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

Along Hopkins Prairie

February 19, 2009    Sandra Friend

Last week, my buddy Bob and I hit the Florida Trail to knock off another segment in the Ocala National Forest — this time, Hopkins Prairie.  My first visit here was with Deb Blick, cartographer and data collector extraordinare of the Florida Trail Association, and it was a walk at a data collector’s pace.  On …

Before the Burn: Juniper Prairie Wilderness

March 26, 2009    Sandra Friend

Here’s what the Juniper Prairie Wilderness looked like prior to the fire.  The loss of this beautiful area is heartbreaking.  I was fortunate to visit in February on a hike on the Florida Trail with my friends Bob & Bonnie Coveney. We witnessed a lot of damage from the 2006 blaze, more than I expected. …

Clearwater Lake a summer escape

August 13, 2009    Sandra Friend

A few years ago, I had the honor of walking a section of the Florida Trail at Clearwater Lake with the trail’s founder, Jim Kern, to celebrate the beginning of the Florida Trail at this spot in 1966. As we walked, Jim said “we blazed the trail on the other side of the lake.” We …

Florida Trail, Alexander Springs to Farles Lake

Ocala National Forest      ( 29.078871, -81.577816 )      8.4 miles

Get acquainted with Big Scrub on this 8.4-mile stretch of the Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest as it rises through longleaf pine forests to meet the world’s largest sand pine scrub, punctuated by a variety of ponds and prairies. Connecting a first-magnitude spring with one of the more beautiful lakes in the Ocala National Forest, it’s a delightful immersion into the woods.

Florida Trail, Juniper Springs to Farles

November 13, 2011    Sandra Friend

Winding along and around a mosaic of both dry and wet prairies that make up the Farles Prairie complex, this 8.5 mile segment of the Florida Trail provides a deep immersion into the Big Scrub