We may be biased, but Florida is filled with some of the most stunning landscapes in the country, from wetlands and coastal paths to scenic springs and even an ancient sinkhole. Now, the state’s most iconic adventures have earned national recognition.
National Geographic Explorer and expert hiker Stephanie Pearson has recently published 100 Hikes of a Lifetime U.S.A., chronicling the most scenic bucket-list trails in each state alongside NatGeo’s signature photographs. If you’re curious about which hiking destinations you’ll want to make plans for in Florida, keep reading!
Florida National Scenic Trail feature
When it comes to the Sunshine State, the book highlights Florida National Scenic Trail, which travels about 1,500 miles from Gulf Islands National Seashore to Big Cypress National Preserve. Described as a strenuous hike, it spans almost the entire state and is filled with practically every ecosystem you could think of: white sand beaches, longleaf pine and wiregrass forests, as well as deep cypress swamps.
“Some of the loveliest sections of the trail are little-known places like Rice Creek, east of Gainesville,” Pearson writes. “It’s one of the lushest oases along the trail, where wild azaleas bloom, bromeliads hang from tree limbs, and ferns carpet the forest floor. Overhead looms the seventh largest cypress in Florida under a blanket of stars.”
The length of the trail givers hikers a chance to get a glimpse of wildlife, noting alligators, snakes, panthers, black bears, and birds like ibises and herons. But while these animals will keep their distance, the trail’s mosquitoes will not…. And because this is Florida, it differs from other hikes because it is suited for winter trekking, making October to March the best times to go.
Best hikes in Florida
Another trail on the list includes Gator Hook Trail, a 5-mile wet hike through knee-deep water in Big Cypress National Preserve. This isn’t your typical walk in the woods; you go from dry hardwood hammocks where panthers and bears roam before dropping directly into the cypress swamp.
But while one would expect muddy waters, it is surprisingly clear and allows hikers to see gars and mosquitofish swimming by. The swamp is also full of striking colors, as described by the book, with purple pickerelweed, blue alligator-flag, and a feathery cypress canopy above.
Gator Hook Trail is said to be a moderate hike, advising visitors to carefully navigate tripping hazards like the spindly root system of a cypress and gator holes (underwater depressions formed by alligators). It’s also best to visit between December and January.
