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Hiking the Florida Trail through the Ocala National Forest on the Western Corridor

One of eight National Scenic Trails in the United States, the Florida Trail is a 1,400-mile footpath spanning from Big Cypress National Preserve (between Miami and Naples, Florida along the Tamiami Trail) to Fort Pickens at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach. Also known as the Florida National Scenic Trail (which applies only to its federally certified segments), the Florida Trail provides hiking and backpacking opportunities within an hour of most Floridians.

With its first blaze marked at Clearwater Lake Recreation Area in the Ocala National Forest, the Florida Trail began on October 29, 1966, established by members of the Florida Trail Association. Working in partnership with the trail's federal manager, the USDA Forest Service, and land managers throughout the state of Florida, the Florida Trail Association continues to provide the support of thousands of volunteers to build, maintain, and protect this recreational resource.

In the early 1960s, Miami resident Jim Kern headed to North Carolina with his brother for a hike on the Appalachian Trail. Returning to Florida and knowing there was nowhere near his home to go backpacking, he envisioned a 500-mile hiking trail across Florida. He founded the Florida Trail Association and encouraged members to join him in the vision of creating a trail across the state. His initial hike, a media event for the Miami Herald, took him from the wilds of Big Cypress to Highlands Hammock State Park near Sebring, FL. By October 1966, Jim talked to the managers of the Ocala National Forest and received permission to start blazing a hiking trail. The Florida Trail has been underway as a volunteer-driven construction project ever since. Like many other National Scenic Trails, the Florida Trail has been built in disconnected segments, created in a corridor where public land (or easements granted by private individuals) is available to route the trail.

The 1,400-mile linear Florida Trail consists of the following segments:

• Big Cypress
• Seminole
• Okeechobee
• Ocean-to-Lake
• Kissimmee
• Eastern Corridor
• Western Corridor
• Ocala
• North Florida
• Suwannee
• Big Bend
• Apalachicola
• Central Panhandle
• Western Gate
• Blackwater

• Florida Trail
• Florida Greenways & Trails Guide
• American Trails: Florida
• GORP.com: Florida National Scenic Trail