Nestled behind the W.T. Bland Public Library in Mount Dora, the new Forest Preserve is a beautiful 14-acre tract of long leaf pine forest in the heart of a residential area. It features a 400-foot boardwalk and 1-mile hiking trail (with actual elevation changes!). We saw a barred owl and marsh rabbit during our first hike. Well done, City of Mount Dora! Highly recommended!
Take a short stroll through scenic Ponce Preserve in Ponce Inlet to view this majestic 350-year-old live oak tree, which sits at the foot of the Green Mound State Archaeological Site, an ancient Native American midden. Don’t miss it!
One of the best places to see gopher tortoises in their natural habitat is Hidden Waters Preserve in Eustis.
Our first hike of the year was actually just a stroll along the boardwalk at Oakland Nature Preserve. However, over the next few months I intend to revisit my favorite Central Florida hiking trails. Stay tuned!
Our Sunday late afternoon ritual is to head out to Oakland Nature Preserve and take a stroll along the scenic boardwalk to Lake Apopka (about 1.5 miles roundtrip). It’s a great way to get some fresh air and relieve stress before another daunting workweek!
One of our favorite walks involves taking the scenic boardwalk at Oakland Nature Preserve to Lake Apopka. Up and back is just about 1 5 miles with some great views along the way. Enjoy your hike!
Over the next few months I will be doing a “greatest hits” tour of my favorite Central Florida hikes. I started with Econ River Wilderness Area in Oviedo a couple of weeks ago. Last weekend I hiked Spring Hammock Preserve in Longwood. Both are very scenic and not too strenuous.
Tucked behind a mobile home park in Leesburg, Sabal Bluff Preserve is hard to find, but well worth the effort. The Bourlay Trail takes you to the Lake Griffin Trail for some spectacular views. The entire trail system is just about 2 miles total, so you can knock it out in an hour or so. Keep an eye out for gopher tortoises (unfortunately, we didn’t see any this time out).
I always enjoy an early morning hike at Tucker Ranch. If you get there right when it opens, you’ll typically have the place all to yourself. It’s quite scenic and I always take photos of the iconic red barn. Cool place!
Green Springs vs. Gemini Springs? Each is amazing in its own way. Best of all, they’re about five minutes away from each other! So, you can easily hike around both like I did on an early Saturday morning. What are you waiting for?
Wandering Florida 