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

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Dingy-star orchid in Big Cypress

South Florida

In the tip of the Florida peninsula, the prairies meet the tropics, with Florida’s largest lake, agriculture, and wilderness on a grand scale between the densely populated coasts.

ake Okeechobee at Nubbin Slough

Exploring South Florida

In the rural middle of the southern Florida peninsula, ranches surround the high ground of the Lake Wales Ridge until you reach Lake Okeechobee.

Here, sugar cane fields and citrus groves stretch to the horizon. South of Alligator Alley, millions of acres of watery wilds are protected by Everglades National Park and within the Big Cypress ecosystem.

On the SOUTHEAST and SOUTHWEST coasts, barrier islands and inland prairies are protected for hiking, paddling, and trail riding.

Hundreds of small but critical urban parks provide quiet getaways for families to enjoy birding, wildlife watching, and the colorful blooms that appear year-round.

Regional Destinations

Downtown Arcadia

Arcadia

Arcadia
Big Cypress orchid

Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve
Summer in Big Cypress

Big Cypress Swamp

Big Cypress Swamp
Florida Trail, Moore Haven to Clewiston

Clewiston

Clewiston
Everglades City airboat

Everglades City

Everglades City
Everglades Pay-Hay-Okee

Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park
Fisheating Creek

Fisheating Creek

Fisheating Creek
Molasses Reef

Florida Keys

Florida Keys
Florida Trail Big Cypress

Florida Trail, Big Cypress

Florida Trail, Big Cypress
Florida Trail Kissimmee

Florida Trail, Kissimmee

Florida Trail, Kissimmee
Florida Trail, Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Okeechobee
Florida Trail along a canal south of Clewiston

Florida Trail, Seminole

Florida Trail, Seminole
FT Henry Creek to Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee
Lake Placid

Lake Placid

Lake Placid
Lake Wales Ridge above Crooked Lake

Lake Wales Ridge

Lake Wales Ridge
Sunrise and fog at Moore Haven

Moore Haven

Moore Haven
Lake Okeechobee

Okeechobee

Okeechobee
Highlands Hammock

Sebring

Sebring
Ann Kolb Nature Center

Southeast Florida

Southeast Florida
Edison Home Fort Myers

Southwest Florida

Southwest Florida

Recent Articles

Construction zone along Lake Okeechobee

East or West around Lake Okeechobee?

January 8, 2020//  by Sandra Friend & John Keatley

Making the decision to walk the Florida Trail east or west around Lake Okeechobee used to be easy. Now, with construction zones blocking access to much of the southern half of the lake, it isn’t. Here are the facts on each route’s strengths and weaknesses to help you decide the best route for you.

Dike reconstruction at Rardin Park

Around Okeechobee

January 8, 2020//  by Sandra Friend & John Keatley

Our 2020 update of the state of the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee. Thru-hikers should continue to use Okeechobee West as their route around the lake. We provide full details on why.

Bike path bridge over interstate 95

The Trans-Florida Central Railroad Trail

April 2, 2019//  by John Keatley

If you’ve seen the prominent Trans-Florida Central Railroad Trail over Interstate 95 at Fellsmere, you’ve probably wondered about it. Here’s what we found when we stopped for a ride.

Sandra and her gear at Southern Terminus

How To Prepare For A Backpacking Trip

March 19, 2019//  by Sandra Friend

What does a hiker need to spend a week, or a month, or three months on the trail? Here are trail-tested suggestions for backpacking in Florida for trips of a week or more

Bears opening trash can

Bear season in Florida

February 23, 2019//  by Sandra Friend

As Florida black bears become active in late winter and spring, the chances of a bear encounter go up significantly if you leave food unsecured outdoors – whether in your campsite or at home.

Every Kid in a Park pass

Every Kid Outdoors

February 21, 2019//  by Sandra Friend

Got kids? If any of them are in fourth grade, they can get a free pass to ALL Federal public lands good for the whole family through the end of August. Here’s how.

Florida Trail, Big Cypress

Crossing Big Cypress

February 4, 2019//  by Sandra Friend

It’s Florida’s roughest, wettest, weirdest backpacking trip, best tackled with friends. Along this 30 mile stretch of the Florida Trail in the heart of Big Cypress National Preserve, immersing in the swamp is the point of the hike. Sandra tackled it as the final stretch of her multi-year 1,110-mile section hike of the Florida Trail, end-to-end.

La Chua gators

Alligators Everywhere

April 6, 2018//  by Sandra Friend

In spring, alligators become more active as the days warm up. It’s also mating season, so alligators are on the move. Expect to see them anywhere and everywhere along Florida’s trails.

Bear bags hanging at sunset on the AT in Georgia

Do Not Feed the Bears

February 27, 2018//  by John Keatley

Bear bagging is the art of hanging your food properly out of reach of bears. If you’re a Florida backpacker and haven’t learned how, here’s a short course. Securing your food from bears is required in the Ocala, Osceola, and Apalachicola National Forests.

Marshall Swamp

Botanically rich hikes along the Florida Trail

February 6, 2018//  by Sandra Friend

With more than 1,400 miles of hiking statewide, the Florida Trail provides a gateway to grand landscapes for botanical beauty. Here are our top suggestions for fascinating botanical destinations along the Florida Trail.

John photographs a liguus tree snail in Everglades National Park

Adding to the Life List

July 21, 2015//  by John Keatley

Although John is a native Floridian, our research trip to South Florida became an opportunity for him to see many natural “firsts” in Florida that most people have on their life lists.

Ten Thousand Islands mangrove atoll

Ten Thousand Islands

June 26, 2015//  by Sandra Friend & John Keatley

Where the waters of Big Cypress and the Everglades meet the Gulf Coast, the Ten Thousand Islands are a maze of mangrove forest: the second largest mangrove forest in the world, bested only by Bangladesh

CONTENT ARCHIVES

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FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

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
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

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
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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