Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Home to Southeast Florida’s highest concentration of farms and nurseries, Homestead is the gateway to two National Parks and the Florida Keys
INTERACTIVE MAP
Although John is a native Floridian, our research trip to South Florida became an opportunity for him to see many natural “firsts” in Florida that most people have on their life lists.
For most visitors, the Anhinga Trail is their first glimpse into Everglades National Park. It’s short, and the alligators are right there: hard to miss.
Providing a walk through the mangrove-lined edge of Florida Bay and the unique coastal prairie habitat within a short loop, the Bayshore Loop takes you what’s left of the fishing village of Flamingo.
Paralleling the former Homestead Canal, the Bear Lake Trail takes you on a journey through tropical hammock and mangrove forests along a road scooped from the canal diggings.
Biscayne Bay is a shallow estuary bounded by barrier islands and coral reefs along the Miami shoreline, more than 63,000 acres of placid salt water
Florida’s largest offshore park, Biscayne National Park protects living coral reefs and islands that are the northernmost part of the Florida Keys
At Castellow Hammock, you’re stepping into Florida’s past as you follow the nature trail into a remnant of tropical forest.
The Christian Point Trail is one of the more challenging trails in Everglades National Park, leading you deep into the mangrove forest along Florida Bay.
Ready for a wilderness challenge? On the Coastal Prairie Trail, battle mosquitoes, unrelenting sun, and deep and sticky marl mud to camp at remote Clubhouse Beach.
Protecting more than 6,700 acres of Key Largo to provide prime habitat for the endangered American crocodile, Crocodile Lake NWR has a small visitor complex where you can learn about species conservation at the refuge.
The Florida Trail is a subset of the Eastern Continental Trail, a hiking route spanning the entire East Coast. It is 206.3 miles from Key West to the start of the Florida Trail.
One of the best destinations for birding in Everglades National Park, Eco Pond sits near the end of the Main Park Road in Flamingo, with a 1/2 mile trail around it.
