Florida Hikes

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

Rocket with exhaust plume rising up behind trees

Florida's Space Coast

Outdoor recreation and other points of interest along Florida’s Space Coast between Titusville and Melbourne.

Space View Park

Place your hands in Neil Armstrong's handprints and look up to the moon at this unique waterfront park in downtown Titusville that recounts the history of the American space program.

St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Fellsmere   40.0 miles

Cut in two by Interstate 95 south of Melbourne, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park spans 35 square miles across two counties, protecting a mosaic of habitats for wildlife, particularly the Florida scrub-jay.

St. Sebastian River Preserve Yellow Trail

Fellsmere   8.1 miles

Navigating a longleaf pine forest blanketed with countless wildflowers, the Yellow Trail at St. Sebastian State Preserve is a great destination for spotting rare red-cockaded woodpeckers.

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.

Taylor Creek Loop

Cocoa   4.7 miles

Blending a historic route of the Florida Trail with an easy return along a forest road, the 4.7 mile Taylor Creek Loop traverses palm hammocks along the St. Johns River floodplain.

The Moon Tree Garden

Florida's most unique arboretum features a circle of sycamores honoring the Apollo missions, all here thanks to an Apollo 14 project for the U.S. Forest Service to take tree seedings into orbit around the moon.

Turkey Creek Sanctuary

Palm Bay   1.6 miles

Protecting more than 117 acres along Turkey Creek in Palm Bay, Turkey Creek Sanctuary has both boardwalks and footpaths to explore natural habitats along the creek basin.

Turkey Creek Trails

Palm Bay   2.0 miles

Discover a deeply folded landscape at the edge of the scrub along the eastern rim of Turkey Creek, with a beautiful boardwalk across the Fern Creek floodplain at its heart.

Viera Wetlands

Viera   2.4 miles

A prime Space Coast destination for birding and wildlife photography, Viera Wetlands is a man-made habitat perched on the edge of the St. Johns River floodplain

Wuesthoff Park

Protecting 25 acres in residential Titusville, Wuesthoff Park showcases the habitat diversity of the area along both an accessible trail and natural footpaths.