Hiking South Florida and the Keys

Hiking South Florida and the Keys features thirty-nine of the finest trails the region has to offer, from wet cypress swamps to dry pinewood forests. Four sections—Short Family Hikes, Day and Overnight Hikes, Long Haulers, and Walking the Florida Keys—comprise this user-friendly guide. M. Timothy O’Keefe shares his top hikes in twenty-three prime areas, including Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Jonathan Dickenson State Park, Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, and National Key Deer Refuge. Each hike includes all the information you need to make the most of exploring South Florida and the Keys on foot.   Look inside to find: • Hikes suited to every ability • Directions to the trailheads • Comprehensive trail descriptions, maps, and elevation profiles • Mile-by-mile directional cues • Difficulty ratings, average hiking times, best hiking seasons, and elevation gain/loss for every featured    hike • Area-specific tips on safety, hiking ethics, plants and animals, preserving the environment, and more

By M. Timothy O'Keefe

South Florida and The Keys Short Family Walks Myakka River State Park 1. Canopy and Nature Trails Highlands Hammock State Park 2. Nature Trails Six Mile Cypress Slough 3. Boardwalk Trail Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 4. Boardwalk Trail Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge 5. Duncan Memorial Trail Fakahatchee Strand State 6. Boardwalk Trail Everglades National Park 7. Anhinga Trail 8. Gumbo Limbo Trail 9. Pine Land Trail 10. Pa-Hay-Okee Boardwalk 11. Mahogany Hammock Trail 12. West Lake Mangrove Trail 13. Eco Pond 14. Bayshore Loop Trail 15. Bobcat Hammock Boardwalk 16. Otter Cave Trail Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge 17. Cypress Swamp Boardwalk Corbett Wildlife Management Area 18. Hungryland Slough Boardwalk Day and Overnight Hikes Oscar Shearer State Park 11.6 miles 19. Yellow Trail 20. Blue Trail 21. Red Trail 22. Green Trail Cayo Costa State Park 23. Inland and Beach Trails Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge 24. Indigo Trail 25. Shell Mound Trail 26. Bailey Tract Collier-Seminole State Park 27. Loop Trail Everglades National Pak 28. Pinelands Trail 29. Snake Bight/Rowdy Bend Loop 30. Bear Lake Trail Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge 31. Marsh and Impoundment Trails Fort Pierce Inlet State Park 32. Jack Island Reserve Buttonwood Trail Long Haulers Myakka River State Park 33. Myakka River Backpacking Trail Big Cypress National Preserve 34. Tamiami Trail to Alligator Alley DuPuis Management Area/Reserve 35. Loop Trails J. W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area 36. Florida Trail Segment Lake Okeechobee Circular Hike 37. Okeechobee Northeast 38. Okeechobee Southeast 39. Okeechobee Southwest 40. Okeechobee Northwest Jonathan Dickinson State Park 41. Loop Trails Kissimmee River 42. Kissimmee River National Scenic Trail Walking The Keys Why the Keys Exist Overseas Heritage Multi-Use Trail 43. Walk the Length of the Keys (partially) Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park 44. Hammock Walk John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park 45. Mangrove and Tamarind Trails Windley Key Geologic Site 46. Sunset and Hammock Trails Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park 47. Nature Trail Long Key State Park 48. Golden Orb and Layton Trails Curry Hammock State Park 49. Nature Trail Marathon Bridge Walk 50. Old 7 Mile Bridge to Pigeon Key Bahia Honda State Park 51. Silver Palm Trail and Old Seven Mile Bridge National Key Deer Refuge 52. Blue Hole and Nature Trails