Hiking Central Florida

Hiking Central Florida describes thirty of the region's best and most varied hikes, those that offer the chance to observe unspoiled, natural Florida at its finest. With terrain ranging from wet cypress swamps to dry pinewood forests, the region offers subtly striking scenery and it harbors rich diversity. Covering the area from Ocala to State Road 60 near Lake Wales and Yeehaw Junction-and also embracing the northern stretch of the Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest and the Bulow Plantation/Bulow Creek hike on the Atlantic coast-this user-friendly guide takes you from short family hikes in places such as Canaveral National Seashore, to backpackers' delights. It provides all the information you need to make the most of exploring Central Florida by foot. Look inside to find: • Hikes suited to every ability • Directions to the trailheads • Comprehensive trail descriptions and maps • Mile-by-mile directional cues • Difficulty ratings, average hiking times, and best hiking seasons for every featured hike • Area-specific tips on safety, hiking ethics, plants and animals, preserving the environment, and more

M. Timothy O'Keefe, head of the Journalism division at the University of Central Florida, has published 13 books, over 1,000 magazine articles and more than 5,000 photographs. His work has appeared in several National Geographic books, National Geographic Traveler, Time-Life Books, Newsweek, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Scientific American, Travel & Leisure, Caribbean Travel & Life, Reader's Digest Magazine, and Reader's Digest Books. O'Keefe's writing and photography have won more than 50 regional and national awards. The Florida Outdoor Writer's Association (FOWA) named his Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year: Florida with Georgia and Alabama Coasts "Best Book" of 1997. The following year, FOWA named The Spicy Camp Cookbook (Menasha Ridge Press) as the "Best Book" of 1998. Tampa Bay Magazine has called him "Florida's premier wildlife photographer and writer."

The Hikes Family (Short) Hikes Atlantic Coast Canaveral National Seashore 1. Nature Trails Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 2. Wildlife and Nature Trails. Gulf Coast Honeymoon IslandState Park 3. Loop Trails Caladesi Island State Park 4. Beach and Nature Trails Inland Hikes DeLeon Springs State Park 5. Wild Persimmon Trail Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge 6. Nature Trails Hontoon Island State Park 7. Indian Mound Trail Blue Spring State Park 8. Boardwalk Trail Tibet-Butler Preserve 9. Nature and Perimeter Trails Withlacoochee State Forest 10. McKethan Lake Nature Trail Day Hikes Silver River State Park 11 Sinkhole & Silver River Trails Bulow Creek Trail 12. Plantation Creek Trail Flat Island Preserve: 13. Daubenmire Trail Split Oak Forest Mitigation Park 14. North and South Loops Geneva Wilderness Trail 15. Loop and Linear Trails Little-Big Econ State Forest 16. Econ Loop Trail Disney Wilderness Preserve 17. Disney Wilderness Preserve Trail Hillsborough River State Park 18 Florida Trail & River Rapids Nature Trail Tiger Creek Preserve 19. The Pfundstein Trail Overnight Hikes Blue Springs State Park 20. Pine Island Trail Seminole State Forest 21. Florida Trail and Lower Wekiva Loop Trail Wekiwa Springs State Park 22. Wekiwa Loop Trail Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Areas 23. Florida Trail Segment Little Manatee River State Park 24. Loop Trail Lake Kissimmee State Park 25. North and Buster Island Loop Trails Long Haulers Ocala National Forest 26. Ocala North 27. Ocala South Withlacoochee State Forest 28. Citrus Trail Three Lakes WMA/Prairie Lakes Unit 29.Three Lakes Trail 30. North and South Loop Trails