Florida Hikes

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

St Johns River at Welaka

St. Johns River

Hiking, biking, paddling, camping, and other outdoor recreation, public lands, and communities along the shores of the St. Johns River. This is Florida’s longest river, rising in marshes west of Vero Beach and flowing northward 310 miles to the Atlantic Ocean at Jacksonville. As it has a vast floodplain, there are extensive public lands along its entire route.

Fort Caroline

Jacksonville   1.3 miles

At the site of the original French settlement in Florida, explore the rich natural and cultural history of the region at the Timucuan Preserve visitor center, Fort Caroline, and its interpretive nature trail.

Gemini Springs Addition

DeBary   6.7 miles

Protecting nearly 950 acres of lush oak hammocks, palm hammocks, and wetlands along the rim of Lake Monroe, Gemini Springs Addition has many options for hikers

Geneva

The last truly rural corner of Seminole County is anchored by the small community of Geneva, which the St. Johns River loops around on its ambling course north.

Green Cove Spring Park

Green Cove Springs   0.8 miles

Swim in the perpetual flow of Green Cove Spring in a spring-fed swimming pool, the centerpiece of a landscaped riverfront park beneath old growth oaks along the St. Johns River.

Green Cove Springs

Along the western shore of the St. Johns River, the county seat of Clay County grew up around a mineral spring on a hillside above the river.

Green Springs Park

Enterprise   1.0 miles

An unearthly glowing bowl in shades of green, the centerpiece of an ancient forest at Green Springs is surrounded by gurgling streams and the trails that follow them.

Hammock Hiking Nature Trail

DeLand   3.3 miles

On Hontoon Island in the St. Johns River, walk in the footsteps of the Timucua through an ancient forest to a midden topped with an enormous live oak tree.

Hickory Bluff Preserve

Osteen   1.5 miles

Just east of Osteen, Hickory Bluff Preserve provides a 1.5-mile loop to a bluff of notable size along a scenic stretch of the St. Johns River.

Hontoon Island State Park

DeLand   3.3 miles

Criss-crossed by a network of trails, this island in the St. Johns River is worth the short ferryboat trip to explore a landscape with ancient echoes of a past civilization.