along the entire length of the Florida Trail. 356 pages, $18.95 + tax and shipping.

Order Now


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.

Order Now


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

Order Now


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

  • Florida Trail Overview
  • Plan your Hike
  • Choose the Right Gear
  • Best Scenic Hikes
  • Best Backpacking Trips
  • Section Hiking
  • Thru-Hiking
  • Eastern Continental Trail
  • Florida Trail in South Florida
  • Florida Trail in Central Florida
  • Florida Trail in North Florida
  • Florida Trail in Northwest Florida
  • Florida Trail for Scouting
  • Florida Trail Adventures
  • Florida Trail Updates

Florida Trail by Section

Porter Lake, Apalachicola National Forest

Florida Trail, Apalachicola

Florida Trail, Apalachicola
Florida Trail Big Bend view

Florida Trail, Big Bend

Florida Trail, Big Bend
Florida Trail Big Cypress

Florida Trail, Big Cypress

Florida Trail, Big Cypress

Florida Trail, Blackwater

Florida Trail, Blackwater
Florida Trail Nokuse

Florida Trail, Central Panhandle

Florida Trail, Central Panhandle
Eglin Weaver Creek

Florida Trail, Eglin

Florida Trail, Eglin
Florida Trail Kissimmee

Florida Trail, Kissimmee

Florida Trail, Kissimmee
Florida Trail at Rice Creek

Florida Trail, Northeast Florida

Florida Trail, Northeast Florida
Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Florida Trail, Ocala

Florida Trail, Ocala
Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail

Florida Trail, Ocean to Lake

Florida Trail, Ocean to Lake
Florida Trail, Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Okeechobee
Florida Trail at Forever Florida

Florida Trail, Orlando

Florida Trail, Orlando
Florida Trail Seashore Dunes

Florida Trail, Seashore

Florida Trail, Seashore
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

Footer

FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Gardens
  • Springs
  • Ecotours
  • Attractions
©2006-2021, Sandra Friend & John Keatley | Disclosure | Site Index | Work with Us | Advertise with Us
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy | Florida Hikes PO Box 93 Mims FL 32754| Contact