Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
With an array of parks and natural lands and a network of bike trails, Lakeland is a hub for outdoor recreation
INTERACTIVE MAP
It was the lack of blazes that caught my eye. Especially at intersections. Here and there, we’d find a diamond marking the route that the equestrian trails followed. But with Lenny leading the way, we simply followed. The Oak Ridge Tract of Lower Hillsborough River Wilderness Area is another in a vast patchwork of lands …
Water in motion: the Hillsborough rapids foam and froth over limestone boulders beneath grand cypress trees in Class II rapids. One of Florida’s oldest state parks, Hillsborough River State Park showcases this masterpiece of nature from an overlook and trail system built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
A beauty spot along Lake Mirror in downtown Lakeland, Hollis Garden is a collection of themed garden rooms
With day hiking and cross country trails, Holloway Park & Nature Preserve is a slice of nature inside the city limits of Lakeland, just off the Polk Parkway.
At the scenic confluence of Flint Creek with the Hillsborough River, John B Sargeant Park provides access to the Hillsborough River State Canoe Trail amid a lush cypress floodplain, with a boardwalk and footpath showcasing the views.
Extending between the park entrance and the recreation area along Lake Louisa, the Lake Louisa Hiking Trail showcases the habitats found along and above the lake.
Providing an easy walk into 8,000 acres of uplands draining into Lake Marion Creek, the trail system on Huckleberry Island at Lake Marion Creek WMA leads 4.2 miles.
On more than 3 miles of trails, Lakeland Highlands Scrub offers a close-up look at the Lakeland Ridge, an ancient island when Florida was beneath the seas: parts of this 551-acre preserve are at 230 feet elevation.
Scenery, rugged landscape, and botanical diversity are all important factors for a great Florida hike. You’ll find that on the 6.5-mile Little Manatee River Hiking Trail, one of our long-time favorites.
Providing plenty of recreation opportunities, Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve protects 16,000 acres of floodplain forests and uplands along the river’s sinuous flow south from the Green Swamp to the edge of Tampa.
Polk County’s newest natural land, is, like Circle B Bar Reserve, along Lake Hancock. But this is a much wilder place, where the landscape wasn’t cleared for cattle ranching. The Marshall Hampton Reserve encompasses 1,173 acres and offers 6 miles in two trails of 2.5 and 3.5 miles each. It’s located near the intersection of …
At the site of a former phosphate mine, a boardwalk slips through the cypress swamps of the Peace River floodplain at Mosaic Peace River Park near Fort Meade.
