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Central Florida Hiking Trails

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As the cold weather finally arrives, it’s the ideal time to get outdoors and hit some of the hiking trails throughout Central Florida. Note: This is by no means an exhaustive list of Central Florida hiking trails, but just a representative sample of trails that I either have hiked recently (highlighted in red) or plan to hike in the near future. For more information about Florida hiking trails, visit the definitive online Florida hiking guide at Florida Hikes!

Bear Creek Nature Trail (Winter Springs)
0.9 miles 0.3 miles

Big Tree Park (Longwood)
0.3 miles

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake (Orlando)
2.4 miles

Black Bear Wilderness Area (Sanford)
Black Bear Wilderness Loop Trail – 7.1 miles

Black Hammock Wilderness Area (Oviedo)
4.5 miles

Blue Spring State Park (Orange City)
Boardwalk – 1.3 miles
Pine Island Trail – 7.3 miles

Bluffton Nature Trail (Lake George State Forest)
1.2 miles

Circle B Bar Reserve (Lakeland)
3.5 miles

Crooked River Preserve (Clermont)
1.7 miles

De Leon Springs State Park (De Leon Springs)
Wild Persimmon Trail (4.5 miles)

Disney Wilderness Preserve (Poinciana)
White Trail – 0.5 miles
Red Trail – 2.5 miles
Yellow Trail – 3.6 miles

Econ River Wilderness Area (Oviedo)
3.2 miles

Econlockhatchee Sandhills Conservation Area (Orlando)
3.2 miles

Ferndale Preserve (Ferndale)
2.1 miles

Flat Island Preserve (Leesburg)
3.7 miles

Gemini Springs Park (DeBary)
2.2 miles

Geneva Wilderness Area (Geneva)
1.8 miles

Green Springs Park (Deltona)
1.2 miles

Hal Scott Preserve (Orlando)
White Trail Loop – 4.3 miles
Red Trail Loop – 6.1 miles
Yellow Trail Loop  – 6.3 miles

Hickory Bluff Preserve (Osteen)
1.5 miles

Hickory Point Recreational Park (Tavares)
1 mile

Hidden Waters Preserve (Eustis)
Lake Alfred Trail – 0.6 miles
Hammock Trail – 0.2 miles
Ravine Trail – 0.4 miles
Gopher Tortoise Trail – 0.2 miles
Prickly Pear Trail – 0.3 miles
Longleaf Pine Trail – 1.5 miles

Hontoon Island State Park (DeLand)
Indian Mound Nature Trail (3.3 miles)

Isle of Pine Preserve (Orlando)
1.8 miles

Kelly Park (Apopka)
Kelly Park Loop Trail – 2.4 miles

Lake Griffin State Park (Fruitland Park)
2 miles

Lake Harney Wilderness Area (Geneva)
2.4 miles

Lake Jesup Wilderness Area (Sanford)
2.7 miles

Lake Lotus Park (Altamonte Springs)
1.7 miles

Lake Louisa State Park (Clermont)
4.1 miles

Lake May Reserve (Eustis)
2.4 miles

Lake Mills Park (Chuluota)
0.8 miles

Lake Monroe Conservation Area (Osteen)
White Trail Loop – 1.4 miles
Yellow Trail Loop – 5.6 miles
Red Trail Loop – 1.9 miles

Lake Proctor Wilderness Area (Geneva)
4 miles

Little Big Econ State Forest (Geneva)
Kolokee Loop – 4.7 miles

Lyonia Preserve (Deltona)
2.1 miles

Oakland Nature Preserve (Oakland)
2.1 miles

Orlando Wetlands Park (Christmas)
5 miles

Palm Island Park (Mount Dora)
1 mile

Pine Lily Preserve (Orlando)
4.3 miles

Ponce Preserve (Ponce Inlet)
1.6 miles

Rock Springs Run State Reserve (Sorrento)
17 miles of trails

Sara Maude Mason Nature Preserve (Howey-in-the-Hills)
0.6 miles

Savage Christmas Creek Preserve (Christmas)
4.8 miles

Shingle Creek Regional Park (Kissimmee)
Steffee Homestead – 1.3 miles
Historic Babb Landing – 1.8 miles

Smyrna Dunes Park (New Smyrna Beach)
2.4 miles

Split Oak Forest (Orlando)
6.4 miles

Spring Hammock Preserve (Sanford)
3 miles

Tibet-Butler Preserve (Orlando)
Fallen Log Crossing – 0.54 miles
Osprey Overlook – 0.13 miles
Pine Circle – 0.86 miles
Screech Owl Trail – 0.11 miles
Tarflower Loop Trail – 0.49 miles

Trimble Park (Mount Dora)
1.3 miles

Trout Lake Nature Center (Eustis)
1.4 miles

Twin Oaks Conservation Area (Kissimmee)
1.9 miles

Wekiwa Springs State Park (Apopka)
10.2 miles

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)

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Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau: “In 1995, visionary writer/director Richard Stanley (HARDWARE, DUST DEVIL) got the green light for his dream project: An epic adaptation of H.G. Wells’ ‘The Island Of Doctor Moreau’ starring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer. But only days into production, an unprecedented storm of natural disasters, monstrous egos and disturbing imagery – along with chaos, insanity and witchcraft – would trigger perhaps the most infamous behind-the-scenes catastrophe in modern movie history.”

Bert’s Bar & Grill

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If you are passing through the small community of Matlacha, you MUST stop at Bert’s Bar & Grill and sample the delicious food or at least grab an ice-cold beer while you enjoy the scenic waterfront view. According to the official website, “Bert’s Bar is composed of two buildings. The original building was the bar near the road. It was built in the 30’s as a ‘sweet shop.’ Then in 1941 the hotel building was built. It consisted of eight sleeping rooms. During WWII, army bases were set up at Page Field and many of the soldiers would come out for a weekend to Matlacha to go fishing off the ‘fishingest bridge in Florida’ at Matlacha Pass. They became regular customers of the hotel and bar. The hotel had the reputation of ‘ill repute’ and ladies of the night. Imagine that!” The menu at Bert’s features something for everyone! We tried the Fish Dip, Peel & Eat Shrimp, Hamburger, Shrimp Caesar Salad and Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad. It was simply amazing! Bert’s also features live entertainment nightly. Check it out!

Matlacha

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On the way to Jug Creek Marina in Bokeelia the other day we stopped by the funky little fishing community of Matlacha (population: 735) and walked around. It’s a cool spot to stretch you legs and stroll through the colorful art galleries and gift shops, as well as grab a bite to eat at one of the handful of seafood restaurants. Believe it or not, Matlacha is pronounced Mat-La-Shay!

 

Cayo Costa State Park

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We spent an adventurous weekend exploring one of the most remote state parks in Florida: Cayo Costa State Park, which is located four nautical miles west of Pine Island. In fact, the only way to reach Cayo Costa Island is via Tropic Star ferry or private boat. We had a pleasant ride aboard the Tropic Star and enjoyed talking with Captain Bruce. It took about 55 minutes to reach the island, where we checked in and purchased some firewood and bags of ice. Then a tram (which runs on the top of the hour between 9 AM and 4 PM) took us about a mile across the island to the campground. We camped at campsite #6, which was spacious and a short distance away from the beach access and restrooms. Note that there is no electricity on the island, but potable water and cold showers can be found at the restrooms. So logistically speaking, you must plan out your meals and bring plenty of supplies, since the gift shop on the other side of the island only stocks snacks, sodas and water bottles (along with Klondike bars!). After pitching our tent, we strolled to the amazing, practically deserted white-sand beach and caught a beautiful sunset. At night, we sat around the campfire and then headed along the Cemetery Trail with just our flashlights to guide us to the Pioneer Cemetery. Real creepy and very cool! There are just a handful of graves here and one of the most notable is that of Captain Peter Nelson, who died on September 7, 1919, at the age of 80 years and whose inscription reads, “After life’s fitful fever/he sleeps well.” The next morning we woke up before sunrise and strolled down the deserted beach for a little shell collecting (we also came across the gulf calico crab pictured above). Then I explored some of the miles of hiking trails in the center of the island. Oh yeah, as we set about cleaning up our campsite, we noticed a four-foot snake with a black head slithering out from underneath our tent! The park ranger later told us we had witnessed a rather harmless eastern coachwhip snake. Good times! Bottom line: Cayo Costa State Park is a great campground, one of the best we’ve experienced during our Florida travels, but make sure you are totally prepared for this rustic adventure!

 

Hike #25: Cayo Costa State Park

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Hike #25, 52 Hike Challenge: Cayo Costa State Park. One of the great things about camping on remote Cayo Costa State Park (you need to take a ferry from Pine Island to get to Cayo Costa Island) is the incredible diversity of hiking trails on the island. Due to time constraints, I only had the opportunity to take a beach walk and sample about half of the trails (Cemetery Trail, Scrub Trail, Quarantine Trail and Pine Wood Trail), but I was truly impressed! Distance: 3.5 miles.

Hike #24: Shingle Creek Regional Park

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Hike #24, 52 Hike Challenge: Shingle Creek Regional Park, Kissimmee. Although Shingle Creek Regional Creek Park lies just off bustling U.S. 192, it seems worlds away once you take to the hiking trails! Fortunately the weather cleared up and I was able to knock out both the Babb Landing and Steffee Landing sections of the park. In addition, I caught a glimpse of a white-tailed deer on the Babb Landing side and a rare white squirrel on the Steffee Landing side (see if you can spot it in one of the photos above!). According to the Florida State University Coastal Marine Laboratory website, “The white squirrel is actually a genetic anomaly due to a mutated gene from the common Eastern Gray Squirrel. It is called leucism, which is a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals caused by a recessive allele. Unlike albinism, it is a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin. White squirrels lack red eyes and also tend to have a gray patch on their heads and what is referred to as a ‘dorsal stripe’ down their backs.” Shingle Creek Regional Park is home to The Paddling Center at Shingle Creek. Wildlife Sightings: White-Tailed Deer, White Squirrel. Distance: 3.1 miles.

 

 

 

 

Gator Joe’s Beach Bar & Grill

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I’ve always wanted to go to Gator Joe’s Beach Bar & Grill and finally got the opportunity Saturday after we dropped by nearby Lake Griffin State Park. Billed as “a family friendly restaurant with a laid-back atmosphere & island cuisine,” this lakefront eatery, which was established in 1926, lived up to all our expectations! According to Gator Joe’s official website, the legendary eatery “got its name from a famous alligator who lived in Lake Weir from approximately 1930-1952. In 1934, while trying to find the Ma Barker Gang, the FBI intercepted a letter mentioning an ‘Old Joe’ near the Barker hideout. Lake Weir was pinpointed as it was found to have a big gator known as ‘Old Joe.’ On January 16, 1935, the FBI found the Barker gang in a historic home 1/8 mile from Gator Joe’s and in a 4-hour gun battle, Ma and one of her sons were killed. ‘Joe’ on the other hand lived until 1952.” Diners can even view Gator Joe’s encased foot near the entrance to the restaurant, which is located at 12431 S.E. 135 Avenue in Ocklawaha. Believe me, it’s worth the trip!