FNST Coalition confirms blazing standards

During their biannual meeting to govern the usage and care of the Florida National Scenic Trail, the FNST Coalition confirmed the necessity to blaze the Florida Trail – the National Scenic Trail, and no other trails – with orange blazes. Land managers have been asked to reblaze all other trails anything other than orange, particularly the major loop trails in state parks, most of which were created and maintained by Florida Trail Association volunteers over the past 40 years.

In the Minimum Standards and Guidelines for the Florida National Scenic Trail, trail blazing standards are outlined as follows:

• Blazes should be painted approximately five and one-half feet to six feet off the ground.
• The FNST shall be marked with a two-inch wide and six-inch long painted orange blaze. Blazes should be frequent enough to assure the user is on the route, but not so frequent that more than two blazes may be seen in a given direction from any one location.
• Side Trails to water, campsites, and observation points shall be blazed with light blue paint.
• Double blazes indicate a change in direction or that the Trail is departing the obvious path, where the top blaze indicates the direction of the turn.

What does this mean for hikers? It may take a little time for the shift to occur statewide, but all state agencies and local volunteers have been asked to re-blaze any trail that is not a part of the Florida National Scenic Trail. So hikers will eventually be able to know that when they see an orange blaze, they are on THE Florida Trail.

See a presentation on FNST Standards

More information from the FNST Coalition Meeting held this June.