Best Hikes in Florida

Florida's hiking is defined not by elevation but by ecosystem diversity — you can walk through cypress swamps, old-growth longleaf pine forests, coastal prairies, and dense subtropical hammocks within a single day. The state has over 4,000 miles of designated trails.

Florida Trail (1,300 miles)
The Florida National Scenic Trail runs from Big Cypress National Preserve in the south to Fort Pickens in the Panhandle. It's one of only 11 national scenic trails in the US. The southern sections through Big Cypress involve wet wading through sawgrass and cypress sloughs — unique in American hiking. The northern sections through Ocala National Forest offer classic longleaf pine sandhills and spring-fed streams.

Ocala National Forest: Salt Springs and Juniper Prairie
The Juniper Prairie Wilderness within Ocala National Forest is Florida's finest backcountry hiking. The 7.5-mile Juniper Springs Recreation Area loop passes crystal-clear spring runs and dense subtropical forest. This area is also one of the best places in Florida to see black bears.

Big Cypress National Preserve
The 729,000-acre preserve offers wet and dry season hiking across cypress domes, prairies, and pineland ridges. The Oasis Visitor Center boardwalk provides access to alligator-dense waterways. Dry season (November–April) is essential for off-trail exploration.

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park
The "Amazon of North America" — a massive swamp strand holding the largest concentration of native royal palms and the largest variety of wild orchids in North America. The 2,000-foot boardwalk gives a taste; the serious explore via wet walks with a ranger.

Myakka River State Park
One of Florida's oldest and largest state parks, Myakka offers 39 miles of trails through a river floodplain, dry prairie, and hammock forest. The canopy walkway (25 feet above the forest floor) is one of the few in the eastern US.

Jonathan Dickinson State Park (South Florida)
The park's 8,000 acres in Martin County offer the Kitching Creek and West Branch trails through scrub, flatwoods, and river swamp — the best hiking in South Florida outside of Big Cypress.