Florida Hikes

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

Woman with daypack walking along ocean

Section Hiking the Florida Trail

Section hiking the Florida National Scenic Trail provides some logistical challenges, but a sense of satisfaction in being able to complete an 1,100-mile walk across Florida at your own pace.

Most people who have completed an end-to-end hike of the Florida Trail have done so as section hikers. Sandra is among them.

The Florida Trail lends itself to section hiking more than most National Scenic Trails, as trailheads are within an hour of most major metros in the state.

There are many intermediate access points as well. In fact, with the exception of the southernmost 30 miles of the trail – crossing the Big Cypress Swamp – nearly all of the trail can be day hiked.

Our Hiking Guides

We’ve been writing Florida hiking books since 2001, including seven guidebooks to our statewide Florida National Scenic Trail and two coffee table books recounting the Florida Trail’s history and beauty. These contain information on hiking parts of the Florida Trail throughout the state.

Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover 50 Hikes in Central Florida 5 Star Trails Orlando Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover Florida Trail history book Florida Trail small coffee table book

Florida Trail Hikes outlines the best day hikes along the Florida Trail for scenic beauty, as well as the top sections to tackle. We’ve also partnered with FarOut to bring you our Florida Trail information as an app.
 
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.

Section Hike or Thru Hike?

Section hiking has its advantages in that you can do it on weekends (as Sandra did early on when she had a full-time job) and knock off a significant amount of trail during prime hiking season, October through April.

You can also pick the optimum places and times when you section hike. For instance, you can avoid hunting seasons entirely. You can choose to be out in the woods during spring and fall wildflower seasons.

If you hike the Big Bend and Lake Okeechobee in the winter, it’s the perfect time to marvel at the masses of migratory birds that arrive. Or you can arrive in Olustee during the annual Civil War re-enactment, one of the largest in the South.

Compared to the tight focus of a thru-hike, section hiking is more logistically challenging. There is a need to shuttle or place two cars, plus the drive to and from the trail.

Connect with Florida Trail Hikers and trail angels via the Florida Trail Hikers Alliance to chat with other section hikers to help coordinate logistics for your hike.

Florida Trail Sections

These are all of the sections of the Florida Trail, including two side trails (Ocean to Lake and Blackwater). Each of these pages includes a section map and details on what to expect in that section.

Words Florida Trail Apalachicola over a gum swamp Florida Trail, Apalachicola In Florida’s largest national forest, this 78 mile segment of the Florida Trail through the Apalachicola means soggy feet and spectacular botanical diversity south of Tallahassee.
Words Florida Trail Big Bend over a lush marsh lined with palms and cypress on horizon Florida Trail, Big Bend Crossing rural farms and forests, this 116 mile segment of the Florida Trail reveals the secrets of the Aucilla River before tracing the Gulf coastline at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.
Words Florida Trail Big Cypress overlaid on backpacker picking their way through dense small cypresses Florida Trail, Big Cypress A wild, watery wilderness for Florida backpackers, the 42.2-mile Florida Trail in Big Cypress National Preserve is both beautiful and extraordinarily challenging.
Words Florida Trail Blackwater across red bluffs dropping to river Florida Trail, Blackwater The 45 mile Blackwater section of the Florida Trail walks through Atlantic white cedar and longleaf pine forests, pitcher plant bogs and titi swamps to reach Alabama.
Florida Trail, Central Panhandle West of the Apalachicola River, 99 miles of the Florida Trail stitches a series of public lands together along the corridor of the Northwest Florida Greenway.
Words Florida Trail Eglin over glowing green forest with bridge Florida Trail, Eglin One of the most compelling sections of the Florida Trail for backpackers, the 98.3 miles through Eglin offers rugged elevation changes and crystalline waterways.
Florida Trail, Kissimmee Following the Kissimmee River for 112 miles, this is a scenic section of the Florida Trail with levees, woods, river views, open prairies, and cattle ranches.
Text Florida Trail Northeast Florida overlaid on a rainbow swamp, where water under cypress trees glistens in pastel rainbow hues. Florida Trail, Northeast Florida Connecting public lands on this 123 mile stretch, the Florida Trail walks into the past through farms and timberlands between Palatka and Osceola National Forest.
Words Florida Trail Ocala atop a view of a trail tunneling into a dense sand pine scrub forest. Florida Trail, Ocala Spanning 72.3 from the birthplace of the Florida Trail into the world’s largest sand pine scrub forest, the Ocala section is Florida’s top backpacking destination.
Words Florida Trail Okeechobee overlaid on horizon to horizon lake Florida Trail, Okeechobee Looping around one of America's largest lakes, the 112-mile Okeechobee section of the Florida Trail provides panoramic views from atop the Herbert Hoover Dike.
Words Florida Trail Orlando overlaid on blazed trail leading into cypress swamp edged with cabbage palms. Florida Trail, Orlando Between the prairies of Osceola County and the Ocala National Forest, this 150 mile section of the Florida Trail slips through suburbs of the Orlando metro.
Words Florida Trail Seashore overlaid on a beach at sunset Florida Trail, Seashore In addition to bike paths and the scenic UWF-SRIA Dunes Preserve, the 32-mile Seashore section of the Florida Trail walks you along a beach to the trail's Northern Terminus.
Florida Trail, Seminole Stretching 56.2 miles from the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation to Lake Okeechobee, the Seminole section crosses a vast agricultural region, with hiking on roads and levees.
Words Florida Trail Suwannee overlaid on view of river through moss-draped live oaks. Florida Trail, Suwannee For 78 miles along the Suwannee River, the Florida Trail clings to bluffs and scrambles through ravines for physical challenges and great scenery.
Words Florida Trail Western Corridor overlaid on trail in woods beneath a low branch with a blaze Florida Trail, Western Corridor Linking Withlacoochee State Forest and the Cross Florida Greenway, the 241 mile Western Corridor of the Florida Trail accesses wild spaces between Tampa and Ocala.
Words Florida Trail Ocean to Lake overlaid on a man with backpack pausing to watch a bird through binoculars in scrub habitat. Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail A 61-mile spur of the Florida Trail from Port Mayaca on the east side of Lake Okeechobee through forested landscapes to Hobe Sound Beach on the Atlantic Ocean.

Regional Hiking

Information on multiple sections of the Florida Trail in one geographic region.

Florida Trail, South Florida Heading north through Big Cypress, the Florida Trail immerses hikers through one of the last wild spaces of the region, then connects to Okeechobee via dikes.
Florida Trail, Central Florida In Central Florida, the Florida Trail presents two options: east or west around the Orlando metro. Forested public lands provide protection for much of the route.
Words Florida Trail North Florida overlaid on view of river beyond dense saw palmetto Florida Trail, North Florida As the Florida Trail sweeps in a broad arc through North Florida, hikers are introduced to ancient trees, unusual karst formations, and rolling sandhills.
Words Florida Trail Northwest Florida overlaid on plank bridge in dense forest Florida Trail, Northwest Florida Encompassing the sweep of Florida west of the Suwannee River, the Florida Trail through Northwest Florida offers some of the most dramatic panoramas and rugged terrain you'll find while hiking in Florida.

More Reading

Planning tools for the Florida Trail Plan your Florida Trail Hike Thinking of section hiking, thru-hiking, or simply backpacking the Florida Trail? Plan ahead with this step-by-step guide of what to do in advance of hiking the Florida Trail.
Hiking trail with backpack in foreground Florida Trail Backpacking Backpackers will appreciate the many places the Florida Trail provides a pleasant overnight, three-day-weekend, or multi-day hiking experience to escape to the outdoors.
Best Hikes on the Florida Trail Explore our picks for the best scenic hikes along the Florida Trail. We've hiked the entire trail: these are pieces of the trail we'd be happy to hike again and again.
Tents pitched in a clearing in a tropical forest Thru Hike the Florida Trail A thru-hike in Florida takes sixty to ninety days across a surprising diversity of landscapes not found on other long distance trails in the United States.