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

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Glass-bottomed boats at Silver Springs

Silver Springs

Florida’s original tourist destination, Silver Springs is both one of the world’s largest springs and the name of the community that grew up around it in the 1800s.


Contents

  • 1 Resources
  • 2 Exploring Silver Springs
    • 2.1 Ocala National Forest
    • 2.2 Cross Florida Greenway
    • 2.3 Florida Trail, Cross Florida Greenway
    • 2.4 Florida Trail, CR 314 to Eaton Creek
    • 2.5 Silver Springs State Park
  • 3 Featured Trails and Parks near Silver Springs
    • 3.1 Cross Florida Greenway
    • 3.2 Silver Springs Sinkhole Trail
    • 3.3 Silver Springs State Park
    • 3.4 Florida Trail, Santos to Baseline
    • 3.5 Silver River Connector
    • 3.6 Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area
    • 3.7 Silver Springs River Trails
    • 3.8 Florida Trail, Marshall Swamp
    • 3.9 Florida Trail, Western Corridor
  • 4 Articles
    • 4.1 National Forests in Florida Implement New Fees
    • 4.2 The new 50 Hikes in Central Florida

Resources

Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in Central Florida 50 Hikes in North Florida book cover Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us continue to provide public information on this website.


Exploring Silver Springs

Florida’s original tourist destination, Silver Springs is both one of the world’s largest springs.

It is also the name of the community that grew up around it in the 1800s when steamboats followed the snaking curves of the Ocklawaha River up the Silver River to dock at these immense springs.

Now adjoining the city of Ocala, Silver Springs is the western gateway to the Ocala National Forest and the Cross Florida Greenway.

The Western Corridor of the Florida Trail threads through both, providing a linear backpacking route both northeast and southwest of the community.

Florida Trail north of Farles Prairie

Ocala National Forest

Established in 1908 as the first National Forest east of the Mississippi, the Ocala National Forest is a mecca for hikers and campers, and the birthplace of the Florida Trail

Florida Trail Marshall Swamp

Cross Florida Greenway

Stretching 90 miles from the St. Johns River near Palatka to the Gulf of Mexico, the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway is a mile-wide recreational corridor with hiking, biking, and equestrian trails as well as paddling and boating access.

Marshall Swamp on the Cross Florida Greenway

Florida Trail, Cross Florida Greenway

43.8 miles. A prime destination for backpacking and day hiking south of Ocala, the Florida Trail follows the Cross Florida Greenway through woodlands between the Withlacoochee and Ocklawaha Rivers

Crooked boardwalk through swamp

Florida Trail, CR 314 to Eaton Creek

11.4 miles. In the damp southwest corner of the Ocala National Forest, the Florida Trail navigates boardwalks across a swampy subtropical jungle.

To see the springs themselves, a visit to Silver Springs State Park provides hiking, paddling, ecotours, and camping along with just relaxing on a deck above the spring basin.

Glass-bottomed boats at Silver Springs

Silver Springs State Park

One of the world’s largest and deepest springs, Silver Springs pours out more than 550 million gallons of water daily, forming the Silver River


Featured Trails and Parks near Silver Springs

Florida Trail Marshall Swamp

Cross Florida Greenway

Cross Florida Greenway
Sinkhole Trail

Silver Springs Sinkhole Trail

Silver Springs Sinkhole Trail
Glass-bottomed boats at Silver Springs

Silver Springs State Park

Silver Springs State Park
Pines growing along grassy footpath

Florida Trail, Santos to Baseline

Florida Trail, Santos to Baseline
Silver River Connector

Silver River Connector

Silver River Connector
Ocklawaha Prairie

Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area

Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area
Swamp along the River Trails

Silver Springs River Trails

Silver Springs River Trails
Marshall Swamp Trail

Florida Trail, Marshall Swamp

Florida Trail, Marshall Swamp
Cypress Lakes Preserve

Florida Trail, Western Corridor

Florida Trail, Western Corridor
 
More Trails More Parks


Articles

Ocean Pond Olustee

National Forests in Florida Implement New Fees

July 24, 2019//  by Sandra Friend

Effective July 26, 2019, fees go up at many National Forest campgrounds, boat ramps, and recreation areas

50 Hikes Central Florida graphic

The new 50 Hikes in Central Florida

October 5, 2018//  by Sandra Friend

We launched a new full-color edition of 50 Hikes in Central Florida at the National Trails Festival in Deland the first weekend of October. Take a peek inside.


NEARBY: Belleview, Palatka, Ocala, Ormond Beach, Salt Springs | PART OF: Central Florida

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NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Crescent City. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

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MULTI-REGION
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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
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

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