Florida Hikes

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

Sanford Riverwalk

Sanford

Starting with a riverwalk along Lake Monroe, historic Sanford provides an excellent gateway to outdoor recreation along the St. Johns River north of Orlando
INTERACTIVE MAP

Rock Springs Run Hiking Trail

Sorrento   12.3 miles

With more than 12 miles of hiking through the heart of Florida black bear territory, the loops at Rock Springs Run Reserve State Park get you into the wild outside Orlando.

Rock Springs Run Reserve State Park

You have a better-than-average chance of spotting a Florida black bear at Rock Springs Run State Reserve, a vast wilderness area in the Wekiva River basin.

Seminole State Forest

Sorrento   miles

With nearly 50 miles of trails and roads for hiking, biking, and equestrian use, Seminole State Forest offers surprising panoramas and bubbling springs north of Orlando.

Seminole Wekiva Trail South

John bikes the next segment west on the Coast to Coast Connector, the Seminole Wekiva Trail. This well-established bike path connects Seminole County communities.

Seminole, for bear

One of my most recent delights, on a walk in the woods, was the surprise provided by Seminole State Forest on a revisit after a decade: a bear encounter.

Spring Hammock Preserve

Winter Springs   3.5 miles

Accessible pathways and boardwalks wind through an old-growth floodplain forest to a scenic overlook of Lake Jesup, passing massive cypresses and a cloudy blue spring along the way. 

Spring to Spring Trail South

Enterprise DeBary   7.7 miles

Linking Green Springs to Gemini Springs to Lake Monroe, the southern portion of the Spring to Spring Trail is also an important link in the Florida Coast to Coast Trail.

Sulphur Island Loop

Sorrento   9.0 miles

A short distance from the bustling metropolis of Orlando, the Sulphur Island Loop Trail explores one of Florida’s endangered ecosystems, the scrub.

Sunflowers on the St. Johns

For more than a decade, I've been chasing sunflower blooms in Florida wetlands in October. In 2021, it's a banner year for these showy beauties in Central Florida.

Sylvan Lake Park

Sanford   1.5 miles

In a family-friendly park renowned for its competitive sports complex, an accessible 1.5 mile pathway winds around the perimeter to a scenic lakeshore boardwalk.