Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Places to paddle along rivers in Florida, from major ones like the St. Johns to smaller ones like the Aucilla. Riverfront hikes are listed here.
Cradling a collection of spectacular springs in a forested glen along the Santa Fe River, Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park is Florida’s newest state park and one of the finest places to experience a spring up close.
Circling a peninsula of land between the Guana River and the Tolomato River, the trail system at GTM Reserve is one of North Florida’s most beautiful places to hike.
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.
An island in the St. Johns River, Hontoon Island State Park is accessible to boaters thanks to a marina big enough to accommodate a houseboat and to everyday visitors by a free ferryboat. It’s worth the short trip to see the bounteous wildlife of the St. Johns River, from wading birds to manatees to turtles lying in the sun.
A swimming hole as a work of natural art, the deep gash in the earth that is Ichetucknee Spring glows an unearthly robin’s-egg blue, cradled in a limestone bowl within a leafy glen.
One of South Florida’s best backpacking destinations, Jonathan Dickinson State Park encompasses a vast mosaic of ecosystems along the wild and scenic Loxahatchee River
Paddling within sight of downtown Miami? Kayak or SUP fromt Blue Moon Outdoor Center in Oleta River State Park to explore mangrove shorelines along Biscayne Bay
When Dr. Cyrus Teed founded a commune along the banks of the Estero River in 1894, he envisioned a utopia in the tropics. Koreshan State Park preserves that slice of history.
Lafayette Blue Springs was an old swimming hole for folks in Mayo and the rural communities west of Live Oak, a hidden beauty spot along the Suwannee River that is now a state park.
With sandy shores around every bend and a canopy of trees overhead, Little Manatee River State Park provides a place for a pretty paddling trip for families.
One of the most popular destinations for outdoor recreation in the Orlando metro area, Little-Big Econ State Forest protects more than 9,500 acres along the floodplain of the Econlockhatchee River
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.
