Day Hiking

Day Hiking Areas

• Apalachicola National Forest

  

  The Apalachicola National Forest is home to some of the most unique animal and plant species in the world. Here, visitors can enjoy safe, family-friendly activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking and trail-riding while surrounded by tranquil, diverse ecosystems.

   

• Hickory Landing
• Bradwell Bay Wilderness
• Camel Lake Recreation Area

  

  Surrounding one of the few crystal-clear lakes in the Apalachicola National Forest, Camel Lake Recreation Area provides a quiet place to relax and take in the beauty of the longleaf pine forest. Seepage slopes in the forest create pitcher plant bogs, easily visited along the Florida National Scenic Trail headed west to Memory Island.

  Boating

  • Electric trolling motors and paddle boats are welcome on the lake.

  Camping

  • Above the lake's rim, the focal points of this recreation area are the well-shaded, 10-site campground, suitable for RVs or tents.

  Picnicking

  • The day-use area has both picnic tables and a picnic shelter for visitors to enjoy. 

  Swimming

  • A beautiful sandy beach is available for swimming.
• Camel Lake Trail
• GF&A Trail

  The Georgia Florida and Alabama (GF&A) Trail is perfect for bike riding, walking, roller skating or a leisurely stroll. The trail is 2.4-miles long, approximately one-hour walking time each direction. The surface is paved making it suitable for wheelchairs, strollers and rollerblading. Helmets are recommended for bicyclists and skaters.

  Please respect wildlife, plant life and other visitors by following the few guidelines posted at the trailhead entrances.

  Pets are allowed, but must be on a 6-foot leash and kept under control.

  Bicycling and Walking / Day Hiking

  • Cyclists and walkers / day hikers will enjoy the area beyond the Long Landing Trailhead and the Trout Pond Trailhead.

   

• Log Landing Trailhead
• Trout Pond Trailhead
• Leon Sinks Geological Area
• Prospect Bluff Historic Sites
• River Sinks
• Silver Lake Recreation Area

  

  Visitors most often come to the largest recreation area on the Apalachicola National Forest to swim off the 250-foot white sand beach, walk the mile-long interpretive trail or picnic at one of 45 picnic tables, each of which comes with an individual grill. This family-friendly destination just outside Tallahassee is ideal for a family day of fun in the sun!

  Boating--Non-motorized

  • Non-motorized boats float on the 15-acre lake angling for largemouth bass, brim or catfish. The landscape is a mostly longleaf pine and hardwood hammock forest.

  Fishing

  • Fish from banks of the lake, which are accesible in many spots via the hiking trail. 

  Nature Watching

  • Bald eagles and songbirds are at home in this longleaf pine forest that also makes room for cypress, tupelo trees, turkey oak and palmettos. Rare species of plants and animals can be found at Silver Lake, but the observant visitor is more likely to see turtles, alligators, bears, turkeys and armadillos.
  • Silver Lake is in the Munson Sandhills, which are composed of deep dry sands that have accumulated over limestone. Because the sand absorbs rainfall so completely, wetlands are relatively rare in this part of the forest. In places, the limestone dissolves and collapses, forming the depressions and ponds, lakes and sinkholes that are common in the area.

  Walk the Trail

  • The gentle one-mile loop Silver Lake Trail circles the lake.
• Silver Lake Trail
• Wright Lake

  Wright Lake is a quiet scenic lakefront recreation area that offers a host of amenities and activities for campers and day-trippers. The area around the clear, spring-fed lake offers both a day-use area for swimming, picnicking hiking, and a campground in a beautiful forest setting along one portion of the lakeshore. It is perfect for fishing and boating. Swimmers can also enjoy the white sand beach, and a nearby bathhouse includes flush toilets and hot showers. Picnic tables and grills are scattered among trees with views of the lake.

  Boating

  • Electric trolling motors or paddle boats are welcome on the lake

  Camping

  • The campground includes 18 campsites with picnic tables, grills, tent pads and fire rings. Each site also has a lantern post.

  Fishing 

  • Wright Lake is the perfect place for fishing. 

  Nature Viewing

  • The area around Wright Lake is one of the best places in the Apalachicola National Forest to see pitcher plants, which bloom en masse in late March / early April.

  Walking / Day Hiking

  • Two trails are available at Wright Lake: a short nature trail and a 4.6-mile interpretive trail that circles the lake and showcases the full spectrum of habitats in this part of the Apalachicola National Forest.
• Wright Lake Loop Trail
• Ocala National Forest

  

  Nestled between well-known theme parks and white, sandy beaches, the jewels of the Ocala National Forest attract visitors from around the world.

  A travel destination in its own right, the Ocala features more than 600 lakes and rivers where visitors enjoy swimming, fishing, snorkeling, canoeing and boating.

  From migratory birds and playful manatees to delicate freshwater springs and some of the world's rarest plants, the Ocala is a haven where people (and animals) escape to one of Florida's remaining wild places. Here, opportunities abound for all to bask in the wonders of Mother Nature 365 days a year.

   

• Alexander Springs Recreation Area

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Only 27 first-magnitude springs exist in Florida, and Alexander Springs is by far one of the easiest to enjoy. A broad and naturally gently sloped spring pool is a constant 72°F and extraordinarily clear. Ripples play across the sand bottom as small fish dart about. Surrounded by a floodplain forest of maples, sweetgum and cabbage palms, this recreation area feels almost tropical.

  Camping

  • 67-unit campground accommodates tents and RVs up to 35 feet. Some campsites are first come, first served. Others are reservable by calling 1-877-444-6777 or at recreation.gov.
  • Maximum stay is 14 consecutive days in a 30-day period.
  • No electrical, water or sewer hookups. Hot showers and dump station
  • Concessionaire sells snacks, groceries, ice, charcoal, firewood, beach items and personal items.

  Backpacking

  • Alexander Springs is one of several refreshing stops along the Florida National Scenic Trail. A 0.5 mile blue-blazed trail leads from the camping area to the main Trail, which is blazed orange. Alexander Springs to Clearwater Lake is 9.7 miles south. Alexander Springs to Farles Lake is 7 miles north.

  Boating

  • An on-site outfitter rents canoes for the paddle down Alexander Run into the Alexander Springs Wilderness. You’ll need to paddle back to the springs unless you’ve arranged for your own take out farther downstream.

  Nature Viewing

  • Birding is fabulous along Alexander Run.

  Picnicking

  • Plenty of picnic tables are available under the oaks, all within sight of the splashing fun of the springs.

  Scuba Diving

  • Alexander Springs is the only place in the Ocala National Forest where scuba diving is permitted. Open water diving enables you to explore the broad mouth of the spring.

  Swimming

  • Alexander Springs is one of the best swimming holes in the Ocala National Forest, with a gently sloped beach leading into the gently sloped spring basin.

  Walking the Trail

  • Day hikers will appreciate the shady Timucuan Trail, a 0.9-mile interpretive loop with a boardwalk through a jungle of palms along the spring run and more challenging terrain leading into the Big Scrub.
  • Enjoy the beauty of a turquoise spring basin on a walk around Alexander Springs. A paved path leads along the south side of the basin from the canoe launch to the trailhead for the Timucuan Trail. There, the interpretive trail continues as a boardwalk through the lush palm hammock along the spring's edge to observation decks along the spring run.

   

• Timucuan Trail
• Alexander Springs Wilderness
• Buck Lake Group Camp
• Clearwater Lake Recreation Area

  Enjoy a quiet getaway along the southeastern edge of the Ocala National Forest, just outside the community of Paisley. A longleaf pine forest and wiregrass ecosystem surrounds the 32-acre lake and provides a beautiful, shaded, wooded setting for the campground, a day-use picnic area, beach and a nature trail.

  Boating

  • Paddle your canoe or kayak across our placid waters in search of a quiet spot along the reedy shoreline. It's slightly more than a mile circuit around the edge.

  Camping 

  • Nicely shaded, the 42-space Clearwater Lake Campground provides breezy lakefront sites. It accommodates both trailers and tents, and has bathhouses with showers.

  Fishing

  • Cast a line from your campsite or wade out into the grassy shallows for a chance to catch both bream and catfish.

  Hiking & Backpacking

  • The Clearwater Lake Nature Trail is a 1.3-mile loop starting at the day use area. It is an easy walk that traverses the major habitats around the lake, including pine flatwoods, freshwater marsh and oak scrub, providing interpretive information and numerous benches for birding or resting.

  Mountain Biking

  • Explore 22 miles of singletrack along the Paisley Woods Bicycle Trail between Alexander Springs Recreation Area and Clearwater Lake Recreation Area.

  Swimming

  • A swimming beach along Clearwater Lake provides a place for families to frolic in the water.

  This site is operated by Adventure Ocala.

• Clearwater Lake Nature Trail
• Davenport Landing Trail

  Enjoy a 1.2-mile round-trip interpretive hiking trail that leads to a former 19th century steamboat port. This location is where riverboats headed up to Silver Springs would stop for fuel. Along the way, you'll learn about middens along the Ocklawaha River and encounter the Civil War-era gravesite of Thomas Cassidy Fillyaw. 

  The Davenport Landing Trail leads into a lush river bottom forest with many colorful wildflowers during the spring and summer months. In late fall and early winter, sweetgum and red maple trees turn bright hues of crimson and gold and shed their leaves across the landscape.

  Boating

  • Paddle your canoe or kayak across the beautiful waters of Davenport Lading in search of a quiet spot along the shoreline. 

  Fishing

  • Sitting along the Ocklawaha River, this is the perfect location to cast a line from the shallows for a chance to catch that big one. Just keep an eye out for any alligators that may be roaming the area. 

  Hiking

  • The Davenport Landing Trail is a 0.6-mile interpretive walk to a former steamboat landing along the Ocklawaha River (1.2 mile round-trip). Since it is within the river's floodplain area, expect a high concentration of mosquitoes and dress / prepare accordingly.

  Interpretive Area 

  • In addition to leading you to the site of a historic steamboat landing, interpretive information along the Davenport Landing Trail includes middens along the Ocklawaha River from the Timucuan period as well as a Civil War-era gravesite.

  Primitive Camping 

  • Many people enjoy this solitude and primitive experience, but knowing your limits, skills and abilities is a must. Following certain rules and regulations will help make your experience safer and ensure settings remain unspoiled.  
• Davenport Landing Trail
• Farles Prairie Recreation Area
• Hopkins Prairie Campground
• Juniper Prairie Wilderness

  Protecting the heart of the Big Scrub, the 14,283-acre Juniper Prairie Wilderness is perhaps the best known of the four wilderness areas in the Ocala National Forest thanks to its frontage and prominent signage on SR 40 - the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway - and SR 19.
  
  As a wilderness area, it remains roadless, untouchable by motorized vehicles or equipment. This special designation provides certain challenges in a flammable habitat such as the sand pine scrub for which our forest is famous, since firefighting options are limited. As a result, portions of the wilderness may seem denuded after a forest fire. But the scrub regenerates quickly, pushing up saw palmetto and young sand pines to provide shade and habitat for wildlife.

  The wilderness contains a mosaic of habitats bound together by the flow of open prairies, many with ponds, across the landscape. By hiking, backpacking or paddling through the wilderness, you can enjoy the flora and fauna of pine flatwoods, hardwood swamps, shallow lakes, grassy prairies, sand pine scrub, oak scrub, sinkholes and sawgrass marsh.

  Backpacking

  • Backpacking is one of the more popular ways to see the Juniper Prairie Wilderness.
  • A portion of the Florida Trail traverses the entire Juniper Prairie Wilderness between Juniper Springs and the Pat's Island Trailhead, with side trails to the historic Pat's Island settlement along the Yearling Trail (signposted) and to Juniper Run (unmarked).
  • Fans of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ book "The Yearling" know that Pat's Island, at the northeastern corner of the wilderness, was settled by the Long family around 1840. The historic settlement is where portions of the 1949 movie starring Gregory Peck was filmed and is accessible from the Yearling Trail across from Silver Glen Springs on SR 19.

  Boating

  • Canoeing is a great way to see the variety of ecosystems and abundance of wildlife in the Juniper Prairie Wilderness. 
  • The canoe rental at Juniper Springs Recreation Area provides paddlers with the opportunity to explore the wilderness by water with a haul back to your starting point.
  • Visitors can bring their own canoe or kayak and put in at Juniper Springs for a launch fee. To self-shuttle, limited parking is available at the Juniper Wayside along SR 19 for take-out.

  Camping

  • The prime overnight destination is Hidden Pond. This backcountry camping area has no amenities but is situated on a ridge between a spring-fed pond and a broad wet prairie, providing natural air-conditioning when a breeze sweeps across either watery landscape. When it's not general gun hunting season, you're welcome to pitch your tent anywhere under the stars. 

  Nature Viewing

  • On a paddling trip down the seven-mile canoe run, you might glimpse alligators, wading birds, deer, snakes, raccoons, fox, and even wild boars.
• Yearling Trail
• Juniper Springs Recreation Area

  

  Juniper Springs is one of the oldest and best-known recreation areas on the East Coast. Located between Ocala and Ormond Beach along SR 40, this complex of swimming and picnic area, campground and trails was constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. This setting houses hundreds of tiny bubbling springs and massive springs gushing out of crevices in the earth beneath a dense canopy of palms and oaks, an oasis within the heart of the desert-like scrub ecosystem.

  Boating

  • Juniper Run is a narrow, winding waterway set under a dense canopy of old-growth forest and few places solid enough to get out of your canoe. Just before the take out point near SR 19, the waterway broadens to encompass wetlands teeming with wading birds and wildlife.

  Camping

  • Who doesn't love camping under a dense canopy of live oaks? Juniper Springs is one of the nation's top destinations for camping, not just because of the many activities available on site but also for its well-shaded setting.

  Day Hiking / Walking / Backpacking

  • In addition to day hiking on the Florida Trail, which passes through the recreation area, families and those with limited mobility will especially appreciate the Juniper Run Nature Trail. This short (0.8 mile round-trip) but delightful introduction to the subtropical habitats found along our spring runs includes viewing areas to watch the bubbling springs; thickets of needle palms; tall sweetgum, maple and pine trees; and a variety of wildlife, from otters to our unique albino gray squirrels. 
  • Backpackers often use Juniper Springs as a stopping-off point while working their way along a 72-mile unbroken segment of the Florida Trail.

  Interpretive Area

  • As a Civilian Conservation Corps-era recreation area and campground, Juniper Springs is a historic site with an interesting story to tell. Stop in the old Mill House to learn why and how the swimming area and campground were built, and how the mill used to provide electricity for the campground.

  Nature Watching

  • The dense, jungle-like forests surrounding Juniper Springs and Juniper Run - as well as the waterway itself - are home to wildlife that you might not commonly see elsewhere. Among the more interesting residents of our natural communities are the albino gray squirrels seen near the Mill House, the otters that play along the edges of the spring run and the American eels that migrate out to the Sargasso Sea to spawn, returning to Juniper Springs to live. 

  Swimming

  • Juniper Springs is notable as a crystalline pool of spring outflow, shallow at one end and deep enough to jump into at the other. Natural tapegrass grows along the bottom of the spring. Don't be surprised to see an American eel amid the greenery.

  This site is operated by Adventure Ocala. 

• Juniper Springs Nature Trail
• Lake Delancy West OHV Campground
• Lake Eaton Sinkhole Trailhead
• Lake Eaton Trail
• Bear Swamp Trail
• Salt Springs Wildlife Observation Trail
• Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area

  

  Both a popular day-use recreation area and an important archaeological site, Silver Glen Springs showcases the delicate balance between enjoying the outdoors and preserving precious  resources. With constant 73°F crystal-clear water, Silver Glen Springs is a popular swimming hole. Bring your snorkel and meet the fish face to face.

  Silver Glen Springs was once a village site, and is now home to enormous middens - ancient "trash" heaps full of fossilized snail shells and ancient items of everyday lives - beneath a canopy of live oaks.

  Boating

  • Kayak and canoe rentals are available for a trip down Silver Glen Run.
  • Boats must stay out of swimming area.
  • Please keep off the middens, which are the large mounds behind the fences. These areas mark an important archeological site and sacred space for Native Americans.

  Picnicking and Grilling

  • 58 picnic tables and 30 pedestal grills are available for visitors to enjoy.

  Swimming

  • Be sure to bring your snorkel, although diving or SCUBA diving are not allowed.
  • Stay within the marked boundaries of the swimming area to avoid damage to sensitive underwater habitats. 

  Walking Trail

  • A walk around the interpretive trails brings this past to life. The 3-mile round-trip Lake George Trail meanders through the woods and often provides a cool breeze. A visit to Jody's Spring beneath a canopy of palms along the Spring Boils Trail is another enjoyable walk and only 0.75-mile round-trip.

  This site is operated by Adventure Ocala.

• Lake George Trail
• Spring Boils Trail
• St. Francis Trailhead
• Osceola National Forest

  

  The Osceola National Forest is a peaceful place where people come to escape their busy lives and reconnect with the land. Flatwoods and swamps transport visitors back in time, and provide a tranquil setting for first-rate hunting, fishing and swimming opportunities.

• Big Gum Swamp Wilderness
• Cobb Hunt Camp
• Fanny Bay Trail
• Mt. Carrie Wayside
• Nice Wander Trail
• Ocean Pond Campground
• Olustee Battlefield Trail
• Olustee Beach

  

  Come join the fun! Swim along a shallow sandy beach and watch the water birds wade through the cypress. You may also enjoy fishing on the pier, picnicking under the hammock, or walking the Trampled Track Trail, which tells the story of Osceola's turpentining history.

  Boating

  • Kayaks, canoes and low-powered boats can enjoy the cypress that line the lake's perimeter. Enjoy the boat launch for easy access into the water.

  ​Fishing

  • Fish from either the shoreline or drop your boat into the water for deeper lake fishing. Anglers are sure to enjoy the barrier-free pier at the boat launch and parking area. 

  ​Hiking

  • While less than 0.5-mile long, this barrier-free trail takes you back more than a century through the history of a sawmill and community that thrived along the Ocean Pond shores in the early 1900s. The reward for your short trip is a beautiful observation point overlooking Ocean Pond. 

  Swimming

  • The sandy beach at Ocean Pond offers a chance to cool off on hot summer days.

  Waterskiing

  • Waterski along the glassy lake or watch the white caps roll in on windy days.

   

• Trampled Track Trail
• West Tower Hunt Camp