The Big O, Differently
After a dozen years of attending, the Big O Hike had become a welcome routine, a time to gather with friends. This year was very different. Being in charge meant having to worry about both the big picture and the details.
The Big Scrub
Hiking the Western Connector of the Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest means an immersion in miles of miles of the Big Scrub, the primary habitat protected by the forest.
The Florida Trail End to End
Find inspiration to take your children on a grand hiking adventure with Mike Umbarger's account of completing the entire Florida Trail with his sons
The Florida Trail Guide
Our fifth edition of the The Florida Trail Guide provides a strong level of detail to assist you in logistical planning for backpacking the Florida National Scenic Trail, whether for a weekend trip or a full walk across Florida.
The Florida Trail: A History
The Florida Trail: Florida's National Scenic Trail, our limited edition full-color coffee table book, tells the comprehensive story of the first 50 years of routing, building, maintaining, and enjoying our statewide National Scenic Trail.
The Harold Store
A hiker stop for resupply and refreshment along the Panhandle Trace, the Harold Store is right along US 90 in the tiny roadside hamlet of Harold. A visit was a must.
The Other Side of Farles Prairie
What's it like to do trail research? Here's a typical day out on the trail for us when we're tracking down relocations of the Florida Trail or finding new trails to add to this website.
The Over 80 Across Florida Hike
In 2007, a group of senior hikers made Florida hiking history by successfully completing a backpacking trip from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico via backroads, the Florida Trail, and the Withlacoochee Bay Trail. All were over age 80.
The Rainbow Swamp
A perfect combination of cold weather, blue skies, and winter in a North Florida cypress swamp let us happen upon two instances of rainbow swamps on a hike in the Osecola Experimental Forest. Does that make a double rainbow?
The Reluctant Florida Hiker
Motivating your family to hike means motivating yourself first. Lakeland author Vince Strawbridge shares how his opinions on Florida hiking evolved through the process.
The Spirit of Place
Walking through the most ancient of Florida's forests, the feeling that landscape has a spirit persists, especially when contrasted with places where habitat has been permanently destroyed.
The Yearling Trail
Salt Springs 5.3 milesOn Pat's Island, discover the landscape and the history that inspired Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings to write her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Yearling in 1938.