Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Stretching across 70,000 acres in Florida’s Big Bend, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge protects one of Florida’s longest wild shorelines, more than 43 miles in three counties.
Select trail information below by mileage, or browse below to read articles about the refuge.
Tunneling through the shade of coastal cedars between open marshes and the boat channel from the saltwater boat ramp to the Gulf of Mexico, the Cedar Point Trail is a short walk to the Gulf ‘s shores.
Got kids? If any of them are in fourth grade, they can get a free pass to ALL Federal public lands good for the whole family through the end of August. Here’s how.
14.3 miles. Hugging the Big Bend coastline, this hike through Aucilla WMA and St. Marks NWR offers some of the most breathtaking panoramas you’ll find along the Florida Trail, and a profusion of wildlife.
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
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.
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.
At St. Marks NWR, Marsh Point captures the essence of Florida’s Gulf coastline. But hikers are missing it because the bridges are out.
A windswept walk along the Gulf of Mexico, the Lighthouse Levee Trail provides scenic panoramas of both the Gulf and marsh impoundments near the St. Marks Lighthouse.
Starting adjacent to the Visitor Center at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, the Plum Orchard Pond Trail is an easy half mile loop that takes you out along Plum Orchard Pond, a great birding stop.
The region’s oldest coastal settlement, St. Marks is the southern terminus of the Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail and a Florida Trail town
Using the Tallahassee-St Marks Trail, the Coastal Trail, and the Florida Trail, ride a scenic 22-mile loop between the St. Marks and Wakulla River floodplains along the Big Bend
Built in 1842, the St. Marks Lighthouse played a pivotal role during the Civil War. Despite its light being quenched during the war, it remains a working lighthouse marking the location of the St. Marks River.
