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

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Fakahatchee ferns

Astor

Small waterfront community between the western shore of the St. Johns River and Ocala National Forest, southwest of Lake George

Alexander Springs

Alexander Springs

Ocala National Forest  |  Astor
( 29.079006, -81.577921 )      

Surrounding one of Florida’s most picturesque first magnitude springs, Alexander Springs is a prime destination for a summer swim or snorkel

Before the Burn: Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Florida Trail, Juniper Prairie Wilderness

March 26, 2009    Sandra Friend

What did the Juniper Prairie Wilderness look like before the fires of 2009? Here’s what I photographed on a hike just a few weeks before the devastating blaze.

Florida Trail, Alexander Springs to Farles Prairie

Florida Trail Big Scrub near Farles

Florida Trail, Ocala  |  Ocala National Forest
( 29.078871, -81.577816 )      8.6 miles

8.6 miles. Dive deep into the world’s largest sand pine scrub forest on this hike through the Big Scrub

Florida Trail, Clearwater Lake to Alexander Springs

Florida Trail near Paisley

Florida Trail, Ocala  |  Ocala National Forest
( 28.976418,-81.550423 )      10.5 miles

10.5 miles. Hike the original miles blazed by Florida Trail Association trailblazers in 1966 along one of the most beautiful sections of the Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest

Florida Trail, Farles Prairie to Juniper Springs

Florida Trail, Ocala  |  Ocala National Forest
( 29.103519, -81.674882 )      9.7 miles

9.7 miles. Follow a ribbon of tall grasses and lily-dotted ponds along Farles Prairie before trekking miles through classic sand pine scrub to the Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Hiking Farles Prairie

Farles Prairie hike

March 3, 2009    Sandra Friend

Hiking along the Farles Prairie section of the Florida Trail adjoining Pine Castle Bombing Range, we get to experience both a bomb concussion and a charred “nightmare forest” after a dropped bomb.

Hiking the Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Pretty prairie in Juniper Prairie Wilderness

October 21, 2009    Sandra Friend

For immersion into the world’s largest sand pine scrub forest, take a journey along the Florida Trail through the Juniper Prairie Wilderness. It’s perennially a getaway for backpackers thanks to its natural beauty.

Return to Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Florida Trail Juniper Prairie Wilderness

January 26, 2009    Sandra Friend

A return to the Juniper Prairie Wilderness seven years after my last hike finds things very different after wildfires scour across the landscape.

The Other Side of Farles Prairie

Hiking along the eastern side of Farles Prairie

March 25, 2015    Sandra Friend

What’s it like to do trail research? Here’s a typical day out on the trail for us when we’re tracking down relocations of the Florida Trail or finding new trails to add to this website.

Timucuan Trail

Hiker on a boardwalk in jungle like forest

Ocala National Forest  |  Alexander Springs
( 29.080850,-81.576317 )      0.9 miles

While less than a mile long, the Timucuan Trail at Alexander Springs Recreation Area is the best place to sample the Big Scrub habitats of the Ocala National Forest while enjoying lush habitats along a spring run.

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