Top 12 Hiking Trails in Florida [Update 2024]

Whatever your level of expertise, Florida offers a range of rough terrain and an abundance of species to provide beginner to expert hikers.

In the most remote parts of the planet, it is possible to locate paths that swirl past crystal-clear springs, wind through solitary forests, and lead to beaches with powdery white sand.

Here are some of the best hiking trails in Florida you won’t want to miss out on this time around.

1. Hillsborough River State Park

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The first one on my list is Hillsborough River State Park, only minutes from the hustle-bustle of downtown Tampa, and has some of the greatest urban trails in the state.

Choose from four generally easy hiking trails in Florida paths totaling more than seven kilometers that wind their way through lush, age-old woods and alongside the river’s screaming whitewater waves.

Except for the Wetlands Trail, the River Rapids Nature Trail starts near the ‘Prayer of the Woods’ sign and connects to the park’s paths.

2. Little Manatee River State Park

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The second one on my list is Little Manatee Valley State Park, located to the east of Green Bay. It is home to a renowned hiking path and a winding river, equestrian trails, camping, picnics, and fishing.

The park’s woodsy 6.5-mile layered loop trail winds through the resort’s northern state forest, displaying rare ecosystems such as riverine hammocks and floodplains, a scrubby model is capable, pine forests, and remnant driftless area, as well as wildlife such as red scapular hawks, gopher reptiles, and fair-skinned deer.

3. Santa Rosa Island Beach Hike

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Santa Rosa Island Beach Hike is one of the best hiking trails in Florida

The northern endpoint hiking trail in Florida National Scenic Trail is placed at the towering, historic Fort Pickens, erected in 1834 to protect Pensacola Bay.

The only stretch of any National Scenic Trail that parallels an ocean beach is Gulf Islands National Seashore, and it’s a beautiful dream of quiet sugar-sand beaches and turquoise-hued waves.

You might also like to know about these bike trails in Florida.

4. Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park

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Johnson, Dagny Over 2,400 beautifully pristine acres make up Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park, one of the biggest tracts of exotic West Indian hardwoods forest in the United States. It is home to 84 federally classified wildlife.

It is part of the Great Florida Birdwatching and Wildlife Trail and the Florida Circumnavigational Coastal Paddling Trail. Over six kilometers of nature paths, mostly paved and wheelchair accessible, allow you to explore the park’s treasures indeed.

5. Little Talbot Island

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Little Talbot Island

Little Talbot Island State Park is a hiking trail in Florida located north ofJacksonville is a pristine barrier island with ancient dunes, isolated beaches, abundant animal watching, and a path. The four-mile Dune Ridge Trail winds through a mature maritime forest before disappearing into undulating dunes where you can hear the ocean.

The walk follows the beautiful coastline for the next two kilometers, with stretches of sand accentuated by sun-bleached tree skeletons. These twisted organic sculptures demand to be captured evidently.

6. Sea branch Preserve State Park

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Six miles of Sea branch Preserve Provincial Park hiking trails in Florida meander through one of the remaining pristine scrub environments in the southeastern United States, just south of Martin County’s Stuart is recognized as the “World Sailfish Centre.”

Watch out for bald eagles, butterfly kites, and the gopher tortoises, the park’s common favorites.

Have a look at these fantastic campgrounds in Florida.

7. Blackwater River State Forest

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Hiking trails in Florida National Scenic Trail at Milton’s Blackwater RiverForest northeast of Tampa for stunning vistas. The road follows the Blackwater River, with its shining white beaches and vast sandbars contrasted with the black, tannic liquid that gives it its name.

Massive red clay hills tower above Juniper Creek, affording great views as the path follows the river. Keep a watch out for gopher tortoises, great blue egrets, wild boar, white-tailed deer, and opossums, among other animals.

8. Flat Island Preserve

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On the outskirts of Loudoun, the Daubenmire Trail at Flat Island Preservation is a 2,300-acre sanctuary abounding with thick oak hammocks and highlands on an island bordered by the Okahumpka Marsh.

The 3.6-mile circular route was built and maintained by amateurs from the Florida Trail Organization and is ideal for all ability levels. Birders take note that it’s one of Lake County’s best sites to observe feathered companions.

9. Bulow Plantation Loop

Bulow Creek National Forest and Bulow Manor Ruin is a popular hiking trail in Florida located in Ormand Seaside, on the Atlantic coast. The 6.8-mile Bulow Woods Trail links the two parks, winding beneath a forest of ancient, huge live oaks and following an original Native American trail that became a farm road in the early 1800s.

Take a picture in front of the Fairchild Oak, which is thought to be 600 years old and is located near the trail’s southern beginning point.

10. Citrus Hiking Loop

Inverness, located 40 miles southwest of Ocala, is a scenic wonderland surrounded by deep forests and tranquil lakes. The Citrus Hiking trail in Florida Loop in the Withlacoochee Wilderness Area, a series of loops ideal for long-distance backpacking training, boasts more than 40 miles of hiking trails in Florida.

Day hikers may enjoy shorter loop walks using crossed paths with several entry locations. The terrain may be hard with undulating hills that wander through oak thickets, aromatic long leaf pines, and gazing at rocky hammocks.

11. White Springs Area Trails

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Close to the little, historic, and completely gorgeous village of White Springs, situated north and a bit west of Lake City, you’ll discover some of Florida’s greatest popular and beautiful hiking. Pick a site to camp on the Suwannee River’s gorgeous white-sand beaches if you’re searching for a weekend walk.

It doesn’t get much better than the hiking paths in Big Shoals State Park for an amazing day trek. There are 28 miles of trails throughout the park, with views of Florida’s only large whitewater waves.

12. Florida Trail Ocala

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The Florida Trail is a week-long backpacking trek. In the Ocala National Forest, Ocala, the first and most popular stretch of the Florida National Scenic Trail, offers 72 miles of hiking trail in Florida, trekking through sandhills, grasslands, pine Flatwoods, and the spectacular Big Scrub.

Deer gophers, tortoises, scrub jays, and black bears are rich wildlife. Unless otherwise noted, camping is permitted everywhere on the route outside of the autumn hunting season.

The hiking routes in Florida will give you a completely different experience. Alligators, a wide range of wading birds, and even wild creatures are possible. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to view the rarest trees, such as orchids and cypresses, as well as luxuriant tropical greenery. Nobody should miss out on this opportunity!

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