Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Long the heart of Florida’s timber industry, Perry is the county seat of Taylor County along Florida’s Big Bend, set within a coastal puzzle of swamp forests and estuary.
Protecting nearly 4,400 acres where the Econfina River snakes its way to the Gulf of Mexico through the vast marshes of the Big Bend, Econfina River State Park is well off the beaten path.
14.3 miles. Hugging the Big Bend coastline, this hike through Aucilla WMA and St. Marks NWR offers some of the most breathtaking panoramas you’ll find along the Florida Trail, and a profusion of wildlife.
9 miles. Endearingly scenic, surprisingly rugged in places, and unlike any other piece of the Florida Trail statewide, this trek along the Aucilla River showcases some of Florida’s top natural features in one hike.
4.4 miles. Winding through a geologically weird and archaeologically significant part of Florida, the most fascinating segment of the Florida Trail is the Aucilla Sinks
116.2 miles. After crossing rural farms and forests in the Big Bend, the Florida Trail reveals the secrets of the Aucilla River before tracing the Gulf coastline at St. Marks NWR
To learn about the storied past of the forestry industry in Florida, stop in the Forest Capital Museum State Park, where one of the highlights is a pioneer homestead.
A beauty spot along the western shore of the Suwannee River, Lafayette Blue Spring is both a swimming hole and a lesson in the curious nature of karst.
A permanent closure of 55 miles of the Florida Trail between the Suwannee and Aucilla Rivers leaves thru-hikers no alternative but a very lengthy roadwalk
The widest waterfall in Florida and a scenic stop in the Big Bend, Steinhatchee Falls is both geologically intriguing and an important piece of Florida history.
Follow the 3.3-mile Steinhatchee Trail through wildflower-rich uplands for a spectacular finish at Steinhatchee Falls, Florida’s broadest waterfall.
