Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
The destinations we consider the best places for birding in Florida. Whenever we’ve visited these, we’ve always seen multiple species and had opportunities for great bird photos.
Six miles of trails meander through wide open spaces preserved for wintering waterfowl at 21,500-acre Lake Woodruff NWR along the St. Johns River.
Florida’s best place to see a Florida scrub-jay up close is Lyonia Preserve, with 2.2 miles of loops through the highest ground in Volusia County.
With recreational activities ranging from hiking to biking, boating, fishing, and bioluminscent kayaking, Florida’s top destination for birding is also home to Kennedy Space Center.
With tall waving grasses, saw palmetto, and the sound of birds, Myakka River State Park is Florida’s Big Sky country, blanketing more than 28,000 acres east of Sarasota
For a hike filled with the flutter and squawk of birds about their daily routines, Orlando Wetlands is one of the best birding spots in the state. This 5-mile loop showcases our favorite route
Protecting a massive natural basin of prairie between Micanopy and Gainesville, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park combines panoramic views with wildlife watching along its trails
The birthplace of the National Wildlife Refuge system, Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge protects more than 5,400 acres along and in the Indian River Lagoon off Sebastian
Farmland turned back to mangrove marshes: that’s Robinson Preserve, with more than 4 miles of hiking on shell and wild pathways along Tampa Bay at Bradenton.
Immersed in an intriguing blend of habitats in a coastal setting, this uplands hiking loop at Big Lagoon State Park showcases a variety of birds and native plants.
Southern terminus for a greenway spanning from Sarasota to Venice, Shamock Park provides a draw for birders with its resident Florida scrub-jays.
A scrub preserve on the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in Titusville, South Lake Conservation Area provides a surprisingly hilly loop hike through the territory of Florida scrub-jay families
Stretching across 70,000 acres in Florida’s Big Bend, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge protects one of Florida’s longest wild shorelines, more than 43 miles in three counties.
