Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Spanning from the Gulf of Mexico to the Withlacoochee River basin, Hernando County stakes its claim as Florida’s Adventure Coast with outdoor activities to choose from in every season.
INTERACTIVE MAP
An oasis of serenity in Spring Hill, several acres of compact garden rooms make up the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens. Each delights the senses with an ever-changing array of blooms and colors.
One of Florida’s most beautiful paddling trips, the Weeki Wachee River rises from first magnitude Weeki Wachee Springs and winds through lush floodplain forests as it is fed by hundreds of smaller springs along this 5.5-mile paddling run.
Centered on a deep sinkhole and swallet that drains directly into the Floridan Aquifer, Peck Sink Preserve is a 112-acre conservation area near Brooksville.
With a surprising diversity of oak species for Central Florida, Perry Oldenburg WEA protects a prime piece of sandhill habitat where gopher tortoises thrive.
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.
Between New Port Richey and Crystal River, explore a variety of springs along the Nature Coast that provide splashing fun in summer and manatee watching in winter.
With tens of thousands of acres of conservation land along the Gulf Coast, Weeki Wachee is a central launch point for adventure on the water and in the woods.
Surrounding a sparkling first-magnitude spring, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park has been a draw for tourists since its mermaids first started wooing visitors in the 1940s.
Named for the river defining its northern boundary, the 11,000-acre Weekiwachee Preserve is a mining restoration area fringed with natural habitats
Along an upland trail in Chassahowitzka WMA, Wild Turkey Trace immerses you in the turkey oaks and pines of the sandhill forest, with the surprise of a boggy marsh along the way.
With more than 155,000 acres spread over several counties, Withlacoochee State Forest is Florida’s second largest state forest, and arguably the most popular for outdoor recreation
