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Fickett Hammock

Natural Lands

Outdoor recreation on lands managed by a private land trust that allows public access for recreation


Explore peaceful places set aside for conservation on lands protected by county natural lands programs, where passive recreation, like hiking, birding, and photography, is permitted.

Natural Lands programs in Florida are managed by county governments, and their primary purpose is to set aside lands for the sake of wildlife and habitat protection.

To protect wildlife, pets are often prohibited from access. Always check ahead if you normally bring your dog on hikes.


Resources

Resources for exploring natural lands
50 Hikes in Central Florida North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala book cover 5 Star Trails Orlando Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover  
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.

Featured Natural Lands

These are some of our favorite outdoor recreation destinations protected by county natural lands programs.

Apoxee Wilderness Apoxee Wilderness Trail In the wet prairies and tropical hammocks of Apoxee Wilderness, an urban wilderness area, you'll walk through the water supply of West Palm Beach on a 4.7-mile day hike through the southernmost part of Grassy Waters Preserve
Barrier Island Trail Barrier Island Sanctuary Home to a gentle 1-mile loop hike through coastal habitats, Barrier Island Sanctuary is a gateway to Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, with an informative oceanfront coastal biology center.
Rooty path flanked by palms Black Bear Wilderness Loop Trail Trot out your sense of adventure to immerse into one of the wildest trails you'll find near Orlando, a trek into the tangled jungle of the St. Johns River floodplain.
Wetlands at Circle B Bar Reserve Circle B Bar Reserve For fabulous birding and more alligators than you can count, roam the marshy edge of Lake Hancock on miles of causeways through Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland
Pitcher plants along the Clear Creek Nature Trail Clear Creek Nature Trail The Clear Creek Nature Trail leads you to a wonderland of bright blossoms and lacy white-veined trumpets reflected against reflections of the sky.
boardwalk to big cypresses in Corkscrew Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Weaving beneath a canopy knit by old-growth cypress trees in a majestic swamp forest, the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is one of Florida's best hikes
Crooked River Preserve Crooked River Preserve On a 1.7-mile loop, Crooked River Preserve showcases a wide variety of habitats in a short hike on the northernmost extent of the Lake Wales Ridge in Clermont
Trail in tunnel of cabbage palms Cypress Creek Nature Preserve A short drive from downtown Tampa, Cypress Creek Nature Preserve is an interesting window into a gradient of ecosystems along a tributary of the Hillsborough River.
View of creek from tall bluff Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve Protecting miles of frontage along the sinuous path of Spruce Creek, Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve offers a diverse collection of trails to explore.
Enchanted Forest Titusville trail Enchanted Forest Sanctuary It's not rocket science: the first and finest of the Brevard Environmental Endangered Lands, Enchanted Forest Sanctuary in Titusville is a fabulous destination for family hiking.
Flat Island Preserve Flat Island Preserve Established as a botanical preserve for native plants, Flat Island Preserve protects islands in the Okahumpa Marsh, offering hikers and paddlers immersion in a lush wilderness
Palms in uplands along the Florida Trail Florida Trail, Chuluota Wilderness to Joshua Creek 3.9 miles. Enjoy the natural beauty of habitat diversity along a scenic segment of the Florida Trail connecting Chuluota Wilderness and Bronson State Forest
Florida Trail, Cypress Lakes Preserve At Cypress Lakes Preserve, a 1.7-mile segment of the Florida Trail follows the edge of a series of cypress-lined lakes where ancient trees have survived the ages
Florida Trail Seashore Dunes Florida Trail, UWF/SRIA Dunes Preserve 3.2 miles. At the UWF/SRIA Dunes Preserve on Santa Rosa Island, the Florida Trail traverses a series of coastal habitats cradled by the sweeping dunes, providing a one-of-a-kind hike.
Boardwalks leading to dense forest Fox Lake Sanctuary Protecting more than 2,500 acres along the western edge of Titusville, Fox Lake Sanctuary provides an immense landscape for exploration
Grassy Waters Preserve Grassy Waters Preserve Protecting a sheet flow of rainfall moving steadily southward and parallel to the Atlantic Ocean, Grassy Waters Preserve bears a striking resemblance to the Everglades - because it is.
Green Turtle Hammock Preserve Green Turtle Hammock Nature Preserve On a wild sliver of Upper Matecumbe Key, footpaths wind through a rockland tropical hammock where a rocky crevice emits sulfur fumes and you must beware of crocodiles near the mangroves
Trail marker at a turn in scrubby wet habitat Juno Dunes West Traverse a gradient of habitats interrupted by a basin marsh along the scrubby slopes of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge to the mangrove-fringed edge of Frenchman's Creek.
Wet prairie in Loxahatchee Slough Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area Escape to a vast watery wilderness where you can hike, bike, or paddle through Northern Everglades habitats on the outskirts of residential Palm Beach County
Mill Creek Preserve Mill Creek Preserve Mill Creek Preserve encompasses 5-plus miles of hiking on nearly 1,200 acres of unexpected delights in an area well-known for its sinkholes and disappearing streams.
Pondhawk Natural Area Pondhawk Natural Area Pondhawk Natural Area protects 79 acres of scrub habitats and wetlands, including a relict pond apple slough with some of the tallest pond apple trees in Florida.
Robinson Preserve Robinson Preserve Farmland turned back to mangrove marshes: that's Robinson Preserve, with more than 4 miles of hiking on shell and wild pathways along Tampa Bay at Bradenton.
Sams House Hammock Loop Sams House at Pine Island A delightful immersion into the natural side of Merritt Island, the trails at Sams House at Pine Island range from mild to wild as they draw you deeper into coastal habitats along the Indian River Lagoon
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
Boardwalk adjoining creek Turkey Creek Trails Discover a deeply folded landscape of basins and bluffs at the edge of the scrub forest along the eastern rim of Turkey Creek, with a beautiful boardwalk across the Fern Creek floodplain at its heart.
Weedon Island Preserve Tunneling through mangrove forests and palm hammocks to overlooks on Tampa Bay, the trails of Weedon Island Preserve offer unique perspectives for birders while interpreting one of Florida's ancient settlements.
Accessible walkway in pines and saw palmetto Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Historic and natural landscapes come together along impressively accessible trails at this picturesque conservation area on a WWII-era training base.

ALL Outdoor Recreation on Natural Lands

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Our Florida Guidebooks

The Florida Trail Guide
Florida Trail Hikes 2nd edition cover
50 Hikes in Central Florida 3rd edition
Explorer's Guide North Florida & The Panhandle guidebook
Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala guidebook
Five Star Trails Orlando guidebook

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).

Our Florida Coffee Table Books

Discovering the Florida Trail coffee table book
The Florida Trail coffee table book

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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 River. 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

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MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail Lake Wales Ridge.

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.Lithia. 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. Riverview. Ruskin. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Park. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction. Zephyrhills

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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. Coconut Creek. Coral Gables. Coral Springs. 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

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