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Hiking Withlacoochee River Park

Best Scenic Hikes

Our picks for best scenic hikes in Florida, where there’s more than one “WOW” moment along the way

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When people ask us “where’s the best place to hike in Florida?” it’s tough to come up with a quick answer. Our state is so diverse, with 83 different types of habitats to explore.

We are always delighted to come across a new “wow” moment when visiting a trail. If we return and feel the same, it’s on our scenic hikes list. But that list itself is pretty long, so we narrowed it down even more.

Florida's Best Scenic Hikes

These are our top personal picks for the best scenic hikes in Florida.

Florida Trail, Aucilla Sinks

Walk a 4.4-mile linear stretch of the Florida Trail on a narrow footpath across natural bridges and stone arches that drop into natural voids in earth like Swiss cheese, deep sinkholes which the most ancient residents of Florida used to trap mastodons.

Bulow Woods Loop

In Florida, "hammock" means "woods." Bulow Hammock is among the most ancient in the state, its immense trees casting deep shade along this 5.2-mile loop through a primordial landscape.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Enter a rare cathedral of old-growth cypress trees in the heart of Corkscrew Strand, the realm of the ghost orchid and the Florida panther, on a 2.3-mile boardwalk loop through this Audubon preserve.

Highlands Hammock State Park

On narrow catwalks and trails originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, immerse into one of Florida's oldest state parks in a palm-shaded landscape straight out of Florida's past.

Prairie Lakes Loop

In this "land between the lakes" in the Kissimmee River basin, vast prairies are punctuated by dense oak and palm hammocks on a figure-8 route along the Florida Trail with several lakefront panoramas.

Florida Trail, Alaqua

Of all 1,400+ miles of our National Scenic Trail in Florida, this segment on Eglin Air Force Base is tops for its tough terrain, immersive magnolia-beech forest, and suspension bridge over Alaqua Creek.

Citrus Hiking Trail

The longest loop trail on a single piece of public land, the 43-mile Citrus Hiking Trail in Withlacoochee State Forest features rugged rocky terrain, rolling hills, trailside caves, and a sense of quiet.

Myakka Hiking Trail

The longest loop trail in a Florida State Park, the Myakka Hiking Trail offers a two-mile walk across an open prairie as a part of its 39-mile series of loops. A day hike to Bee Island provides highlights of the habitats along this extensive trail system.

Florida Trail, Big Shoals

Follow a Florida Trail segment from Bell Springs along the Suwannee River on a 4.6-mile round-trip to views of the only Class III rapids in Florida, with a waterfall to circle along the way.

Anhinga Trail

If you can only do one hike in Everglades National Park, this is it. It's the shortest and busiest trail in Everglades National Park, but it provides panoramic views as well as up-close viewing of alligators, orchids, and hundreds of wading birds.

Top Trails in Florida

In addition to the trails listed above, we have a list of Top Ten Trail Destinations for planning your next trip. These are not individual trails that you can tackle all at once, but major trail systems and large parks and preserves throughout Florida which have many different trails in them. Some can be tackled on a bicycle, and some offer paddling trails as well.

Top Ten Trail Destinations

All Scenic Trails in Florida

Devils Millhopper descent
Nearing the bottom of the stairs into Devils Millhopper

Let’s face it: even though we don’t have much elevation, we do have a lot of fascinating habitats. Florida is a very pretty place. Here are more suggestions for trails that you should put on your to-do list.

We’ve tagged a lot of trails on this website as scenic, and you can see their locations on our Scenic Trails Map.

Scenic Trails Map

Our Favorite Scenic Trails

In addition to the ones at the top of the page on our list of top scenic trails, these are some of our personal favorites statewide.

Barrier Island Trail

Barrier Island Sanctuary

Big cypress Bear Swamp Trail

Bear Swamp Trail

Along a narrow levee on the Black Bear Wilderness Loop Trail

Black Bear Wilderness Loop Trail

Boardwalk at Blue Spring

Blue Spring Boardwalk

Pitcher plants along the Clear Creek Nature Trail

Clear Creek Nature Trail

Devils Millhopper Nature Trail

Devil’s Millhopper Nature Trail

Eldora Hammock Trail

Eldora Hammock Trail

Falling Creek Falls

Falling Creek Falls

Palms in uplands along the Florida Trail

Florida Trail, Chuluota Wilderness to Joshua Creek

Florida Trail, Gold Head Branch State Park

Florida Trail, Gold Head Branch

Florida Trail, Juniper Creek

Florida Trail, Juniper Creek

Riverside Island north of FR 11

Florida Trail, Lake Delancy to Rodman

Florida Trail, Sopchoppy River

Florida Trail, Sopchoppy River

Grassy Waters Preserve

Grassy Waters Preserve

GTM Reserve

GTM Reserve

Springs in open spring basin

Juniper Springs

Kirby Storter Boardwalk

Kirby Storter Boardwalk

Leon Sinks

Leon Sinks Geological Area

View of the Little Manatee River from the trail

Little Manatee River Trail

Lyonia Preserve

Lyonia Preserve

Pinelands Trail

Pinelands Trail

Cross Trail junction in Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

St Francis Trail

St. Francis Trail

Theodore Roosevelt Area

Theodore Roosevelt Area

ALL of our Favorite Destinations
 

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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.

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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.

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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

Flooded canoe launch

Parks and Trails Closed Due to Hurricane Ian

Our roundup of closures on federal, state, and county lands across Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

Colorful mural behind bicycle

Riding the East Coast Greenway to Stuart

Scouting a piece of the East Coast Greenway on the Treasure Coast, John’s on-the-ground wayfinding stopped him short of his intended goal.

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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

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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
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SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
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