Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Established in 1908 as the first National Forest east of the Mississippi, the Ocala National Forest is a mecca for hikers as the birthplace of the Florida Trail.
We met Ruth at the Florida Trail Association Conference in March and spent time hiking with her on the Panhandle Trace. At both events, she invited us to come hike in her backyard and visit. With five hikes left for Five Star Trails Gainesville and Ocala, we headed to North Gainesville, staying at the Best …
What’s it like hanging out with a bunch of hammock hangers? Here’s a peek at the 6th Annual Hammock Hanging Convention, now called HangCon, held at Doe Lake last month.
On November 24, 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt set aside a large piece of land east of Ocala for future generations by declaring it the Ocala National Forest, one of the first in the eastern United States. We celebrate its centennial.
For immersion into the world’s largest sand pine scrub forest, take a journey along the Florida Trail through the Juniper Prairie Wilderness. It’s perennially a getaway for backpackers thanks to its natural beauty.
All is still, pristine, natural. Night closes in, and I hear the lapping of the river beneath my window as the houseboat gently rocks.
October 1 marks the traditional start of Florida’s hiking season, so it’s time to start planning your outdoor adventures! October is also normally designated Florida Greenways & Trails Month, but I haven’t heard a peep about it from my usual sources. Let’s get out and celebrate anyway. Last week, the morning temperatures were in the …
A historic moment for the Florida Trail: the reunion of three of the original trailblazers, 40 years after they painted the first blazes of the Florida Trail heading north from Clearwater Lake in the Ocala National Forest.
Experience crystalline waters emerging from the midst of the world’s largest scrub forest in a subtropical forest at Juniper Springs in the Ocala National Forest.
After three years of roaming the woods and the world together, John & Sandy get married in the Ocala National Forest with a very hiker-style wedding.
Go deep into the Ocala National Forest on a staircase leading into a massive sinkhole along the Lake Eaton Sinkhole Trail, a 1.8 mile loop in the Big Scrub
Gently descending from ancient dunes down to the forested shores of its namesake lake, the 2.3-mile Lake Eaton Trail provides a great deal of habitat diversity in a short hike
Connecting Silver Glen Springs with the river it feeds, the Lake George Trail provides an easy day hike to picturesque views of Lake George on the St. Johns River
