When I rediscovered backpacking last winter, I made my first one-night trip on an unfamiliar trail to Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, on the 5.5-mile Kissimmee Prairie Loop that is a favorite trail for Florida families. I described Kissimmee Prairie Preserve in my book with reverence and awe, as I still do today. A huge … Continue reading Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park: Home of Big Sky and an Ocean of Stars
Tag: Florida Trail
Pretty scrub and ponds abound in the Juniper Prairie Wilderness
After a month of being prevented from backpacking by flooded trails, a pesky cold, and the national championship run of a certain basketball team, I will finally be able to return to the Ocala National Forest this weekend, possibly for my last one-nighter of the season as the heat of summer approaches. It will be … Continue reading Pretty scrub and ponds abound in the Juniper Prairie Wilderness
Check out my latest love letter to the Green Swamp on FloridaHikes.com
I was honored (again) to have Sandra Friend, the author of The Florida Trail Guide and many other great books on backpacking, post another essay of mine on the FloridaHikes.com. The piece, titled "A Forest is Reborn in the Green Swamp," recounts my experiences hiking and backpacking in the Green Swamp East Tract this spring … Continue reading Check out my latest love letter to the Green Swamp on FloridaHikes.com
The Bull Creek Loop is a Gem on the Florida Trail’s Eastern Corridor
The approaching end of Florida’s winter-spring backpacking season perhaps calls for reflection on where I’ve been this season. Having focused this season more on the eastern portions of the Florida Trail closer to Orlando (as well as the Ocala National Forest), my favorite trip of the year so far may have been the one-nighter I … Continue reading The Bull Creek Loop is a Gem on the Florida Trail’s Eastern Corridor
Chuluota Wilderness Area and the Bronson State Forest: Flatlands, Wetlands, and Much More
In my quest to get acquainted with more sections of the eastern corridor of the Florida Trail, I celebrated this past New Year’s Day backpacking on the Florida Trail in the Chuluota Wilderness Area and the Bronson State Forest. A week earlier (yes, on Christmas Eve), I had done the same in the busy Little … Continue reading Chuluota Wilderness Area and the Bronson State Forest: Flatlands, Wetlands, and Much More
Hills in Florida? The Croom Tract in the Withlacoochee State Forest Has Them
About 1½ hours east of Orlando near Brooksville, a playground for outdoor enthusiasts beckons for hikers that offers that rarest of commodities in our state: Hills. Anyone who has driven on I-75 north of Tampa has passed through them. By Florida standards, they are a bit rugged. They are also a great place to backpack … Continue reading Hills in Florida? The Croom Tract in the Withlacoochee State Forest Has Them
Thank you to Sandra Friend for Posting My Piece on FloridaHikes.com!
I was honored today to have Sandra Friend, the author of The Florida Trail Guide and many other great books on backpacking, post my first article on the FloridaHikes.com website and feature me as an author there. The piece, titled "It's Raining in the Ocala National Forest," is a humorous account of my first backpacking … Continue reading Thank you to Sandra Friend for Posting My Piece on FloridaHikes.com!
Florida Hikes is THE website for anyone hiking and backpacking in Florida
Anyone who has planned a vacation knows it can be difficult to mull through a world of online information to figure out the best places to go, stay, and see. For backpackers, there is just one definitive website for planning hikes and camping trips in Florida, and it is FloridaHikes.com. If you’re a novice backpacker looking … Continue reading Florida Hikes is THE website for anyone hiking and backpacking in Florida
The Little Big Econ State Forest: A Great Way to Taste the Florida Trail
The following article was first published in the January 2025 issue of The Footpath Newsletter, the newsletter for the Central Florida chapter of the Florida Trail Association. Having recently written a book about several one-night backpacking trips I did last year while discovering backpacking in Central Florida, I had not yet actually done a trip … Continue reading The Little Big Econ State Forest: A Great Way to Taste the Florida Trail
My First Hike in Ocala National Forest was Amazing (Riverside Island)
Last Saturday I made my first long-overdue trip to the Ocala National Forest, the birthplace of the Florida National Scenic Trail. Although my original intent was to do a one-night backpacking trip, I changed my mind when I looked at the weather forecast which promised post-sunset temperatures in the high 40s dropping to the 30s … Continue reading My First Hike in Ocala National Forest was Amazing (Riverside Island)
