Map source: Florida Trail Association
The spring months are the perfect time to explore hiking trails in Florida. The weather is still cooler, there are fewer bugs, and dryer hiking conditions. There are thousands of miles of hiking trails in the state. State and local parks all feature hiking trails.
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Most of us are familiar with hiking stories about the Appalachian Trail that runs over 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine. We’ve all probably heard about the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, through California, Oregon, and Washington. Florida has its own long-distance trail.
The Florida National Scenic Trail is approximately 1,500 miles long, running from the Big Cypress Preserve in the Everglades, to Gulf Shores National Seashore at Pensacola. It leads you through Florida’s most dense wilderness areas, along rural roads, cattle ranches, and farms. It crosses through state parks and national forests. You may have seen the blue and orange paint markings, called “blazes”, on trees along the way. Blazes help you confirm you are on the trail route.
Most hikers enjoy sections of the trial that they can hike in a day or a weekend. A few hearty souls have “thru hiked” the trail from start to finish. The Florida Trail Association estimates over 400,000 hikers hiked parts of the trail in 2023.
Royce Gibson, Executive Director of the association, there are about 360 miles of gaps in the trail, mainly in urban areas of Central Florida. The trail has east and west corridors to bypass the Orlando area. He says closing the gaps is a priority. They hope to install a hiking land bridge to get over the Beachline Expressway and Brightline train line in Osceola and Orange counties.
The association is a non-profit organization based in Gainesville. Its volunteers help maintain the trail. Most of their work is done clearing undergrowth along the trail, repairing bridges, and building storm shelters and hiker rest areas.
The association has 19 chapters across the state. Membership is $35 a year for individuals or $50 for a family.
According to Gibson, the biggest issues with the trail are “absent minded development”, developers not considering the landscape, and not being conservation minded.
To qualify as a thru hiker you have to complete the entire trail, usually in one season. It’s an arduous undertaking, usually taking several months to complete. The association maintains a list of thru hikers on its website.
The shortest distance for a thru hike is about 1,100 miles. That means hiking along highways and streets in urban areas. The longest distance of about 1,500 miles is by taking the east or west bypasses.
The Florida Trail is officially designated by congress, and overseen by the U.S. Forest Service. Designated “Land Managers” oversee use of the trail and maintain the trail. These land managers consist of state and local governments agencies, national parks, and volunteer groups.