Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
With the Suwannee River to the north and Osceola National Forest to the east, Lake City is a hub for hiking, paddling, and off-road biking in the Suwannee basin.
In the city once called Alligator, first home of the University of Florida and named for a great chief of the Seminoles, Alligator Lake has long been a gathering place. Established as a park in 2002, hiking and bicycling are now its primary focus.
At Big Shoals State Park, see Florida’s largest series of rapids, churning the Suwannee River with hydraulics in Class III whitewater at certain times of year.
At Big Shoals State Park, the Big Shoals Trail leads you to scenic perches high atop the river bluffs when you can watch Florida’s only Class III whitewater rapids
A boardwalk trail at Falling Creek Falls north of Lake City leads you to overlooks on a waterfall with a twelve-foot drop in a picturesque setting
Starting at the westbound Sanderson rest area along I-10, the Fanny Bay Trail leads you through pine flatwoods into a cypress swamp with ancient cypresses
4.6 miles. Showcasing Florida’s only Class III whitewater and other spectacular geologic features, this is one of the most scenic segments of the Florida Trail along the Suwannee River.
In the Osceola National Forest, this short loop along the Florida Trail adjacent to Olustee Battlefield is one of the easiest places in the state to see red-cockaded woodpeckers.
As the Florida Trail sweeps in a broad arc through North Florida, hikers are introduced to ancient trees, unusual karst formations, and rolling sandhills.
123 miles. Showcasing the best public lands, the Florida Trail walks you into the past between Palatka and Osceola National Forest, through rural farms and timber lands.
An easy linear hike or round trip with a stop at the Florida Trail’s oldest shelter, this short segment of the Florida Trail in Osceola National Forest is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail.
4.7 miles. Roly-poly and rugged, the Florida Trail across Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park showcases the beauty of the Suwannee River from its bluffs.
74.8 miles. Along the Suwannee River, the Florida Trail clings to bluffs and scrambles through ravines for physical challenges and great scenery
