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

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Close up of water lilies in front of stone picnic shelter

Southeast Florida

Although the Atlantic coast south of Sebastian Inlet becomes distinctly urban the farther south you go, Southeast Florida has many places to play outdoors.


A transformation occurs the further south you roam the Atlantic Coast of Florida. South of Sebastian Inlet, seaside residences start out low, often grouped in private colonies. Barrier islands are narrow, with miles of extensive public beaches protected by state parks and National Wildlife Refuges. Cities cluster along the Indian River Lagoon–Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, Stuart, Jupiter–with numerous public lands set aside along the tributaries feeding the waterways.

Then Southeast Florida’s most compressed corridor of cities, spanning all the way to Homestead, takes over at Palm Beach. High-rises tower over tiny patches of green space between Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami, their larger public parks well west of the highest density communities. A tropical vibe begins, infusing the Miami waterfront and the agricultural Redlands. It continues through the relaxed Florida Keys, where Caribbean-style forests are the norm.


Regional Destinations

Scrub forest up close Boca Raton
Cypress Creek Fern Forest Coconut Creek
Reflecting pools in botanical garden Coral Gables
Ferns in Parkland Coral Springs
Long Key Natural Area (Adobe Stock) Davie
Agave and gardens above sweep of aqua ocean Florida Keys
Boaters at Port Everglades Fort Lauderdale
Sculpture with riverwalk and bridge beyond Fort Pierce
Lagoon with mangroves Hobe Sound
North Hollywood Beach Hollywood
Downtown Homestead Homestead
Sunset framed by palms and wharfs Islamorada
Swimming beach Jupiter
Beach with coconut palms Key Biscayne
Pathway through a tropical hammock Key Largo
Beach with sea grape and lady under umbrella Key West
Signs at Vaca Cut waterway Marathon
Skyscrapers in far distance with paddlers and islands Miami
Four Arts Gardens Palm Beach
Boardwalk along blue waterway and mangroves Port St. Lucie
Blue blazed post in scrubby flatwoods habitat Sebastian
Big Cypress prairie ecosystem with cypress trees South Florida
Walkway flanked by coconut palms to riverfront Stuart
Aquamarine ocean framed by sea grapes and palms Vero Beach
Tropical forest with footpath West Palm Beach

Recent Articles

Bike path bridge over interstate 95 The Trans-Florida Central Railroad Trail (4/2/2019) 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 (3/19/2019) 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 (2/23/2019) 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 (2/21/2019) 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.

ALL Southeast Florida Articles & Destinations

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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 River. 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 Lake Wales Ridge.

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.Lithia. 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. Riverview. Ruskin. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Park. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction. Zephyrhills

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. Coconut Creek. Coral Gables. Coral Springs. 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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