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

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Ann Kolb Nature Center

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
Marsh among pond apples Coral Springs
Massive banyan tree 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

Shoreline with unsullied beach at dusk Florida’s Front Line Beaches (6/6/2024) During World War II, two specialized coastal training bases in Florida contributed to the successful D-Day landings at Normandy and at beachheads beyond.
Florida State Park Pass floating over a pine-palm flatwoods landscape Florida Great Outdoors Initiative (10/14/2023) Through January 13, 2024, the Florida Great Outdoors Initiative offers park visitors a half-price discount on annual passes to Florida State Parks.
Bike path bridge over interstate 95 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

ALL Southeast Florida Articles & Destinations

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FarOut Guides

Our comprehensive trail logistics presented on offline maps:

Florida National Scenic Trail (1,500 miles)
Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (108 miles)
Eastern Continental Trail in Florida (92 miles)


We earn a small commission on sales through these links. Thanks for your support!


Our Guidebooks

We’ve written guidebooks to Florida’s outdoors for over 25 years. These are our most recent.

Book cover with woman hiking through palms with baby carrier
Book cover of Florida Trail Hikes
The Florida Trail Guide fifth edition
50 Hikes in Central Florida 3rd edition

More Books

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Places to Explore

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FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

METROS: Bradenton. Clearwater. Crestview. Daytona Beach. Destin. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Myers. Fort Walton Beach. Gainesville. Jacksonville. Kissimmee. Lakeland. Melbourne. Miami. Naples. Ocala. Orlando. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Port St. Lucie. Punta Gorda. St. Petersburg. Sanford. Sarasota. Sebring. Stuart. Tallahassee. Tampa. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach.

MULTI-REGION: Atlantic Coastal Ridge. Atlantic Coast. Bartram Trail. Big Bend. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail. Gulf Coast. Lake Wales Ridge. WATERWAYS: Indian River Lagoon. Intracoastal Waterway. Kissimmee River. St. Johns River. Withlacoochee River.

NORTHWEST FLORIDA: Altha. Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Big Bend Scenic Byway. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Bruce. Cantonment. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. DeFuniak Springs. Eastpoint. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Freeport. Fountain. Gulf Breeze. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Holt. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Munson. Navarre. Navarre Beach. Newport. Niceville. Panacea. Panama City . Perdido Key. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Santa Rosa Beach. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. George Island. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Sumatra. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka. Woodville. WATERWAYS: Apalachicola River. Blackwater Bay. Blackwater River. Chipola River. Choctawhatchee Bay. Choctawhatchee River. Coastal Dune Lakes. Ochlockonee Bay. Perdido River. St. Marks River. Wacissa River. Wakulla River. Yellow River.

NORTH FLORIDA: Alachua. Amelia Island. Archer. Baldwin. Branford. Bronson. Bunnell. Callahan. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Crescent City. Cross City. Cross Creek. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fanning Springs. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Fort White. Glen St. Mary. Green Cove Springs. Hawthorne. High Springs. Inglis. Jacksonville Beaches. Jacksonville Northshore. Jasper. Jennings. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler. Lake City. Live Oak.Macclenny. Mandarin. Mayo. Mayport. Micanopy. Middleburg. Old Town. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Palm Valley. Perry. Ponte Vedra. Rodman. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Waldo. Welaka. White Springs. Williston. Worthington Springs. Yankeetown. WATERWAYS: Santa Fe River. St. Marys River. Suwannee River. Tolomato River. Upper Withlacoochee River.

CENTRAL FLORIDA: Altamonte Springs. Apollo Beach. Apopka. Astatula. Astor. Auburndale. Bartow. Babson Park. Bayport. Belleview. Bithlo. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Cassadaga. Christmas. Chuluota. Citrus Springs. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Edgewater. Enterprise. Eustis. Ferndale. Fort Meade. Frostproof. Geneva. Gibsonton. Haines City. Hernando. Hernando Beach. Holopaw. Homosassa. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Largo. Leesburg. Lithia. Longwood. Lutz. Maitland. Malabar. McIntosh. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. Narcoossee/Lake Nona. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Nobleton. Oak Hill. Oakland. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Ocoee. Oldsmar. Orange City. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Paisley. Palm Bay. Plant City. Poinciana. Polk City. Ponce Inlet. Port Orange. Ridge Manor. Riverview. Ruskin. Safety Harbor. Silver Springs. Sorrento. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. Tarpon Springs. Thonotosassa. Titusville . Umatilla. Viera. Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Weirsdale. Wimauma. Windermere. Winter Garden. Winter Haven. Winter Park. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction. Zephyrhills. WATERWAYS: Alafia River. Halifax River. Hillsborough River. Lake Apopka. Little Manatee River. Ochlawaha River. Rainbow River. Tampa Bay. Wekiva River. Wekiva River Basin.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA: Alva. Boca Grande. Cape Coral. Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Ellenton. Englewood. Estero. Immokalee. Marco Island. North Port. Osprey. Palma Sola. Palmetto. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Sanibel Island. Venice. WATERWAYS: Caloosahatchee River. Manatee River. Myakka River. Pine Island Sound.

SOUTH FLORIDA: Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Big Cypress Swamp. Bowling Green. Clewiston. Everglades City. Indiantown. LaBelle. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Ortona. Pahokee. Palmdale. Port Mayaca. South Bay. Wauchula. Zolfo Springs. WATERWAYS: Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Peace River.

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA: Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coconut Creek. Coral Gables. Coral Springs. Davie. Delray Beach. Fellsmere. Flamingo. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Indrio. Jensen Beach. Juno Beach. Jupiter. Jupiter Farms. Key Biscayne. North Hutchison Island. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Palm Beach. Palm Beach Gardens. Pompano Beach. Redland. Sebastian. South Hutchinson Island. WATERWAYS: Florida Bay. St. Lucie River.

FLORIDA KEYS: Big Pine Key. Islamorada. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Overseas Heritage Trail.


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