Florida Hikes

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

Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk

Naples

Naples is the western gateway to the wilds of South Florida, a tropical getaway on the Gulf

INTERACTIVE MAP

Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens

Naples   0.9 miles

Established in 1919 by botanist Henry Nehrling, what is now the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens has improved over a century's worth of expansion into an accredited zoological park.

Otter Mound Preserve

Marco Island   0.1 miles

On the site of historic Caxambas on Marco Island, Otter Mound Preserve protects a tropical hammock and the remnants of a homestead with unique whelk shell terraces.

Panther Prowls & Gator Growls

Will you see a panther when hiking at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge? I was fortunate to hike with a panther biologist and go on a tracking expedition, but we still came up empty-handed when it came to finding a big cat.

Panther Trail

Immokalee   1.3 miles

Tunnel through verdant tropical forests and wade across open prairies on the Panther Trail, a 1.3 mile natural surface circuit through Florida panther territory at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.

Panther Walk Preserve

Naples   0.5 miles

Well-placed trail markers lead through Florida panther habitat, immersing visitors within a primordial cypress strand near Naples within the Big Cypress Swamp.

Redroot Preserve

Naples   0.3 miles

An easy loop trail explores lush South Florida pine flatwoods habitats within the Big Cypress Swamp on a small parcel of conservation land near Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

Rivers Road Preserve

Naples   1.5 miles

Nestled within a setting of suburban neighborhoods and golf courses, Rivers Road Preserve is a slice of sanctuary for endangered species alongside a crucial wildlife corridor.

Roberts Lake Trail

Eastern Continental Trail   8.2 miles

8.2 miles. Now the Roberts Lake Trail, the former Loop Road to Oasis section of the Florida Trail is now blazed blue. It is where sawgrass and cypress meet, where the Everglades and Big Cypress blend.

Rookery Bay NERR

Protecting vast mangrove forests and coastal habitats between Naples and Ten Thousand Islands NWR, Rookery Bay NERR encompasses a mind-boggling 110,000 acres.

Royal Palm Hammock Nature Trail

Naples   0.9 miles

Not quite a mile long, this intriguing nature trail explores a gradient of habitats from tropical hammock to salt marsh and mangrove forest.