Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
With the Ocala National Forest, the Cross Florida Greenway, the Florida Trail, and dozens of waterways, springs, and parks, Ocala provides access to more than 200 miles of trails.
INTERACTIVE MAP
Blue skies, blue water: the beauty of a hike at Blue Run Park in Dunnellon is in the glimpses of blue amid the supersaturated greens that provide deep shade along its trails.
Part of the Florida State Forests Trailwalker program, the Bear-N-Oak Trail at Indian Lake State Forest is a 1.6-mile loop that provides a fascinating look at habitat diversity centered on Indian Lake, a major karst feature in the Ocala Limestone
Biking the Santos Trails for the first time this fall, I opted to leave my vintage Cannondale at home and try a rental bike for my first spin through these famed off-road trails south of Ocala.
April is Florida Springs Protection Month, according to our state agencies. A walk through Rainbow Springs State Park confirms that as beautiful as they look, the springs are not in good health.
East vs. West: which is best? I hiked both as a loop, so here’s a rundown of how the two corridors of the Florida Trail compare through Central Florida – and a little trail history.
The newest accommodations to open in Dunnellon, Comfort Suites is a welcoming place with an airy lobby, stone fireplace, and comfortable rooms near recreation on the Rainbow River and Cross Florida Greenway.
Stretching 90 miles from the St. Johns River near Palatka to the Gulf of Mexico, the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway is a mile-wide recreational corridor with hiking, biking, and equestrian trails as well as paddling and boating access.
The history of the Cross Florida Greenway’s birth and the building the Land Bridge – and the Florida Trail – across this new stretch of public land in Central Florida in 1999.
A visit to the Barge Canal Diggings near I-75 after 13 years of the Florida Trail on the Cross Florida Greenway reveals steady changes over the years, shown in a series of photos.
A landmark along Interstate 75 near Ocala, the Land Bridge remains one of the more popular destinations for hikers, bikers, and equestrians on the Cross Florida Greenway.
The Land Bridge section of the Florida Trail has a special place in my heart since I helped create it under the tutelage of Kenneth Smith, ‘Mr. Greenway,’ who retired last year from being a section leader.
Requiem for a much-loved bicycle: in November, my vintage Cannondale Super V 1000 mountain bike made its final ride while we were doing trail research in Marion County.
