Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Hiking, biking, paddling, camping, and other outdoor recreation near the town of Sopchoppy, gateway to the Apalachicola National Forest. Home of the annual Worm Gruntin’ Festival, it’s a small town in Wakulla County with an artsy vibe and access to outdoor activities in every direction.
.Sopchoppy
Noted for its botanical beauty, the Apalachicola National Forest is the largest National Forest in Florida, sweeping south and west of Tallahassee
Where Ochlockonee Bay meets the Gulf, Bald Point State Park protects the tip of the peninsula. Off the beaten track, it’s a quiet place, perfect for a seaside stroll with a bit of estuarine exploration.
Where Ochlockonee Bay meets the Gulf of Mexico along the Forgotten Coast, quiet Bald Point State Park protects the tip of the peninsula, providing beaches to roam and estuaries and uplands to explore.
For a breezy place to camp and trails to explore, head on up to the “Forgotten Coast” and track down Ochlockonee River State Park outside of Sopchoppy.
77.9 miles. Florida’s largest national forest, Apalachicola is a very lush place, which means soggy feet and spectacular botanical diversity south of Tallahassee.
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
12.3 miles. You’re guaranteed to get wet on Florida’s roughest, wildest day hike. Situated south of Tallahassee, the Bradwell Bay Wilderness is one of the most majestic and wild places in Northwest Florida.
6.8 miles. A connective piece of the Florida Trail centered on the Langston House trailhead, this stretch of trail marries wet flatwoods with roadwalking as it crosses the Ochlockonee River.
Encompassing the sweep of Florida west of the Suwannee River, the Florida Trail through Northwest Florida offers some of the most dramatic panoramas and rugged terrain you’ll find while hiking in Florida.
4.6 miles. A deep immersion in pine flatwoods and titi swamps awaits along this segment of the Florida Trail, which uses many old forest roads to cross tributaries draining into the Ochlockonee River.
5.3 miles. Plunging into coastal swamps at the Cathedral of Palms, this popular hike along the Florida Trail centers on Shepherd Spring, a natural treasure within St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.
8.9 miles. Slipping through pine flatwoods and sandhills to the east of Sopchoppy, the Florida Trail plays tag with a network of forest roads that criss-crosses the southern portion of the Apalachicola National Forest.
