Florida Hikes

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

Best Birding Sites in Florida

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.

Robinson Preserve

Bradenton   10.6 miles

Edging Tampa Bay, the vast sweep of Robinson Preserve is a puzzle of natural and restored habitats circled by more than ten miles of mixed-use trails.

Round Island Riverside Park

Vero Beach   2.5 miles

Trails, boardwalks, and a boat launch on Round Island provide excellent opportunities to explore coastal habitats and spot manatees in the Indian River Lagoon.

Safety Harbor Waterfront Park

Safety Harbor   1.0 miles

Loop a community green space in front of a historic hotel on Tampa Bay using a coastal boardwalk through a mangrove forest and the eastern end of the Ream Wilson Trail.

Sebastian Harbor Preserve

Sebastian   3.1 miles

A network of trails and boardwalks explore mesic and scrubby pine flatwoods dotted with prairie ponds that serve as a refuge for migratory and resident birds.

Shamrock Park

Venice   1.3 miles

The southern terminus for a greenway spanning from Sarasota to Venice, Shamock Park is a draw for birders with its resident Florida scrub-jays.

South Lake Conservation Area

Titusville   1.2 miles

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.

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge

Stretching across 86,000 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.

St. Marks NWR Deep Creek Trail

Newport   12.0 miles

Savor coastal pine flatwoods and outstanding scenic panoramas of the Big Bend from a remote corner of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge on this 12 mile circuit.

Sunnyhill Restoration Area

Weirsdale   25.4 miles

Edging the eastern shore of the Ocklawaha River north of Lake Griffin, Sunnyhill Restoration Area protects the channelized river's historic floodplain.