The heart of Okeechobee cattle country, Basinger is a historic town just east of the Kissimmee River. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of exploring a new section of the Florida Trail which passes through Basinger, skirting the village itself to provide hikers with breathtakingly beautiful scenery along Chandler Slough, a cypress-lined tributary of the Kissimmee River.
The prairies attract sandhill cranes – and there are cow pies to dodge – but the beauty of this Florida Trail section lies in its spectacular oak hammocks, perfect for camping. I’ve just added this 4.3 mile segment of the Florida Trail to the Florida Hikes! repertoire. Learn more!
This sounds great. Am I correct that this area of the FT used to be covered with a long, tiresome road-walk?
Since I live about 20 minutes from this section of the Florida Trail, I can’t wait to get out there once the weather turns cooler this fall. In the meantime, I’m getting as prepared as I can.
I will be ordering trail maps for a few segments of the FT near me. Do you know if this change in the trail is included in the segment maps currently available at the FTA web site?
Yes, indeed, this used to be a road walk, John. There is still a road walk between the Basinger campsite (west of the Kissimmee River) and Hickory Hammock, however. The new Chandler Slough sections will be on the FT maps as of this fall.