A former 5,000-acre cattle ranch in the midst of the Green Swamp Wilderness Area, headwaters to the Hillsborough, Peace, Ocklawaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers, Colt Creek State Park is a mosaic of wetlands and uplands with extensive forest roads serving as trails
Dade City
Gateway to the vast Green Swamp, Dade City offers easy access to day hikes and backpacking trips.
Florida Trail, Central Florida
In Central Florida, the Florida Trail presents two options: east or west around the Orlando metro. Forested public lands provide protection for much of the route.
Florida Trail, Cypress Lakes Preserve
At Cypress Lakes Preserve, a 1.7-mile segment of the Florida Trail follows the edge of a series of cypress-lined lakes where ancient trees have survived the ages
Florida Trail, Western Corridor
With 241 miles of Florida Trail segments linking Withlacoochee State Forest and the Cross Florida Greenway, the Western Corridor provides access to wild spaces north of Tampa.
Fort Foster State Historic Site
Part of Hillsborough River State Park, Fort Foster State Historic Site takes you back to the era of Florida’s earliest pioneer settlers and their clashes with the native Seminoles.
Gator Creek Reserve
A dip into a corner of the Green Swamp, Gator Creek Preserve north of Lakeland offers 2.5 miles of easy loop trails for the whole family to explore
Hillsborough River Hiking Trails
One of Tampa’s oldest parks, Hillsborough River State Park has a 5.8-mile trail system as its centerpiece, through old-growth forest and along river rapids.
Hillsborough River State Park
Water in motion: the Hillsborough rapids foam and froth over limestone boulders beneath grand cypress trees in Class II rapids. One of Florida’s oldest state parks, Hillsborough River State Park showcases this masterpiece of nature from an overlook and trail system built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Oak Ridge Equestrian Area
A mosaic of cypress floodplains, pine flatwoods, and sandhills, the Oak Ridge Equestrian Area is a thousand-acre woodland with 18 miles of trails burrowing deep into the forest.
Pasco County Bug Jam
At the 2014 Pasco County Bug Jam, we spent hours walking up and down the rows of vintage VWs. This year’s event was bigger and better than before, with lots of dune buggies on display.