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 White Springs. The first Florida Trail Gateway Community – where the Florida Trail walks you right through town – as well as a hub on the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, it’s a destination with plenty of recreation.
.White Springs
Expect a reroute of the Florida Trail in White Springs, as the Suwannee Valley Campground has been purchased and turned into a nudist resort.
You hear them well before you can see them: a burble of water that rises to a roar as you approach the Big Shoals of the Suwannee River, Florida’s largest series of rapids complete with hydraulics and holes and Class III whitewater at certain times of year.
At Big Shoals State Park, the Big Shoals Trail leads you to scenic perches high atop the river bluffs when you can watch Florida’s only Class III whitewater rapids
On the Disappearing Creek Loop off the Florida Trail along the Suwannee River, watch Camp Branch burble through rapids and cascade into a giant sinkhole
A boardwalk trail at Falling Creek Falls north of Lake City leads you to overlooks on a waterfall with a twelve-foot drop in a picturesque setting
Every hiker raves about Fat Belly’s, the go-to barbecue in White Springs
4.6 miles. Showcasing Florida’s only Class III whitewater and other spectacular geologic features, this is one of the most scenic segments of the Florida Trail along the Suwannee River.
7.8 miles. Rugged climbs through abandoned river channels and along the highest elevations along the Suwannee River make this hike a serious roller-coaster through river bluff forests and sandy beaches.
As the Florida Trail sweeps in a broad arc through North Florida, hikers are introduced to ancient trees, unusual karst formations, and rolling sandhills.
4.7 miles. Roly-poly and rugged, the Florida Trail across Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park showcases the beauty of the Suwannee River from its bluffs.
74.8 miles. Along the Suwannee River, the Florida Trail clings to bluffs and scrambles through ravines for physical challenges and great scenery
3.6 miles. Spanning from one end of White Springs to the other along a bend in the Suwannee River, this Florida Trail segment is an easy day hike through a historic community.
