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Florida Hikes!

Your guide to Florida's outdoors, by Sandra Friend, Florida's hiking expert, and her co-author John Keatley, covering the Florida Trail and other trails throughout Florida.

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Northwest Florida

Northwest Florida – also known as the Florida Panhandle – is a region of extreme beauty and vast tracts of lightly explored wilderness. As the authors of Explorer’s Guide: North Florida & The Panhandle, we’ve fallen in love with this lesser-known part of Florida because of its rural nature and natural beauty.

The sweep of coastline from the Big Bend to the St. Joseph Peninsula is wild and majestic, with untrammeled islands and Old Florida villages. While the cities of Tallahassee, Pensacola, Destin, Fort Walton, and Panama City each have their own vibrant flavor, the majority of the region is rural. The natural lands protected throughout the Florida Panhandle include ancient swamps and tracts of longleaf pine forest, mysterious bogs with carnivorous plants, rare coastal dune lakes, and rugged ridges with waterfalls.

Trails


Recommended trails in Northwest Florida.
Angus Gholson Nature Park

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
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Arcadia Mill complex

Arcadia Mill

An archaeological site in the woods between Milton and Pace - just east of Pensacola off US 90 - Arcadia
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Bald Point State Park

Bald Point Beach Walk

Where Ochlockonee Bay meets the Gulf, Bald Point State Park protects the tip of the peninsula. Off the beaten track,
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Bear Lake

Bear Lake Trail

At Blackwater River State Forest, each of the recreation areas offers access to hiking, and popular Bear Lake is no
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Big Lagoon

Big Lagoon Hiking Trails

Near Perdido Key, Big Lagoon State Park is best known for its (really big) lagoon, but the scenic trail system
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Blountstown Greenway

Blountstown Greenway

Connecting neighborhoods, parks, and services within a historic Apalachicola River town, the paved 3.9-mile Blountstown Greenway includes a segment of
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Butler Mill Trail

Butler Mill Trail

Lake Jackson Mounds is best known for being one of the largest ceremonial temple mound complexes in the Southeast, but
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Buttonbush Marsh

Buttonbush Marsh Overlook

Less than a mile from the strumming waves of the Gulf of Mexico, Buttonbush Marsh provides an important habitat for
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Parks


Beyond trails: natural destinations such as state and national parks, beaches, campgrounds, gardens, paddling runs, scenic drives, and springs in Northwest Florida, along with ecotours, wildlife, and historic and cultural sites.
Blooming season at Maclay Gardens

Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park

In late winter, azaleas create ribbons of bright color beneath the live oak canopy across the grounds of Maclay Gardens,
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Seacrest wolf preserve

Among the Wolves

When getting to know wolves means sitting among them, it's a bit intimidating. But being among the wolf packs of
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Apalachee Savannas Scenic Byway

In the Apalachicola National Forest, the Apalachee Savannas Scenic Byway is a winding stretch of scenic road through expansive wet
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Apalachicola National Forest

The Apalachicola National Forest is the largest National Forest in Florida, sweeping around the southern edge of Tallahassee. It is
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Beach at Bald Point State Park

Bald Point State Park

Where Ochlockonee Bay meets the Gulf of Mexico along the Forgotten Coast, quiet Bald Point State Park protects the tip
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Upper Chipola River

Baltzell Spring

Made up of liquid pools of beauty on the edge of Florida Caverns State Park, Baltzell Spring is a compelling
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Big Lagoon State Park

Big Lagoon State Park

As the name suggests, lagoons are the centerpiece of Big Lagoon State Park, but only one is THE Big Lagoon,
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Blackwater River SF

Blackwater River State Forest

At Blackwater River State Forest near Milton, immerse yourself in the largest state forest in Florida: 190,000 acres surrounding the
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Destinations


Find outdoor recreation in Northwest Florida by browsing destinations.
Apalachicola waterfront

Apalachicola

Around Apalachicola, the "Forgotten Coast" is dotted with parks, forests, and refuges along US 98 and the barrier islands, none
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Apalachicola River

Apalachicola River

There is something magical about the Apalachicola River, surrounded by deeply folded ravines at its upper end and wet pine
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Blountstown

Blountstown

A small town along the Florida Trail, Blountstown got its start as a destination along the Apalachicola River. It is
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FT Crestview

Crestview

A Florida Trail Gateway Community - where hikers walk right through the historic downtown - Crestview is located on a
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DeFuniak Springs

DeFuniak Springs

DeFuniak Springs is the county seat of Walton County, its historic residential district clustered around a perfectly round spring-fed lake
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Topsail Hill Preserve State Park

Destin

An oceanfront community in Walton County, Destin has a string of natural lands protecting some of the world's rarest lakes,
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Fort Walton Beach

Fort Walton Beach

One of the largest and oldest communities in Okaloosa County, Fort Walton Beach sits between Choctawhatchee Bay and the Gulf
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Madison

Madison

Nestled against the Georgia border, the easternmost corner of Northwest Florida is Madison County, with its county line defined on
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Articles


Articles on outdoor recreation and travel in Northwest Florida.
La Chua gators

Alligators Everywhere

In spring, alligators become more active as the days warm up. It's also mating season, so alligators are on the
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Bear bags hanging at sunset on the AT in Georgia

Do Not Feed the Bears

Bear bagging is the art of hanging your food properly out of reach of bears. If you're a Florida backpacker
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Marshall Swamp

Botanically rich hikes along the Florida Trail

With more than 1,400 miles of hiking statewide, the Florida Trail provides a gateway to grand landscapes for botanical beauty.
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Madison Blue Springs

Spring hopping around Tallahassee

Between Madison and Marianna and across Wakulla County, explore a colorful collection of natural springs for swimming and snorkeling, all
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Beckton Spring

Paddling Holmes Creek

With a dozen launch points and more than 15 springs along its 16 mile length, Holmes Creek, a tributary of
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Seacrest wolf preserve

Among the Wolves

When getting to know wolves means sitting among them, it's a bit intimidating. But being among the wolf packs of
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In a Canoe

Since falling in love, becoming a couple, and marrying, it was time for a real test of our relationship: going
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Oleta River State Park

Florida’s Best Urban Parks

When you live in a tightly packed space, you need somewhere green as your go-to place nearby. These are our
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Interactive Map


Drag, zoom, and click on this interactive Florida map to discover all recommended destinations in Northwest Florida.

JUMP TO: North Florida | Central Florida | Southwest Florida | South Florida | Southeast Florida

Find your way

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola . Apalachicola National Forest . Apalachicola River . Blackwater River State Forest . Blountstown . Crawfordville. Crestview . DeFuniak Springs . Destin . Fort Walton Beach . Ebro . Freeport . Gulf Islands National Seashore . Madison . Marianna . Milton . Navarre . Niceville . Panama City Beach . Pensacola . Ponce De Leon . Port St. Joe . Sopchoppy . St. Marks . St. Marks NWR . Tallahassee

NORTH FLORIDA
Amelia Island . Cedar Key . Chiefland . Fernandina Beach . Flagler Beach . Gainesville .High Springs . Jacksonville . Lake City . Live Oak . Mayo . Micanopy . Osceola National Forest . Palatka . Perry . Salt Springs . St. Augustine . Steinhatchee . Suwannee River Wilderness Trail . Trenton . White Springs

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka . Belleview . Brandon . Brooksville . Bushnell . Canaveral National Seashore . Christmas . Clearwater Beach . Clermont . Coast to Coast Trail . Cocoa Beach . Cross Florida Greenway . Crystal River . Dade City . Daytona Beach . Deland . Deltona . Dunnellon . Frostproof . Geneva . Inverness . Kissimmee . Lakeland . Lake Wales . Leesburg . Melbourne . Merritt Island NWR . Mount Dora . New Port Richey . New Smyrna Beach . Ocala . Ocala National Forest .Orlando . Ormond Beach . Oviedo . Sanford . Silver Springs . St. Cloud . St. Petersburg . Tampa . Tarpon Springs . Titusville . Walt Disney World . Withlacoochee State Forest . Withlacoochee State Trail . Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor . Ding Darling NWR . Englewood . Estero . Fort Myers . Naples . Pine Island . Punta Gorda . Sanibel Island . Sarasota . Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia . Big Cypress . Big Cypress National Preserve . Clewiston . Everglades City . Everglades National Park . Fisheating Creek . Lake Okeechobee . Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail . Lake Placid . Moore Haven . Okeechobee . Sebring

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Biscayne Bay . Biscayne National Park . Boca Raton . Coral Gables . Everglades National Park . Florida Keys . Fort Lauderdale . Fort Pierce . Hobe Sound . Homestead . Jupiter . Key Biscayne . Miami . Ocean to Lake . Palm Beach . Port St. Lucie . Sebastian . Stuart . Vero Beach . West Palm Beach

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