UNITED STATES
Florida Trail
Officially designated a National Scenic Trail in 1983, this 1,500-mile footpath extends from Big Cypress National Preserve in the Everglades to the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida’s Panhandle.
Florida Panhandle East: Hillcrest Baptist Church to US 319, 66 miles
The most difficult mile of the Florida Trail is Bradwell Bay, a low-lying Titi Swamp in the Apilachicola Forest. Water can get chest-high with mud pits that won’t let go.
Florida Panhandle East: DeFuniak Springs to Hillcrest Baptist Church, 51 miles
This section takes the hiker through beautiful Nokuse Plantation and the Econfina Wildlife Management Area, with excellent water sources and lovely forests.
Florida Panhandle West: Navarre to DeFuniak Springs, 39 miles
The trail enters a forest of turkey oak and long-needled pine after Navarre Beach. The creeks run clear and flowers begin to bloom in early spring.
Gulf Islands National Seashore: Northern Terminus to Navarre Beach, 27 miles
The first 30-ish miles of the Florida Trail heading east from the terminus is on pristine and protected white sand beach with a few excellent restaurants and accommodation in between.
Kissimmee: Long Hammock to SR 60, 6 miles
It’s a short day to the highway where I’ll meet my friend, so I hang out at my campsite all morning in the hammock, then visit the chaos of River Ranch.
Kissimmee: Cowboy Crossing to Long Hammock, 20 miles
I luck out with the weather and an overcast sky on a hot day, plus I’m able to take a shortcut through normally an alligator-infested cypress strand because it’s so dry.
Kissimmee: Oak Creek Hammock to Cowboy Crossing, 17 miles
It’s another beautiful day in the hammocks and prairie, where I watch a downpour from a safe distance.
Kissimmee: Chandler Slough East to Oak Creek Hammock, 20 miles
It’s an extraordinary day in the Kissimmee through palm and oak hammocks ending with a full moon.
Kissimmee: Okeechobee to Chandler Slough East, 20 miles
Leaving lake Okeechobee, I follow the Kissimmee River and miles of mystical oak hammocks.
Okeechobee: S-135 campsite to Okeechobee, 15 miles
It’s not much further to town and a shower/rest! The lake enchants as well as a cool sculpture park in Okeechobee.
Lake Okeechobee: Canal Point to S-135 campsite, 17 miles
The trail goes up and over Port Mayaca on a vertiginous bridge, then hits a beautiful section along a canal where I camp with my high school friend.
Lake Okeechobee: Torry Island to Canal Point, 17 miles
It’s a shorter day to Pahokee where I eat wonderful Mexican food, then walk a few more miles before camping on Cindy’s lawn.
Canals/Okeechobee: L1-E to Torry Island, 20 miles
The trail is now through mowed grass and heads towards the lake where a lovely couple offers me lunch and I get a much-needed shower at an RV park.
Canals: STA 5/6 campsite to L1-E campsite, 16 miles
The second day on the canals is mostly on a road away from the water until finally popping back onto the levee and a gorgeous campsite.
Canals: Seminole Reservation to STA 5/6 campsite, 19 miles
The first day on the canals – the drained swamps of the everglades south of Lake Okeechobee – is long and shadeless, but surprisingly full of life.
Big Cypress/Seminole: Nobles to New Testament Church, 13 miles
It’s an easy day of walking which allows me to visit the museum and Swamp Cafe in the Seminole Reservation – plus catch a glimpse of a panther.
Big Cypress: Ivy Camp to Nobles Camp, 9 miles
It’s only a few short, messy miles out of the swamp which I share with an FKT (Fastest Known Time) seeker names Torry like old friends.
Big Cypress: 13 Mile Camp to Ivy Camp, 10 miles
The hardest bits of the entire Florida Trail lie in the Big Cypress. For nearly ten miles, the trail works its way through swamp requiring wading through water and mud.
Big Cypress: Southern Terminus to 13 Mile Camp, 17 miles
Day One is fairly dry in the Big Cypress Preserve with only hints of what is yet to come.