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

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White Springs

White Springs

Florida’s original spa town is now an outdoor mecca on the Suwannee River for hikers, cyclists, and paddlers, a Florida Trail Gateway Community and launch point for adventure.

Florida’s original spa town is an outdoor mecca on the Suwannee River for hikers, cyclists, and paddlers. Before 1900, White Springs had fourteen hotels catering to tourists who came by rail and steamboat to “take the waters” at the springs.

Opened in 1950, Stephen Foster Folk Culture State Park was envisioned as a memorial to composer Stephen Foster, who never visited the Suwannee River but nonetheless made it famous. Designated the first Florida Trail Gateway Community, White Springs is one of the rare places on the Florida Trail where the trail leads you right through town.


Contents

  • 1 Destinations
    • 1.1 Big Shoals State Park
    • 1.2 Big Shoals Trail
    • 1.3 Disappearing Creek at Camp Branch
    • 1.4 Falling Creek Falls
    • 1.5 Fat Bellys
    • 1.6 Florida Trail, Bell Springs to Big Shoals
    • 1.7 Florida Trail, Camp Branch to Suwannee Springs
    • 1.8 Florida Trail, Stephen Foster to CR 25A
    • 1.9 Florida Trail, Suwannee
    • 1.10 Florida Trail, White Springs
    • 1.11 Long Branch Trail
    • 1.12 Nature & Heritage Tourism Center (CLOSED)
  • 2 Recent Articles
    • 2.1 Au Naturale in White Springs
    • 2.2 Hiking inn-to-inn on the Florida Trail
    • 2.3 I Did I-Did-A-Hike

Destinations

Big Shoals of the Suwannee River

Big Shoals State Park

Big Shoals State Park
Big Shoals Trail

Big Shoals Trail

Big Shoals Trail
Swallet on Camp Branch

Disappearing Creek at Camp Branch

Disappearing Creek at Camp Branch
Falling Creek Falls

Falling Creek Falls

Falling Creek Falls
Breakfast time at Fat Bellys

Fat Bellys

Fat Bellys
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
FT Stephen Foster

Florida Trail, Stephen Foster to CR 25A

Florida Trail, Stephen Foster to CR 25A
No Name Creek

Florida Trail, Suwannee

Florida Trail, Suwannee
White Springs Tract

Florida Trail, White Springs

Florida Trail, White Springs
Long Branch Trail

Long Branch Trail

Long Branch Trail
White Sulphur Springs

Nature & Heritage Tourism Center (CLOSED)

Nature & Heritage Tourism Center (CLOSED)

Recent Articles

Suwannee River

Au Naturale in 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.

Big Shoals

Hiking inn-to-inn on the Florida Trail

As part of a question sent to me by Rick, a reader in New England, he asked “we would be interested to find an area where we hike from inn to inn over a few days” as part of a vacation day hiking in Florida. As I’m in the midst of working on a new …

2009 I-Did-A-Hike

I Did I-Did-A-Hike

On the 2009 I-Did-A-Hike, 40 participants enjoyed special access to a portion of the Florida Trail that is not formalized yet, but when it is, will lead hikers right past the famed Big Shoals.


ALL DESTINATIONS & ARTICLES


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Florida Trail Hikes 2nd edition coverFifty of the best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.

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Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Sinkhole pond with cypress knees and duckweed

Manatee Springs North End Trails

Manatee Springs North End Trails
Morning light in the upland forest at Manatee Springs

Manatee Springs Scenic Trail

Manatee Springs Scenic Trail
Grassy path edged by dense diminutive scrub forest

Cedar Key Scrub East Loop

Cedar Key Scrub East Loop
Archway at Fort Clinch

Fort Clinch Walking Tour

Fort Clinch Walking Tour

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