• 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
Citrus Hiking Trail

Where to find multi-day backpacking loops

Where are Florida’s best backpacking loop hikes for 3 or more days on the trail? Here are the top suggestions and their pros and cons.

October 16, 2012    Sandra Friend

111 shares
FT Citrus
On the Citrus Hiking Trail

As cool weather rolls around, we always get asked about the best places to get out on Florida’s trails for multi-day backpacking trips, and this season is no exception. Bryan wrote in and asked:

I’m interested in doing my first solo multi-day (3-4 days) hike in November but am not sure where to go and was wondering if you have any recommendations. I am a reasonably fit, 30 year old male. I do lots of local day hikes and once hiked the Appalachian Trail for a week with a group.

I live in Tampa, but am willing to drive most anywhere Florida, although the Panhandle is probably a little too far. Since I planning on going by myself, I need to end where I start. The Citrus loop seemed appealing, but the lack of available water is a little discouraging. The next longest loop trails I saw were the Myakka, Tosohatchee, and Richloam.

Bryan, one of the trickiest things to do in Florida is to plan a 3-4 day hike. We have plenty of places you can backpack that far, but they are, for the most part, linear segments of the Florida Trail. For most of us, it’s tough to find someone to help with logistics of leaving your car in one place and getting dropped off in another, so loop hikes are better. Or, consider hiking out and back on all or part of a continuous Florida Trail segment like the Cross Florida Greenway (64.2 mile round-trip) or the Ocala National Forest (142.2 mile round-trip). Be aware of hunting season coming up in the Ocala very soon.

We don’t have a lot of long loop hikes in Florida. Here are your best options:

Myakka River State Park – The Myakka Hiking Trail is nearly 40 miles long and, while the landscape is flat, the scenery is spectacular. Water generally is not a problem. There is a fee for use of the campsites and for park access, but no hunting is permitted within the park.

Citrus Hiking Trail – brought to you by the same Florida Trail Association volunteers who built Myakka’s big loop, this loop is rugged for Central Florida thanks to its rocky and hilly terrain. The outer loop is 43 miles. Yes, water sources can be an issue – I’ve cached water here in the past – but hunting season can be an issue too. My experience says don’t plan a hike here within a week or two before general gun season, or during it.

Florida Trail, Bull Creek and Three Lakes (with Forever Florida as a connector). Because of the private land in between, you have to be a Florida Trail member to pull this one off, and again, avoid general gun season, but you can make an interesting barbell-shaped hike out of these, with at least 5 designated campsites to choose from:

Park your car at Three Lakes WMA / Prairie Lakes Unit trailhead
Hike north via Three Lakes and Forever Florida (9.4 miles +7.3 miles =16.7 mile connector)
Do the loop trail at Bull Creek WMA (20.5 miles)
Return via Forever Florida and Three Lakes (16.7 miles)
Hike south from your car on the Prairie Lakes Unit loop (11.1 miles)

Total mileage: 65 miles

The second biggest loop trail in Florida is the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee, at 112 miles or so. Pluses: fabulous views, easy resupply, no problems with water, great wildlife watching. Minuses: No shade. Pavement (atop the dike) along more than 50% of the route. And the Army Corps of Engineers continues to work on sections of the dike that need repair, so you’d be in for several unpleasant roadwalks as a work-around.

The biggest loop trail in Florida, which is a true logistical challenge, are the Eastern and Western Corridors of the Florida Trail around Central Florida. I’m not sure of the actual mileage right now, but when I did it back in 2000-2001, it was roughly 365 miles so we called it “The Big 360.” It takes almost a month to complete and involves one roadwalk of nearly 70 miles from Three Lakes through the southern suburbs of the Orlando metro to the Green Swamp, not a walk to be taken lightly.

If you’ve put together other trails to make loops of 3 days or more, add your suggestions here!

Category: Articles, Backpacking, How ToTag: Florida State Forests, Florida State Parks, Florida Trail, Myakka River State Park, Withlacoochee State Forest

Reader Interactions

Have an update? Contact us.

Primary Sidebar

Our Newest Books

The Florida Trail Guide

The Florida Trail GuideOur definitive guidebook to planning backpacking trips on the Florida National Scenic Trail, now in its fourth edition. Full data charts and maps. B&W, 356 pages. $19.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail Hikes 2nd edition coverFifty of the best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Discovering the Florida Trail

Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock
A visual journey the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.
Order Now

Florida Trail Apps

Farout GuidesFarout Guides Comprehensive logistics and offline maps for the
Florida National Scenic Trail (1,500 miles), the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (108 miles), and the ECT Florida Connector (92 miles).

Recent Articles

Mangrove tunnel with paddlers

Exploring the Pioneer Paddling Trail

Amid mangrove swamps along an old pioneer route in Kings Park, the Pioneer Paddling Trail offers an intimate look at a forgotten wild corridor on Merritt Island.

Broad path in pine flatwoods

Florida Trail Orlando Future Corridor

In a long-term effort to nudge the Orlando corridor of the Florida Trail closer to suburbia, discontinuous federally-designated fragments of trail east of the airport offer enjoyable day hikes.

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. Crescent City. 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
  • Vimeo

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
©2006-2022, 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