After twenty years and more than 1,500 miles of hiking our National Scenic Trail from end to end, we have some definite opinions on where you’ll find the best scenic spots along the Florida Trail.
We’ve gathered together our favorites in our book Florida Trail Hikes, along with details on the best nine section hikes on the Florida Trail for backpackers.
But as a day hiker, where should you go? Here are our Top Ten Hikes along the Florida Trail, guaranteed to pay back your time and effort with fabulous scenery along a satisfying walk in the woods.
Florida Trail, Big Cypress
There is nowhere else in the world like Big Cypress, a complex mosaic of sawgrass prairies, cypress swamps, and pine islands in the Western Everglades, where your feet WILL get wet. We recommend tackling an out-and-back hike from Oasis Visitor Center for anywhere from 4 to 14 miles, with 7 Mile Camp as the ultimate destination in this rugged and rough section of trail.
Florida Trail, Big Cypress A wild, watery wilderness for Florida backpackers, the 42.2-mile Florida Trail in Big Cypress National Preserve is both beautiful and extraordinarily challenging.Aucilla Sinks
An ancient civilization once lived along what is now a geologic anomaly in the Big Bend, where the Florida Trail zigzags through a forest where the Aucilla River disappears underground into a primordial landscape of gaping holes and dense vegetation. Walk up to 8.8 miles out and back from the Goose Pasture trailhead.
Florida Trail, Aucilla Sinks 4.4 miles. Winding through a geologically weird and archaeologically significant part of Florida, the most fascinating segment of the Florida Trail is the Aucilla SinksSopchoppy River
Along this extraordinarily scenic piece of the Florida Trail, the footpath follows the tops of bluffs where weirdly shaped cypresses outline the inky waters of the Sopchoppy River below as it snakes its way through the Apalachicola National Forest near Tallahassee. Walk 4.1 miles between trailheads or take a round-trip of up to 8.1 miles.
Florida Trail, Sopchoppy River 4.1 miles. Following the gentle curves of the Sopchoppy River in the Apalachicola National Forest, this section of the Florida Trail is one of the most scenic hikes on the trail.Big Shoals
Following the Suwannee River upriver along its bluffs above the outflow of Bell Springs, this 4.6-mile hike along the Florida Trail treats you to the beauty of Robinson Branch Falls before leading to the roar of Florida’s only Class III whitewater at Big Shoals.
Florida Trail, Big Shoals 4.6 miles. Showcasing Florida's only Class III whitewater, the hike from Bell Springs to Big Shoals is one of the most scenic segments of the Florida Trail along the Suwannee River.Alaqua
A roller-coaster of a hike through some of the highest and steepest hills along the Florida Trail, this 12.8-mile hike between trailheads on Eglin Air Force Base impresses with its trickling streams, long bridges, and dense forests brimming with botanical beauty.
Florida Trail, Alaqua 12.8 miles. With significant botanical beauty, rugged climbs, and nice campsites, the Alaqua section of the Florida Trail in Eglin Air Force Base is one of the most scenic parts of the trail statewide.Rice Creek
Following one of the first National Recreation Trails designated in the United States in 1976, feel blessed by the presence of giants in an ancient forest of some of Florida’s largest cypress and pine trees. On a 5.6-mile loop in the Florida Trail, footbridges connect levees built in the 1700s for a rice and indigo plantation.
Florida Trail, Rice Creek Home of ancient cypress trees and the remains of a 1700s rice plantation, Rice Creek Conservation Area has a fascinating loop trail along the statewide Florida Trail.Prairie Lakes Loop
Along a neatly configured figure-8 loop in the heart of the vast prairies that define South Central Florida, the Florida Trail offers an 11.4-mile hike or either of two shorter loops that explore both prairie and dense woodlands south of Orlando.
Prairie Lakes Loop Enjoy the counterpoint of moss-draped oak hammocks and expansive prairies at Prairie Lakes along one of the older and more beloved pieces of the Florida Trail.Tosohatchee
Showcasing the richly textured palm and oak hammocks that thrive in the floodplain of the St. Johns River, the Florida Trail at Tosohatchee WMA provides several loop options that enable hikes of 5, 8, and 10 miles through compelling scenery east of Orlando.
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.Juniper Creek
Along a botanically-rich piece of the Florida Trail, stand on the yawning lip of a bluff dotted with mountain laurel, just one of the natural wonders to marvel at in Blackwater River State Forest northeast of Pensacola on a 7.3-mile hike between trailheads.
Florida Trail, Juniper Creek 7.3 miles. Also known as the Juniper Creek Trail, the Florida Trail at Juniper Creek is a gorgeous place to explore, with its panorama at Red Rocks and botanical delights along and above the creek basin.Croom River Trail
Stretching 6.3 miles between three well-defined trailheads east of Interstate 75 at Brooksville, this section of the Florida Trail follows the northward flow of the Withlacoochee River beneath ancient cypress and oak trees along its bluffs and floodplain.
Florida Trail, Croom River Trail A pleasant ramble on bluffs above the Withlacoochee River, the Croom River Trail segment of the Florida Trail tunnels through oak hammocks and slips around cypress swamps along its 6.3-mile journey.