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Florida Hikes!

Your guide to Florida's outdoors, by Sandra Friend, Florida's hiking expert, and her co-author John Keatley, covering the Florida Trail and other trails throughout Florida.

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Dade City

Gateway to the vast Green Swamp, Dade City offers easy access to day hikes and backpacking trips.

2014 Pasco County Bug Jam

November 13, 2014 by John Keatley Leave a Comment

2014 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.

Filed Under: Blog, Go Camping, Go Explore, Just Go, Life, Travels Tagged With: Dade City, Florida

Brooksville

Brooksville

Home to the Withlacoochee State Forest and near to Weeki Wachee Spring, Brooksville is the county seat of Hernando County, founded in the 1840s

Bushnell

Bushnell

The seat of Sumter County, Bushnell is surrounded by agricultural lands and conservation lands along the basins of the Withlacoochee River and the Green Swamp.

Clermont

Clermont

At the northernmost extent of the Lake Wales Ridge, the rolling hills of Clermont touch the edge of the Green Swamp. It’s at this intersection you’ll find interesting places to hike and cycle in state parks and other natural lands.

Colt Creek State Park

Lakeland   [28.303776,-82.055773]   

Colt Creek State Park

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

Filed Under: Biking, Camping, Central Florida, Day Hikes, Equestrian, Florida State Parks, Hikes, Launch points, Loop Trails, Nature Trails, Paddling, Parks Tagged With: Birding, Dade City, Fishing, Green Swamp, Lakeland, Primitive Camping, Wildlife Viewing

Florida Trail, Cypress Lakes Preserve

Ridge Manor   [28.514315,-82.195150]   1.7 miles

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

Filed Under: Central Florida, Day Hikes, Florida Trail, Hikes, Natural Lands Tagged With: Big Trees, Botanical, Brooksville, Dade City, FT Western Corridor, Ridge Manor, Wildflowers

Florida Trail, Western Corridor

Florida Trail, Western Corridor

241.0 miles. The Western Corridor provides excellent hiking opportunities within easy reach of residents of the Tampa Bay area, offering numerous backpacking loops. It traverses the Green Swamp in addition to vast sections of Withlacoochee State Forest and the entire Cross Florida Greenway.

Fort Foster State Historic Site

Thonotosassa   [28.144518,-82.224331]   

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.

Filed Under: Central Florida, Florida State Parks, Nature Trails, Parks Tagged With: Archaeological, Dade City, Guided Tours, Hillsborough River, Hillsborough River SP, Historic Sites, Lakeland, Living History, Reenactments, Seminole Wars, Tampa

Gator Creek Preserve

Lakeland   [28.178883,-81.990050]   2.5 miles

Gator Creek Preserve

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

Filed Under: Central Florida, Day Hikes, Hikes Tagged With: Accessible, Birding, Dade City, Family-friendly, Lakeland, Picnic, Wildflowers, Wildlife Viewing

Hillsborough River Hiking Trails

Hillsborough River State Park
Tampa   [28.1491,-82.2273]   5.8 miles

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.

Filed Under: Central Florida, Day Hikes, Florida State Parks, Hikes, Loop Trails, Nature Trails, Trails Tagged With: Big Trees, Birding, Dade City, Developed Camping, Dog-friendly, Family-friendly, Favorites, Fishing, Geology, Hillsborough River, Hillsborough River SP, Historic Sites, Observation Decks, OptOutside, Picnic, Primitive Camping, Riverfront, Tampa, Wildlife Viewing

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EXPLORING CENTRAL FLORIDA

Apopka . Belleview . Brandon . Brooksville . Bushnell . Canaveral National Seashore . Christmas . Clearwater Beach . Clermont . Cocoa Beach . Cross Florida Greenway . Crystal River . Dade City . Daytona Beach . Deland . Deltona . Dunnellon . Frostproof . Geneva . Inverness . Kissimmee . Lakeland . Lake Wales . Leesburg . Melbourne . Merritt Island NWR . Mount Dora . New Port Richey . New Smyrna Beach . Ocala . Ocala National Forest .Orlando . Ormond Beach . Oviedo . Sanford . Silver Springs . St. Cloud . St. Petersburg . Tampa . Tarpon Springs . Titusville . Walt Disney World . Withlacoochee State Forest . Withlacoochee State Trail . Yeehaw Junction

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Celebrating 50 years of Florida's favorite hiking destination. 228 pages, full color.

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Little Manatee River Trail

Little Manatee River Trail

Playalinda Beach

Playalinda Beach

Tiger Creek Preserve

Tiger Creek Preserve

Orlando Wetlands Park

Orlando Wetlands Park

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Find your way

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola . Apalachicola National Forest . Apalachicola River . Blackwater River State Forest . Blountstown . Crawfordville. Crestview . DeFuniak Springs . Destin . Fort Walton Beach . Ebro . Freeport . Gulf Islands National Seashore . Madison . Marianna . Milton . Navarre . Niceville . Panama City Beach . Pensacola . Ponce De Leon . Port St. Joe . Sopchoppy . St. Marks . St. Marks NWR . Tallahassee

NORTH FLORIDA
Amelia Island . Cedar Key . Chiefland . Fernandina Beach . Flagler Beach . Gainesville .High Springs . Jacksonville . Lake City . Live Oak . Mayo . Micanopy . Osceola National Forest . Palatka . Perry . Salt Springs . St. Augustine . Steinhatchee . Suwannee River Wilderness Trail . Trenton . White Springs

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka . Belleview . Brandon . Brooksville . Bushnell . Canaveral National Seashore . Christmas . Clearwater Beach . Clermont . Cocoa Beach . Cross Florida Greenway . Crystal River . Dade City . Daytona Beach . Deland . Deltona . Dunnellon . Frostproof . Geneva . Inverness . Kissimmee . Lakeland . Lake Wales . Leesburg . Melbourne . Merritt Island NWR . Mount Dora . New Port Richey . New Smyrna Beach . Ocala . Ocala National Forest .Orlando . Ormond Beach . Oviedo . Sanford . Silver Springs . St. Cloud . St. Petersburg . Tampa . Tarpon Springs . Titusville . Walt Disney World . Withlacoochee State Forest . Withlacoochee State Trail . Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor . Ding Darling NWR . Englewood . Estero . Fort Myers . Naples . Pine Island . Punta Gorda . Sanibel Island . Sarasota . Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia . Big Cypress . Big Cypress National Preserve . Clewiston . Everglades City . Everglades National Park . Fisheating Creek . Lake Okeechobee . Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail . Lake Placid . Moore Haven . Okeechobee . Sebring

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Biscayne Bay . Biscayne National Park . Boca Raton . Coral Gables . Everglades National Park . Florida Keys . Fort Lauderdale . Fort Pierce . Hobe Sound . Homestead . Jupiter . Key Biscayne . Miami . Ocean to Lake . Palm Beach . Port St. Lucie . Sebastian . Stuart . Vero Beach . West Palm Beach

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