Florida Hikes

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

Waterway winding through aquatic plants

Wekiva River Basin

Encompassing the Wekiva River, Little Wekiva River, and Rock Springs Run, the Wekiva River Basin is a watershed on the eastern rim of the heavily populated Orlando metro, collecting waters that flow towards the St. Johns River. Many parks and natural lands edge or protect this drainage basin.

Lake Lotus Park

Altamonte Springs   1.7 miles

At Lake Lotus Park in Altamonte Springs, the 1.7-mile trail system along Lake Lotus and the Little Wekiva River floodplain provides a great respite from surrounding suburbia.

Lower Wekiva Loop

Sanford   10.5 miles

Venture across lush floodplain forests of Blackwater Creek and the Wekiva River, using a scrubby section of the Florida Trail to create the 10.5-mile Lower Wekiva Loop.

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.

Wekiva River Paddling Trail

Apopka   10.4 miles

A leisurely float downriver from Wekiwa Springs provides paddlers an immersion in the beauty of a Wild and Scenic River teeming with wildlife.

Wekiwa Springs Hiking Trail

Apopka   10.2 miles

A 10.2-mile loop through landscapes both vast and intimate, the Wekiwa Springs Hiking Trail shows off the best of nature at Wekiwa Springs State Park.

Wekiwa Springs State Park

A massive wilderness area on the edge of the Orlando metro, Wekiwa Springs State Park is centered on a first-magnitude spring that pours forth a river lined with jungle-like vegetation.

Wekiwa Springs Wet to Dry Trail

Apopka   0.4 miles

Starting at the outflow of Wekiwa Springs, the Wet to Dry Trail at Wekiwa Springs State Park offers an easy walk showcasing habitat changes by the waterway.