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

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Falling Creek Falls

Water Management Areas

Outdoor recreation on lands managed by Florida’s Water Management Districts

ALL Outdoor Recreation in Water Management Areas

Most Water Management Areas are in floodplain areas or bordering rivers or lakes, and are often jointly managed with other agencies. There are five Districts statewide that control the floodplains of Florida, an arrangement that dates back more than a century when the state actively sought assistance from developers to “drain the swamps” for agriculture, industry, and development. It took decades before the science made it clear that those decisions caused a great deal of harm to Florida’s natural drainage pathways, particularly for the Everglades.

Today, the Districts monitor water quality, oversee permitting, and manage a large number of public lands on which trails and camping areas have been developed for public recreation. Our website contains many trails and recreation areas on water management areas, but there are many more we haven’t gotten to yet. Fortunately, the Districts provide detailed maps and information on their websites. See the Recreation Guides below.

Resources

The Florida Trail Guide book cover 50 Hikes in Central Florida North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala book cover 5 Star Trails Orlando

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us continue to provide public information on this website.

Recreation Guides for Florida’s Water Management Districts

FREE public guides for hiking, camping, boat ramps, biking, springs, and more.

  • Northwest Florida Water Management District (Pensacola to Tallahassee)
  • Suwannee River Water Management District (Big Bend and North Florida) [MAP OF SITES]
  • St. Johns Water Management District (Jacksonville/North Florida to Vero Beach) [TRAIL GUIDES]
  • Southwest Florida Water Management District (Inverness to Naples)
  • South Florida Water Management District (St. Cloud to Florida Keys) [RECREATION GUIDE]

Featured Water Management Areas

These are some of our favorite outdoor recreation destinations in water management areas.

Orange blaze in dense woods

Bronson Northeast Loop

Bronson Northeast Loop
Levee in Big Cypress Swamp

CREW Bird Rookery Swamp

CREW Bird Rookery Swamp
Dead Lakes Recreation Area

Dead Lakes Park

Dead Lakes Park
Bluff above Econfina Creek

Econfina Nature Trail

Econfina Nature Trail
Econlockhatchee Sandhills

Econlockhatchee Sandhills CA

Econlockhatchee Sandhills CA
Trail under oaks flanked by ferns

Edward Medard Conservation Park

Edward Medard Conservation Park
Falling Creek Falls

Falling Creek Falls

Falling Creek Falls
Aucilla Rapids

Florida Trail, Aucilla River

Florida Trail, Aucilla River
Aucilla Sinks

Florida Trail, Aucilla Sinks

Florida Trail, Aucilla Sinks
Paddlers attempting Big Shoals

Florida Trail, Bell Springs to Big Shoals

Florida Trail, Bell Springs to Big Shoals
Florida Trail Suwannee

Florida Trail, Camp Branch to Suwannee Springs

Florida Trail, Camp Branch to Suwannee Springs
Cypress Creek boardwalk

Florida Trail, Choctawhatchee River

Florida Trail, Choctawhatchee River
Lake Okeechobee at Nubbin Slough

Florida Trail, Henry Creek to Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Henry Creek to Okeechobee
Lafayette Creek

Florida Trail, Lafayette Creek

Florida Trail, Lafayette Creek
Florida Trail, Port Mayaca to Henry Creek

Florida Trail, Port Mayaca to Henry Creek

Florida Trail, Port Mayaca to Henry Creek
Florida Trail, Rice Creek

Florida Trail, Rice Creek

Florida Trail, Rice Creek
Suwannee River view through trees

Florida Trail Suwannee Springs to Holton Creek

Florida Trail Suwannee Springs to Holton Creek
Florida Trail, Seminole Ranch

Florida Trail, Seminole Ranch

Florida Trail, Seminole Ranch
Hog Hammock Trail at Grassy Waters Preserve

Hog Hammock Trail

Hog Hammock Trail
Grassy Waters Preserve

Grassy Waters Preserve

Grassy Waters Preserve
Green Mountain Tower overlook above Lake Apopka floodplain

Green Mountain Scenic Overlook

Green Mountain Scenic Overlook
Young longleaf pines at Hal Scott

Hal Scott Preserve

Hal Scott Preserve
Lake Jesup Marl Bed Flats

Lake Jesup Marl Bed Flats

Lake Jesup Marl Bed Flats
Lake Jesup Wilderness sunflower alley

Lake Jesup Wilderness

Lake Jesup Wilderness
Sunrise and fog at Moore Haven

Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail

Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail
Boardwalk through cypress strand

Loxahatchee NWR Cypress Trail

Loxahatchee NWR Cypress Trail
Oak hammock Marshall Hampton Reserve

Marshall Hampton Reserve

Marshall Hampton Reserve
Morrison Springs

Morrison Springs Park

Morrison Springs Park
Oxbow Eco Center

Oxbow Eco-Center

Oxbow Eco-Center
Forest road between tall trees

Salt Lake WMA

Salt Lake WMA
Sams House Hammock Loop

Sams House at Pine Island

Sams House at Pine Island
Trail between ancient palms and oaks

Florida Trail, Wheeler Road to Joshua Creek

Florida Trail, Wheeler Road to Joshua Creek
Spruce Bluff Natural Area

Spruce Bluff Natural Area

Spruce Bluff Natural Area

ALL Outdoor Recreation in Water Management Areas

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NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Crescent City. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

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MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

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