Crooked River Preserve
Clermont 1.7 milesOn a 1.7-mile loop, Crooked River Preserve showcases a wide variety of habitats in a short hike on the northernmost extent of the Lake Wales Ridge in Clermont.
Day hikes near Sea World and Universal Studios
Hikes near Orlando theme parks, by reader request. The area between Sea World and Universal Studios is both heavily populated and commercial, so you have to drive beyond the Orlando International Airport to find the wild places.
Disney Wilderness Preserve
Kissimmee 2.5 milesProtected and managed by The Nature Conservancy, Disney Wilderness Preserve is a 11,500 acre showcase for habitat conservation amid suburban sprawl south of Orlando.
Ferndale Preserve
Ferndale 2.1 milesOn Lake Apopka's western shore, Ferndale Preserve offers amazing panoramas of Florida's fourth largest lake, along with serious elevation changes on its four miles of multi-use trails.
Flat Island Preserve
Leesburg 3.7 milesEstablished as a botanical preserve for native plants, Flat Island Preserve protects islands in the Okahumpa Marsh, offering hikers and paddlers immersion in a lush wilderness
Florida Coast to Coast Trail
Titusville to St. Petersburg 191.4 milesWith a corridor spanning more than 220 miles across nine Florida counties, the Florida Coast to Coast Trail (C2C) is Central Florida's long distance bike path.
Green Mountain Overlook and Trail
Ferndale 4.3 milesAt Green Mountain Scenic Overlook, take in a sweeping panorama of Lake Apopka from the highest elevations in Central Florida and hike Florida's longest set of trail switchbacks.
Lake Apopka North Shore
Apopka to Ferndale 17.0 milesAcross two counties and along the entire north rim of Florida's fourth-largest lake, this 20,000 acre conservation area is a sweep of wildlife-rich marshes.
Lake Louisa Hiking Trail
Clermont 7.7 milesUsing the decades-old Lake Louisa Hiking Trail as its backbone, this 7.7-mile loop spans natural wetlands and rolling hills at Lake Louisa State Park.
Lake Louisa State Park
As longleaf pine reaches for the sky, the rolling hills of Lake Louisa State Park near Clermont return to their forested roots
Lake Wales Ridge
South of Lake Apopka, the Lake Wales Ridge is a significant landform down the middle of the Florida peninsula, with its highest hills and oldest biological communities.
Oakland Nature Preserve
Oakland 3.5 milesAn accessible boardwalk through marshes to Lake Apopka pairs with an extensive network of upland trails for up to 3.5 miles of hiking at Oakland Nature Preserve.