Your Florida Trail
Connecting Florida's Public Lands
What is the Florida Trail?
The Florida Trail extends from the Panhandle to the Everglades, connecting the state’s unique natural, cultural, and historic resources and offering year-round recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. View a brochure of the Florida Trail here.
The Florida Trail was officially recognized as a National Scenic Trail in 1983, joining a select group of congressionally designated long-distance trails. Today you can follow the orange blazes of the Florida Trail (FT) for more than 1,500 miles, crossing more than 100 land management units within the state. Over its length, the FT showcases the incredible biodiversity, history, and rich culture of Florida. The northern terminus of the trail is in Gulf Islands National Seashore near Pensacola, FL and the southern terminus is located in Big Cypress National Preserve in the Everglades.
Explore The Florida Trail video
Approximately 370,000 people set foot on the Florida Trail every year.
Conveniently, most Floridians reside within a one-hour drive from the FT.
The FT provides a unique opportunity for visitors to experience Florida’s environment by connecting Florida’s public lands. The FT spans across a variety of public lands, including 3 National Forests, 9 wildlife management areas, 8 State Forests, 8 State Parks, 5 water management areas, 1 National Wildlife Refuge, 2 National Park Service Properties and an Air Force Base. The FT also has permission to cross a number of private properties.
From the oak hammocks of the south, to the Central Florida Scrub, and on into the rolling, forested hills of the north, the Florida Trail touches everything that makes Florida unique.
Check out our ArcGIS web app to plan your own Florida Trail adventure.
With our ArcGIS web app you can find the FT in your favorite swath of public land and see which sections are foot traffic only and which allow biking and equestrian riders.
Gateway Communities
One way to enjoy the Florida Trail is through one of our 11 Gateway Communities.
These communities sit just off the trail and serve as culturally unique stops to explore after a day hike or to take a break in during a thru-hike.
Make sure to grab your passport stamp while you’re hiking through!
To learn more about our Gateway Communities and participating business click here .
Junior Explorers
For the little ones, look out for Speedy on the trail! To collect points for fun adventures on the Florida Trail, pick up a copy of our official Junior Explorer Guide, "My Florida Trail Adventure."
The Florida Trail truly has an experience for everyone.
Being within an hour's drive of most Floridians, we hope you can make it out, to see what it's all about!
The FT team is working hard to provide exceptional outdoor recreation to anyone who wants to come out and enjoy what wild Florida has to offer.
We have a lot left to do! We are constantly trying to close gaps in the continuous trail and working with our dedicated partners to make the Florida Trail everything it can be.
With so much work to do, we rely on our trail community to come together and share our successes.
If you are interested in getting involved 'behind the scenes,' we would be happy to have you. We have a need for all skills, from trail maintainers to artists, from communications professionals to private landowners. Anyone can contribute to makes the Florida Trail the best it can be.
You never know what we might get into!
Or who you could meet...
Thank you to everyone who helps make the Florida Trail what it is and what it will grow into.
It's no secret, we get by with a little help from our friends!
The Florida Trail prospers from the ongoing support of our dedicated partners and volunteers across the state.
The Florida Trail Association builds, maintains, protects, and promotes the unique Florida National Scenic Trail (Florida Trail), along with a network of hiking trails throughout the state of Florida. Together with our partners, the Association provides opportunities for the public to contribute to meaningful volunteer work, engage in outdoor recreation, and participate in environmental education.
The FNST Coalition
is comprised of a diverse, representative sample of Trail partners dedicated to the development, maintenance, and promotion of the FNST. The variety of organizations helps to ensure that a wide spectrum of land owners’ needs and recreationists' interests are considered in management decisions affecting the Florida National Scenic Trail.
