Florida’s earliest nature trails came about in the 1930s with the building of the first Florida State Parks by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and were joined in the 1940s by trails built to showcase the natural wonders of Everglades National Park.
Today, short trails of a mile or less are a mainstay of Florida State Parks and most county and city parks with woodlands as well.
These are quick and easy places for a daily dose of nature, for exercise, or to take your kids on a walk. They’re also the best way to experience many of our public lands.
Resources
Resources for discovering nature trails
We generally cover hikes of a mile or more in our books. If a nature trail is on the same piece of public land as any other hike we’re describing, we’ll mention it too. Hikers’ Guide to the Sunshine State provides the locations of hundreds of nature trails statewide.
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.
We generally cover hikes of a mile or more in our books. If a nature trail is on the same piece of public land as any other hike we’re describing, we’ll mention it too. Hikers’ Guide to the Sunshine State provides the locations of hundreds of nature trails statewide.
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.
Florida’s Best Nature Trails
We consider these nature trails some of the best in the state. There are hundreds more to choose from. Use these as a starting point to get acquainted with easy walks in Florida.
Ancient Dunes Trail At Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine, the Ancient Dunes Trail leads you on a short scramble up and over relict dunes deeply shaded by ancient live oaks
Angus Gholson Nature Park Above the Apalachicola River, the community of Chattahoochee hides a natural treasure in its deep ravines—a park named for its native son, botanist Angus Gholson.
Apalachicola NERR Nature Center A delightful destination for learning about Apalachicola Bay, the headquarters of Apalachicola NERR boasts a nature center and more than a half mile of gentle interpretive trails
Arch Creek Park The tropical hammock at Arch Creek Park was the site of a Tequesta Indian village between 500 B.C. and 1300 A.D. Gentle natural footpaths wind through the dark forest
Barrier Island Nature Trail At Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, the Barrier Island Nature Trail gets you away from the busy beach and into a patch of wilds along a slender barrier island
Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park provides a peek into a notable natural landmark, a stand of old-growth cypress.
Blue Spring Boardwalk If you've never seen manatees by the dozens, let alone a hundred or more at once, there is no better place in Florida to watch these gentle giants than the Blue Spring Boardwalk in the wintertime
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Once a zoo in St. Petersburg, Boyd Hill Park has 3 miles of trails looping through a mosaic of natural habitats and tropical landscapes along Lake Maggiore.
Castaway Island Preserve Along the meandering estuarine San Pablo River, Castaway Island Preserve is a breezy spot to enjoy a breath of fresh air on an easy nature trail in Jacksonville. 
Caverns Trail System Most people come to see the stalactites and stalagmites at Florida’s only show cave. But the hiking’s even weirder at Florida Caverns State Park, home of Florida's only hiking trail through a cave. 
Devil’s Millhopper Nature Trail The Devils Millhopper Nature Trail circles the lip of an enormous sinkhole before plunging down into it on a series of staircases and landings with views of natural waterfalls.
Eldora Hammock Trail At Canaveral National Seashore, the Eldora Hammock Trail provides an interpretive loop through the beauty of a lush coastal hammock, highlighting the tropical understory below. 
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.
Falling Creek Falls A boardwalk trail at Falling Creek Falls north of Lake City leads you to overlooks on a waterfall with a twelve-foot drop in a picturesque setting
Fern Garden Trail A reminder of the botanical garden planned for what is now Highlands Hammock State Park, the Fern Garden Trail loops a fern-edged swamp on boardwalks and footpath
Gator Lake Trail At St. Andrews State Park, the Gator Lake Trail is only a half-mile but hits the park's high point with panoramic views in the scrub forest and great birding along an established rookery.
George McGough Nature Park Introduce the kids to nature at George McGough Nature Park in Largo, where they can feed turtles, watch hawks, and bound along a bouncy accessible trail through a coastal forest.
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 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 
Hammock Trail Learn about the trees of the Florida Keys with a walk on the 0.6-mile Hammock Trail, a deeply shaded ramble in a tropical forest at Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park.
Helene Klein Pineland Preserve In just 13 acres, Helene Klein Pineland Preserve packs in a nice walk through a variety of habitats within an urban forest along busy Hillsboro Blvd
Hobe Mountain Trail Catch a sweeping view from an observation tower atop the highest natural hill south of Lake Okeechobee on the Hobe Mountain Trail at Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens For a surprising diversity of habitats and hilly terrain, the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens is a hidden treasure for hikers and a bonanza for botanical delights
JILONA South Trail Circling scrub and tropical habitats in the shadow of Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, this delightful mile loop along the Indian River Lagoon leads to outstanding scenic views. 
Oakland Nature Preserve Protecting more than 128 acres along Lake Apopka, Oakland Nature Preserve offers an accessible boardwalk through marshes to the lake and uplands trails to explore
Peck Lake Park In a hidden corner of Hobe Sound, Peck Lake Park lets you tunnel through coastal habitats along the Pioneer Passage to an observation point along the Indian River Lagoon.
Perdido Key Discovery Trail Showcasing the habitat diversity of Perdido Key at Johnson Beach, the accessible Perdido Key Discovery Trail is a gentle boardwalk over wetlands, forests, and dunes.
Pinelands Trail The Pinelands Trail is a showcase for South Florida’s weird and wonderful karst, a limestone bedrock that’s full of Swiss-cheese like holes, in a tropical forest where colorful tree snails make their home.
Ralph G. Kendrick Dwarf Cypress Boardwalk Leading to a stand of dwarf bald cypress centuries old and less than 15 feet tall, the Kendrick Boardwalk at Tate's Hell State Forest is one of the weirder botanical spots in the Florida Panhandle
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
Sand Pine Nature Trail After following the floodplain of Puddin' Head Stream, a steephead creek flowing to Rocky Bayou, this easy hike loops back through sand pine scrub and sandhills. 
Scipio Creek Boardwalk A sweeping view of the Apalachicola River estuary waits like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on this beautiful nature trail and boardwalk
Spring Boils Trail A delight to visit, the Spring Boils Trail showcases bubbling springs both big and small, starting within sight of the main springs at Silver Glen Springs before it leads you to coves of tiny bubblers
Spruce Bluff Natural Area At Spruce Bluff Natural Area, trails lead to the site of a pioneer settlement and the largest Ais mound in South Florida amid scrub and wetlands in Port St. Lucie.
Tarkiln Bayou Trail A gentle introduction to Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park, the Tarkiln Bayou Trail starts as a sidewalk but ends as a boardwalk to view the glowing gems of this botanical area and the bayou itself.
Timucuan Trail While less than a mile long, the Timucuan Trail at Alexander Springs Recreation Area is the best place to sample the Big Scrub habitats of the Ocala National Forest while enjoying lush habitats along a spring run.
Trimble Park A 1.3-mile nature trail at Trimble Park near Mount Dora offers a family-friendly outdoor adventure beneath ancient oaks and cypresses along the shorelines of two lakes
Trout Lake Nature Center On 230 forested acres on the northern shore of Trout Lake, Trout Lake Nature Center in Eustis offers a fun network of family-friendly interpretive nature trails. 
Tucker Bayou Trail Starting on the edge of Tucker Bayou, an easy-to-follow nature trail tunnels into dense uplands habitats with striking autumn leaves.
Turkey Creek Walk Centered on a broad boardwalk trail that showcases a clear, healthy tannic stream, the Turkey Creek Walk is a family park in Niceville where tubing is part of the fun
Visitor Center Boardwalk The only fully-accessible trail at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, the Visitor Center Boardwalk offers many overlooks for wildlife watching and birding
Wacahoota Trail Savor the view from five stories up as you scan the horizon for wild horses from the observation tower on the south rim of Paynes Prairie