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

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ake Okeechobee at Nubbin Slough

Florida Trail, Okeechobee

Looping around one of America’s largest lakes, the Okeechobee section of the Florida Trail provides panoramic views from atop the Herbert Hoover Dike.


<< Seminole HIKING DETAILS Kissimmee >> Ocean to Lake >>

3x3x3

Nubbin Slough

November 20, 2011    Sandra Friend

Okeechobee’s history runs deep. Today’s walk slips past many ghosts, of fish camps and fish canneries, an early Florida toll road and more shoreline where the lake waters once lapped.

A night in Clewiston

JK getting into the Hiker Trash spirit

January 19, 2013    John Keatley

When you reach the turnoff to continue north on the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee, you don’t quite reach the town of Clewiston. After all the heat and bugs while camping and cooking outdoors, the group decided to enjoy real food and a night in an air-conditioned, bug-free motel room. The owner gave us a …

Aloft

Chauncey Bay Okeechobee

November 18, 2012    Sandra Friend

It isn’t rare for winds to streak across the surface of Lake Okeechobee, picking up speed as they travel. But some mornings are windier than others, and this was one of them.

Around Okeechobee

Dike reconstruction at Rardin Park

January 8, 2020    Sandra Friend & John Keatley

Our 2020 update of the state of the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee. Thru-hikers should continue to use Okeechobee West as their route around the lake. We provide full details on why.

Back from the Big O

Big O Pahokee

November 26, 2007    Sandra Friend

During the 2007 Big O Hike, Ocala resident Cliff Moody set a new bar for future hikers by walking all the way around Lake Okeechobee at age 90.

Big O Hike

Lake Okeechobee at Nubbin Slough

Nine days, 109 miles: that’s the circuit around Lake Okeechobee to complete a walk around the second largest lake inside American borders on the Big O Hike.

Braising Cane

Sugar Cane field aflame

November 24, 2011    Sandra Friend

As I hike the Florida Trail past Moore Haven, a sugar cane field bursts out in flame after my discussion with my friend Steve, a sign from above that he’s along for the walk.

Clewiston

Florida Trail, Moore Haven to Clewiston

Clewiston, the center of the sugar cane industry in South Florida, is perched along the rim of one of America’s largest lakes, Lake Okeechobee.

Cliff J. Betts Recreation Area

Okeechobee Pier

Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail  |  Okeechobee
( 27.196013, -80.830520 )      

Also known as Lake Okeechobee Recreation Area, this waterfront park in Okeechobee offers expansive views of Lake Okeechobee from its shoreline and pier

East or West around Lake Okeechobee?

Construction zone along Lake Okeechobee

January 8, 2020    Sandra Friend & John Keatley

Making the decision to walk the Florida Trail east or west around Lake Okeechobee used to be easy. Now, with construction zones blocking access to much of the southern half of the lake, it isn’t. Here are the facts on each route’s strengths and weaknesses to help you decide the best route for you.

Everglades, Interrupted

Florida Trail Clewiston rest stop

November 26, 2011    Sandra Friend

When you’re traveling at the speed of feet, it’s easy to spend hours reflecting on the Everglades that once was, the vast wilds erased by the agro-industrial complex that brought sugar cane to Lake Okeechobee.

Fellowship of the Key Rings

December 11, 2012    Our Readers

“You are gonna get blisters,” a veteran hiker told us, “Everyone does.” I remember hearing his words standing in the small town of Pahokee, Florida, my heart wildly beating, waiting for the hike to begin.

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