Location
Entire trail is in Florida. The southern terminus is near the border of Everglades National Park. The western terminus is near Pensacola in the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Description
Trail passes through cypress strands, piney sandhills, palm, palmetto and live oak forests, sawgrass sloughs, and some hills in northern Florida. During the rainy season, hiking in South Florida may involve wading in 3 or 4 feet of water. Parts of the trail in southern Florida are in Florida Panther habitat, extremely remote and see very little foot traffic.

The trail circumnavigates Lake Okeechobee before heading north into the Ocala and Osceola National Forests. Here, the trails are sandy and flat and several spectacular springs provide refreshing breaks on steamy summer days. The warm winter weather in Florida is a main attraction of the Florida Trail.

When to Go
The trail can be hiked year-round. The dry winter months are best for the Big Cypress swamps. Thunderstorms are frequent in the May-July period during the afternoons throughout the state.

Permits and Restrictions
Open camping is available on many parts of the trail. The trail does traverse some state parks where camping permits are required.

Resupply
Resupply gets somewhat easier as the hiker heads north. In the south, there is road access at Tamiami Trail (US41) and Alligator Alley although there are no stores in this area.

Maps, Guides and Contacts
The Florida Trail has an excellent website: www.florida-trail.org. FTA holds several guided hikes through the year. Several publications are noted on its Web site.

Thru-Hikers
Please EMAIL us if you would like to be added as a Thru Hiker of this trail and you are willing to be contacted by people seeking information.