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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.

Florida Trail, Orlando  |  Tosohatchee WMA
( 28.498500, -80.996750 )      11.2 miles

452 shares

Encompassing nearly 31,000 acres of wetlands and woodlands west of the St. Johns River, Tosohatchee WMA is home to one of the earliest pieces of the Florida Trail.

As it was originally designed as a backpacking loop when Tosohatchee was a state park, there are several loop hike possibilities using the White and Yellow Trails.

Orange blaze on a large pine with palms surrounding Pine-palm flatwoods make up much of the preserve


The traverse of the preserve usually involves some wading, as wetlands overflow and the St. Johns River tributaries are prone to rise into the palm hammocks.

One of the state’s oldest slash pine forests and a virgin cypress strand at Jim Creek are among the botanical delights you’ll find hiking this route.

View straight up the trunk of an ancient cedar tree Look up as well as down when hiking at Tosohatchee


Resources

Resources for exploring the area

Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover 5 Star Trails Orlando 50 Hikes in Central Florida

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: Christmas
Length: 11.2 mile linear
Trailhead: 28.498500, -80.996750 (Parking Area 8)
Fees: $4 per person
Restroom: Vault toilets at reserve entrance and at Youth Camp
Land manager: Florida Fish & Wildlife
Phone: 407-568-5893

Leashed dogs welcome. Mosquitoes and wading highly likely. Do not attempt this hike when the St. Johns River is in flood stage.

There are no trailheads at the entrance and exit of this Florida Trail segment. Day hikers / overnight backpackers, Parking Area 8 on Powerline Rd provides easy trail access.

Pines and palms

Campsites available, call ahead to reserve. Florida Trail thru-hikers must call upon arrival and exit to ensure your safety. The number is posted on both the north and south gate.
 
FWC permits seasonal hunting. Be aware of hunt dates and wear blaze orange clothing during hunts. Camping restrictions may apply during hunts.


Directions

 
From Interstate 95 in Titusville, follow SR 50 for 10 miles west into Christmas. Turn south on Taylor Creek Rd. The entrance is 2.9 miles south on the left. Pick up a map and drive to the parking area that best fits your day hike plans. To hike end to end, you’ll need to either be dropped off or stage cars outside the preserve. Limited day parking is possible near the Yates Rd access on the south end, but no parking is possible near the north gate. The nearest trailhead is a mile north at Seminole Ranch on the north side of SR 50.

Hike

A short walk down a wooden corridor at the end of Yates Rd leads to the gate into Tosohatchee WMA. The trail makes a sharp left.

Follow the orange blazes north along a broad, marshy utility clearing. Showy blooms of water-loving plants like duck potato and blue flag iris indicate wading is likely.

Metal gate in the woods with signage South gate at the end of Yates Rd


Beyond a ditch where water may be available, the trail reaches high ground under tall pines.

Turning east, it parallels one of the preserve’s many sand roads before crossing unpaved Fish Hole Road after 1.1 miles.

Hiker pausing in limestone road crossing Crossing Fish Hole Rd


Winding through a pine-palm flatwoods with expansive skies above, the trail crosses a forest road in a quarter mile.

Many more forest roads will be encountered and crossed. Those with connecting trails to parking areas are signposted.

Thru trail sign in palms The thru-trail corner


Two miles into the hike is a trail junction signposted “Thru Trail” in two directions. This junction marks the south end of the White Loop, the longest hiking loop in Tosohatchee.

If you’ve encountered flooding thus far, the white blazes offer a drier route well west of the floodplain the Florida Trail stays along.

Hiker in a dry pine flatwoods Drier habitats characterize the White Trail


Stay with the orange blazed thru trail otherwise, crossing scrubby flatwoods where blueberries abound in late spring.

Immediately after a forest road crossing is the turnoff for Tiger Branch Camp, a quarter mile north of the White Trail junction.

Blue flag iris blooms along forest road Blue flag iris in bloom


Situated among the pines at the end of a short blue blaze, it has both picnic benches and benches surrounding a fire ring.

A pitcher pump and tent platforms round out the ample amenities.

Benches around a fire ring Fire ring at Tiger Branch Camp


The next mile and a half of hiking involves some crowded, often damp portions of floodplain with a forest floor covered in ferns.

These are punctuated with higher, drier segments of pine flatwoods. Reach the junction with the Yellow Loop at 3.6 miles.

Dense green understory in damp forest Lush growth pressing against the trail corridor


Like the White Loop, the Yellow Loop stays farther west of the floodplain than the Florida Trail. Using it to reconnect at the Swamp Spur junction shaves a quarter mile off the hike.

However, it has its own unique challenges such as other interconnecting blazed trails, a drainage area that can flood, and a great deal of poison ivy.

Junction sign and pine forest Yellow Loop junction


Staying with the orange blazes, enter the first of a series of hammocks where ancient trees reign supreme. Live oaks, cedars, and enormous slash pines create a near-unbroken canopy.

A dense thicket of saw palmetto claims the understory. The trail crosses a couple of drainages it may be necessary to step or leap over.

Dense palm hammock Dense palm and oak hammock


At 5.2 miles, the Swamp Spur provides an optional quarter mile round-trip into the Jim Creek floodplain to see ancient cypress trees up close.

The Yellow Trail comes in from the left. Continue north along the orange blazes through another series of palm hammocks.

Trail junction under palms Junction of Yellow Trail and Swamp Spur


A long, sturdy bridge over a deep ditch brings the trail to its crossing of Powerline Rd in another half mile.

After crossing this east-west access road through the preserve, the trail makes a sharp curve westbound to parallel it in palm hammocks north of the road.

Wooden bridge Landmark bridge as seen from Powerline Rd


A short blue blaze to the largest trailhead parking area along Powerline Rd comes up at 6.5 miles.

The trail continues through a series of lush palm hammocks, dense with ferns and frequently mucky underfoot.

Palm thicket with ferns Traverse of a sometimes-wet forest floor


The short blue blaze to Parking Area 8 is at 7.2 miles. The trail immediately plunges into a series of showy palm hammocks. These continue for nearly two miles.

If you only have time to do a portion of the Florida Trail in Tosohatchee, the 5.2-mile round-trip between Parking Area 8 and Tootoosohatchee Creek is well worth the hike.

Thicket of palms with giant oaks beyond The palm and oak hammocks are very showy


Reaching a junction with an equestrian trail at a forest road, the Florida Trail turns left onto it.

This straightaway continues for a quarter mile up to the northern junction of the White Loop.

Trail junction signage in pines North junction with White Loop


Turn right to stay on the orange blazes northbound. After the next stretch of dense forest, a blue blaze peels off to the left at a trail junction.

It follows the south side of the creek to Parking Area 6 and also provides access to the Tosohatchee Youth Camp, which has a privy.

Narrow wooden bridge over creek Tootoosohatchee Creek bridge


At 9.7 miles, cross the bridge over Tootoosohatchee Creek immediately after the junction. Easier water access is up ahead.

Another blue blaze soon after leads to Hoot Owl Camp, the second primitive site for hikers. The trail itself follows the showy floodplain basin. Get water here.

Beautiful creek in forest in fall Tootoosohatchee Creek


Follow the footpath as it works its way out of the floodplain and into the drier pine flatwoods, winding between saw palmetto.

Making a turn onto an old forest road, the trail comes up to the north gate of Tosohatchee WMA at 11.2 miles.

FNST sign and large pines Pine flatwoods just south of the gate


Christmas Roadwalk connector

Thru hikers and section hikers continue north on a roadwalk through Christmas for one mile, crossing one high-speed four-lane highway along the way.

On the stretch of St. Nicholas Rd immediately outside the gate, hikers have encountered both loose dogs and unfriendly residents. Do not trespass in yards or approach houses.

Gate with car behind it Exit the north gate of Tosohatchee onto St. Nicholas Rd


Reaching SR 50 after 0.8 mile, a convenience store and post office are west within a half mile. Full services are in Titusville, 9 miles east.

Cross SR 50 and pass Christmas RV Park (no tent camping) to the end of the road past the RV park, completing the 1 mile roadwalk at the gate into Seminole Ranch.

Car parked outside a gate The closest parking to Tosohatchee north gate is this small area outside the Seminole Ranch gate


NORTHBOUND: Seminole Ranch
SOUTHBOUND: Deseret Roadwalk


Trail Map

Tosohatchee WMA Trail Map
Orange: Florida Trail. Purple: White Trail. Yellow: Yellow Trail. Blue: Side Trails.

Explore More!

Learn more about Tosohatchee Reserve

Pine-palm flatwoods

Tosohatchee WMA

Protecting more than 30,000 acres of the St. Johns River floodplain near Christmas, Tosohatchee WMA is a place to immerse yourself in the grandeur of old Florida and its bounty of botanical beauty.

These trails interconnect with and overlay part of the Florida Trail, enabling loop hikes.

Pine flatwoods in Florida

Tosohatchee White Loop

A botanically-rich immersion into Tosohatchee WMA, the White Loop combines the Florida Trail and the White Trail for a hike of nearly 11 miles.

Yellow blazed pine among palms

Tosohatchee Yellow Loop

A scenic immersion into palm hammocks in Tosohatchee WMA, the Yellow Loop provides perspective on ancient trees near the Jim Creek floodplain.


Slideshow

See our photos of the Florida Trail at Tosohatchee


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Florida Trail, Seminole Ranch

Florida Trail, Seminole Ranch

At Seminole Ranch Conservation Area in Christmas, the Florida Trail follows a linear 4.9 mile route through a string of hydric hammocks in the St. Johns River floodplain

Open marsh at Orlando Wetlands Park

Orlando Wetlands Park

For a hike filled with the flutter and squawk of birds about their daily routines, Orlando Wetlands Park is one of the best birding spots in the state. This 5-mile loop showcases our favorite route

Canaveral Marshes Conservation Area

Canaveral Marshes

Hike up to 5 miles on levees through the marshes of the St. Johns River at Canaveral Marshes Conservation Area between Orlando and Titusville.

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

Hunt Dates Official Website

Category: Backpacking, Central Florida, Day Hikes, Florida Trail, Hikes, Trails, Wildlife Management AreasTag: Archaeological Sites, Big Trees, Birding, Botanical, Christmas, Dog-friendly, Five Star Trails Orlando, Florida Trail, Florida Trail Biking, FT Orlando, Orlando, Primitive Camping, Scenic Hikes, Tosohatchee WMA, Weekends, Wildflowers, Wildlife Viewing

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Discovering the Florida Trail

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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.

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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.

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