Camping at JR Walton Pond, Eglin AFB (Bob Coveney)
Florida’s public lands are not, in general, free. Most state and federal agencies charge user or entrance fees, which vary from per-person fees of $1 to per-carload fees of $8 per visit. Fortunately, most of our agencies also have programs where you can purchase an annual pass or use permit. If you’re an avid hiker, a pass adds up to serious savings over the course of a year! Here’s how to obtain permits and passes from our agencies.
Permits needed for the Florida Trail
Florida State Parks | Florida State Forests | Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Areas | National Forests in Florida | National Parks | National Wildlife Refuges | Eglin Air Force Base
Florida State Parks
Annual entrance passes cost $80 for an individual or $160 for a family, plus tax, and provides clear entrance to our 160 state parks, most of which charge an entrance fee. You’ll be asked to pay tax when visiting parks in the Florida Keys even when you show your pass. The pass covers 1/3 of the entrance fee for the Skyway Fishing Pier and deep discounts to Weeki Wachee and Homosassa Springs (both of which were retro Florida attractions before they became state parks) and t. Either obtain your pass at a major Florida State Park entrance station (call ahead to be sure they have them in stock, I discovered) or order them in advance online. The pass is good through the end of the month you buy it in a year later, so if you buy one at the beginning of the month, it’s like getting 13 months for the price of 12. Order a Florida State Parks pass online.
Florida State Forests
The Florida Division of Forestry offers a $30 annual pass for access to state forests, most of which charge a $2 per-person user fee at the trailhead, payable in exact cash to an “iron ranger.” What’s great about the $30 pass is that is coves the entire family, up to 7 people in your vehicle. Order a Florida State Forests pass online.
Florida Fish & Wildlife (WMAs)
Many Florida Wildlife Management Areas have hiking trails, and at these sites, when fees are charged, they are generally $4 per person or $6 per vehicle. Their website provides information on hunting, fishing, and recreational use, but nothing to indicate that an annual pass is available for non-consumptive recreational users.
NATIONAL PARKS AND FEDERAL RECREATION LANDS “AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL” ANNUAL PASS
This is one of the best bargains our Federal Government has come up with in a long time. This multi-agency annual pass covers entrance fees as described below. The pass is $80 per year and includes yourself and up to three adults with you, with children over 15 included in that category. Seniors can obtain a lifetime pass for a small fee, and free passes are available to the disabled and military. Order the pass online.
National Wildlife Refuges
Florida is the birthplace of the National Wildlife Refuge System, which started with the designation of Pelican Island by President Theodore Roosevelt back in 1903 and now includes more than 20 sites, most with some sort of hiking trail or multiuse trail. The America the Beautiful pass replaces the Duck Stamp method of entrance fee. Duck Stamps are still available for collectors and for entrance fee use to National Wildlife Refuges only. Here’s how to get one. However, the America the Beautiful Pass covers National Wildlife Refuge Entrance fees.
National Forests in Florida
There are three National Forests in Florida: Ocala, Osceola, and Apalachicola. While the America The Beautiful pass will spare you fees at trailheads that charge fees of $4 or more per car (Lake Delancy and Farles Lake in the Ocala National Forest being two examples we’re familiar with), it will not give you entrance into the many recreation areas in our National Forests, as they are run by concessionaires with their own pricey fee structure, typically $5 plus tax per person. The America the Beautiful pass covers some National Forest entrance fees but NOT Recreation Area fees.
National Parks
We have three National Parks (Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas) and two National Seashores (Gulf Islands and Canaveral) in Florida, plus several National Monuments (Castillo de San Marcos, Fort Matanzas, Timucuan, DeSoto Memorial).
Entrance fees of $10 per car, good for one week, apply to access at Everglades National Park via Shark Valley or the Main Park Road, and to the Fort Pickens and Perdido Key Units of Gulf Islands National Seashore. There is no user fee for hiking at Naval Live Oaks in Gulf Breeze.
Biscayne’s trails are all on islands in Biscayne Bay and cost an access fee plus you’ll pay to get there if you aren’t paddling out to the islands. Water-based recreation is popular at Dry Tortugas, which requires a paid ferry ride and an entrance fee to access.
There are no fees in Big Cypress National Preserve, another National Park unit, nor at the national monuments that are a part of the National Park service and have nature trails: Fort Caroline, Fort Matanzas, and DeSoto Memorial.
The America the Beautiful pass covers National Park entrance fees.
Eglin Air Force Base
If you’re planning to hike any portion of the Florida Trail at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle, you’ll need their annual Recreation User Permit. The permit is keyed to their fiscal year, which runs Sep-Aug, and there’s no discount for buying it for less than 12 months of use. It’s $12 per person, and you can pick one up in person at the Jackson Guard office in Niceville (their preference), or order one through the mail. To do so, send a photocopy of your current ID, along with a check for $12, your current address, and your cell phone # to:
Jackson Guard, 107 Hwy 85 N, Niceville FL 32578
Call (850) 882-4164 for any other questions on Eglin permits. We were informed that if you know the 10-day window in which you’ll be day hiking in Eglin, you can order a less expensive Fishing Permit – which provides access to Eglin during those days – and use that as your recreation permit for day hiking.
If you’re backpacking, it’s a different ball game. There is a per-night campsite charge of $5 per person, and you have to let them know in advance what day / designated campsite you plan to use as your camp. Thru-hikers get a free pass on campsites, see Florida Trail permits for details.
Eglin Air Force Base Senior passes are $6., include fishing, and are good for one year, whenever you pay for the permit. At least they were last year. I’m about to renew by mail.