One of eleven National Scenic Trail

National Scenic Trail

National Scenic Trail is a designation for protected areas in the United States that consist of trails of particular natural beauty.National Scenic Trails were authorized under the National Trails System Act of 1968 along with National Historic Trails and National Recreation Trails...

s in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, the Florida Trail is a footpath spanning 1400 miles (2,253.1 km) from Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in southern Florida, about 45 miles west of Miami. The Big Cypress, along with Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, became the first national preserves in the United States National Park System when they were...

(between Miami and Naples, Florida

Naples, Florida

Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...

 along the Tamiami Trail

Tamiami Trail

The Tamiami Trail is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 from State Road 60 in Tampa to U.S. Route 1 in Miami. The road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90....

) to Fort Pickens

Fort Pickens

Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and remained in use until 1947...

 at Gulf Islands National Seashore

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Gulf Islands National Seashore offers recreation opportunities and preserves natural and historic resources along the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands of Florida and Mississippi. The protected regions include mainland areas and parts of 7 islands...

, Pensacola Beach. Also known as the Florida National Scenic Trail (which applies only to its federally certified segments), the Florida Trail provides hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

 and backpacking

Backpacking (wilderness)

Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...

 opportunities within an hour of most Floridians.

With its first blaze marked at Clearwater Lake Recreation Area in the Ocala National Forest

Ocala National Forest

The Ocala National Forest is the second largest National Forest in the U.S. state of Florida and covers approximately of Central Florida. It is located three miles east of Ocala and southeast of Gainesville...

, the Florida Trail began on October 29, 1966, established by members of the Florida Trail Association

Florida Trail Association

Founded in 1964, the Florida Trail Association is a private non-profit organization that oversees the volunteer effort to build, maintain, protect and promote the Florida Trail, one of eight National Scenic Trails in the United States...

. Working in partnership with the trail's federal manager, the USDA Forest Service, and land managers throughout the state of Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, the Florida Trail Association continues to provide the support of thousands of volunteers to build, maintain, and protect this recreational resource.

History

In the early 1960s, Miami resident Jim Kern headed to North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 with his brother for a hike on the Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...

. Returning to Florida and knowing there was nowhere near his home to go backpacking

Backpacking (wilderness)

Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...

, he envisioned a 500 miles (804.7 km) hiking trail across Florida. He founded the Florida Trail Association

Florida Trail Association

Founded in 1964, the Florida Trail Association is a private non-profit organization that oversees the volunteer effort to build, maintain, protect and promote the Florida Trail, one of eight National Scenic Trails in the United States...

 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

Highlands Hammock State Park

Highlands Hammock State Park is a park west of Sebring in Highlands County, Florida, off U.S. 27. The park opened in 1931, four years before the Florida state park system was created.-Flora:...

 near Sebring, FL. By October 1966, Kern had spoken with the managers of the Ocala National Forest

Ocala National Forest

The Ocala National Forest is the second largest National Forest in the U.S. state of Florida and covers approximately of Central Florida. It is located three miles east of Ocala and southeast of Gainesville...

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.

Segments

The 1400 miles (2,253.1 km) 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

Precautions

Media reports of criminal activity in the Ocala National Forest peaked in the mid-2000's, but a concerted effort by National Forest personnel, including closing many smaller roads to vehicle traffic and evicting squatters, has improved the situation greatly.

On many parts of the trail you may encounter wildlife that may pose a danger to life and health. Be watchful for unrestrained or feral dogs, bears, snakes, and alligators. As always in any natural area, use caution and be aware of your surroundings.