Explorer's 50 Hikes
4 primary works
Book 0
In the entire continental United States, only South Florida can lay claim to truly tropical habitats with native tropical plants. Rare ghost orchids grow in the humid depths of the Big Cypress, a region of vast prairies, haunting cypress strands, and deep sloughs filled with alligator flag. From its traditional start at Lake Okeechobee, the world's only Everglades sweep southward. North of Lake Okeechobee lie the remnants of ancient sand dunes forming high and dry scrub habitats, while along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coastlines the freshwater marshes of the interior meet the mangrove swamps of the barrier islands. In the Florida Keys, jungles of Caribbean plants top fossilized coral reefs surrounded by still aquamarine waters.
This guide to a fascinating region contains a mix of easy nature trails, beach walks, and short interpretive boardwalks, as well as challenging day hikes and backpacking trips. The hikes range in length from 1 to 20 miles; each hike description includes mile-by-mile directions, a topographic map, and information on hiking time, mileage, and trail conditions.
This guide to a fascinating region contains a mix of easy nature trails, beach walks, and short interpretive boardwalks, as well as challenging day hikes and backpacking trips. The hikes range in length from 1 to 20 miles; each hike description includes mile-by-mile directions, a topographic map, and information on hiking time, mileage, and trail conditions.
Book 0
50 Hikes in Central Florida: Hikes, Walks, and Backpacks in the Heart of Peninsula
by Sandra Friend
Published 15 October 2002
A hiking guide to one of the most beautiful and diverse ecosystems in the country. What Florida's landscape lacks in topography, it makes up for in diversity, ranging from temperate Appalachian-style forests to tangled tropical jungles. Here hikers enjoy a broad range of habitats and wildlife that only Hawaii and California surpass. Trails pass through desert-like scrub islands, jungle-like hydric hammocks, and deep, dark bayous where giant cypress trees rise out of inky water. Footpaths range through salt marshes, river floodplains, and along coastal dunes and beaches with sparkling white sand. Florida has the world's only Everglades, and the delightful landforms of karstdisappearing lakes and streams, yawning sinkholes lush with ferns, and the world's largest concentration of first-magnitude springs. More than 1,500 contiguous miles of the Florida National Scenic Trail stretch from the beaches of Pensacola, at the western edge of the Panhandle, to the Big Cypress Swamp in the Everglades. The hikes in this new guide to the heart of the peninsula range in length from 1.2 to 100 miles. Each hike description includes a topographic map, mile-by-mile directions, and information on distance, difficulty, time, and terrain. 40 black & white photographs, 51 maps, index.
Book 0
Florida's landscape is a marvel of diversity, and Central Florida is its pinnacle. Footpaths range through salt marshes, river floodplains, and along coastal dunes and beaches. Trails pass through desert-like scrub islands, jungle-like hydric hammocks, and deep, dark bayous. There's no better way to take in this natural world than by walking it. Ranging from 1 to 43 miles in length, each hike includes mile-by-mile directions, a topographic map, and information on hike duration, mileage, and trail conditions. This new edition includes 20 new places to explore, from hidden urban gems like the Circle Bar B Ranch in Lakeland and Ponce Preserve in Daytona Beach to the quiet rural landscapes of Catfish Creek State Park and Chinsegut Hill. Old standards like Tenoroc, Disney Wilderness Preserve, and Silver River State Park have been revisited and updated to keep you informed of changes in their trail systems.
Book 0
With numerous state parks and expansive state and national forests, North Florida provides the hiker with an extensive array of natural communities to explore. Forests of longleaf and slash pine flatwoods, coastal hammocks, desert scrub, and floodplain forests create welcoming habitats for vanishing species. The region's geology offers physical challenges for the hiker as welldeep ravines, rough riverside trails along steep bluffs, and giant sinkholes. Hiking in North Florida means the opportunity to camp along the state's broadest rivers, to clamber in and out of ravines and up and over relict dunes, to walk to the edge of sweeping vistas across prairies and salt marshes, to hike along vast lakes and bubbling springs.
The hikes described in this all-new guide range in length from 1 to 22 miles. Each hike description includes a topographic map, mile-by-mile directions, and information on distance, difficulty, terrain, and hiking time. An overview chart makes it easy to pick a hike for every ability.
The hikes described in this all-new guide range in length from 1 to 22 miles. Each hike description includes a topographic map, mile-by-mile directions, and information on distance, difficulty, terrain, and hiking time. An overview chart makes it easy to pick a hike for every ability.