In order to hike the entire riverside segment, you must be an FTA member, as the trail passes through some private backyards downstream from White Springs.

Moderate to strenuous, this section remains dry at the whim of the river flood stage (over 60 feet) swamps the footpath. Camp on sandy beaches or on high bluffs shaded by spreading live oaks and massive tupelo trees. Waterfalls and whirlpools, deep sinkholes and bubbling springs are all part of a hike where Florida's unique geological features are right there on the surface. This 41.6-mile traverse has you clambering in and out of gullies, walking scenic but oh-so-slender sand levees, and hopping over the tumbling froth of the Suwannee River's many tributaries. Look no farther than the Suwannee Section between Big Shoals, Florida's only Class III whitewater, and Mill Creek near Dowling Park.

Okay, you say, you want a challenge - serious climbs on rugged terrain. Gentle to moderate and with plenty of well-marked trailheads, the Ocala section is ideal for beginning backpackers and families. In the Juniper Prairie Wilderness, shed your pack at Hidden Pond and take a swim, and then set up camp beneath the canopy of oaks to watch sunset on the prairie. White-tailed deer browse in the haze of wiregrass beneath longleaf pines, while Florida scrub-jays flit between the sand pines. New to Florida hiking? Start your exploration on the Ocala Section, where the Florida Trail's first blaze was painted in the Ocala National Forest in 1966.ĭescribed as the 'jewel of the Trail,' this well-worn 70-plus-mile footpath meanders around picture-perfect ponds and prairies, vanishes into hammocks of moss-draped oaks, and rises over the brilliant white quartz dunes of the Big Scrub. OCALA SECTION (North and South)Ī handful of hardy backpackers take on the entire trail each year, but most are out for a week or a weekend. The intent is a protected wilderness corridor the length of Florida to protect 'Florida's Footpath Forever.' The reality is a thousand miles of completed trail tied together with orange blazes following back roads until the remainder of the 1,400-mile corridor can be acquired and protected. Kern envisioned 'at least 500 miles' of hiking, and founded the Florida Trail Association (FTA) to bring together like-minded volunteers to carry forth his plan.Įven 45 years after it began, the Florida Trail remains a work in progress. In 1964, Miami resident Jim Kern returned from an Appalachian Trail backpacking trip with a burning desire for a long hike in his own backyard. In its 1,400-mile journey from the Big Cypress National Preserve in South Florida to Fort Pickens on Pensacola Beach in northwest Florida, our state's premier hiking trail offers prime destinations for backpackers of all experience levels. Where else in the continental United States can you shoulder your pack and hit the trail in the dead of winter with little concern for ice or snow? On the Florida Trail, one of only 11 National Scenic Trails in the United States, you can leave those worries at home while soaking up the welcoming warmth of the South. if your socks aren't cotton, you'd better get them away from the fire. And then I checked my new Ultimax socks and discovered they were crispy. Chilly, wet and exhausted from pushing a measuring wheel all day, I flopped into my tent that night and came up with a plan. And this was the day we hit The Wall - a natural barrier of cypress strands across Palm Beach County. I was out with seven friends, surveying a brand-new 72-mile footpath under construction. On my last backpacking trip, my socks melted. Florida's hiking trails offer wildlife viewing, botanical diversity, and levels of difficulty from beginner to one of the toughest trails in America.

Jagged edge pensacola