Visiting hikers may wonder about alligators and snakes but poison ivy should always be on their radar. It grows everywhere, from the deep woods to the most open sunny hiilside.
Preface
No mountain high enough, no valley low enough…
what Central Florida hiking is like
Almost all of the thirty Central Florida trails described here are true hiking experiences on trails not shared with cyclists, skateboarders, and, in most places, horses, whose residual presence is not always appreciated in our hot Florida climate. Our definition of “Central Florida” extends from Ocala to State Road 60 near Lake Wales and Yeehaw Junction. However, two hikes described fall outside these boundaries: The northern section of the Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest and the Bulow Plantation/Bulow Creek hike on the Atlantic coast. Those walks are generally thought of as part of Central Florida hiking; and they are just too good to leave out.
Walks in Central Florida can be as brief, or as long, as you wish. Many nature walks are quite short, taking only an hour or two. If that seems too tame, you can tackle several hundred miles of the 1,400-mile-long Florida Trail, one of eight National Scenic Trails. The unbroken stretch starting in the Ocala National Forest and ending south of Lake Wales can keep you occupied for weeks at a stretch as it winds through miles of thick forest and wetland nature reserves.
The thirty hikes described here are designed to highlight some of the best natural areas throughout the region and fall into four different categories: Short Family Hikes ranging from 1 to 3 miles, Day Hikes from 3 to 12 miles, Overnight Hikes with easy walks to primitive campsites, and Long Haulers, true backpacking experiences that require a weekend to complete. You’ll also find that my companion book Hiking Florida contains a number of other Central Florida hikes not mentioned here. For other regions of Florida, check out my other new books Hiking South Florida and the Keys and Hiking North Florida and the Panhandle.
Central Florida hiking is some of the easiest in all of North America. Florida, essentially a spit of sand between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, is an incredibly flat place. So you’ll find no mountains to climb, no deep valleys to descend, no dangerous precipices to teeter on. Rolling hills do break up the flat landscape in a few places, but these mounds are hardly formidable. The highest elevation in the state is a stunted 345 feet above sea level. That puts almost all Florida hiking within the capabilities of anyone, from the youngest walker to the oldest. During the driest months—January to May—when the ground is hard, many of these trails are barrier free. Boardwalk nature trails at many of the state parks are well suited for wheelchairs year-round.
One point about Florida hiking that may trouble some out-of-state visitors: Your dog is not welcome on all trails. Some parks and recreation areas require that pets be kept on a leash and confined to a picnic or camping area, and pets may not be allowed to stay overnight. A number of recreation areas are off-limits to pets of any kind, under any condition, with the sole exception of guide/assistance dogs. You’ll need to check the “Canine compatibility” details with each hike.
“Walking is virtue, tourism deadly sin.”
—Werner Herzog, film director
Visiting hikers may wonder about alligators and snakes but poison ivy should always be on their radar. It grows everywhere, from the deep woods to the most open sunny hiilside.