Florida provides a very different hiking experience than everywhere else in the United States, and you need to be prepared for it.

You won’t have to worry about elevation gain, but you will have to tangle with humidity, winter weather extremes, tough-on-feet surfaces, and seasonal wading. Here are some key points to get you started with your hike planning.

Do Your Research

Hiking Season

If you’ve never hiked in Florida before, read our explanation on how hiking in Florida is very different than in other places around the country.

Our hiking season, for instance, is October to April, and the best backpacking is January through March.

Terrain

Don’t assume because Florida is relatively flat that you will have an easy hike. The Florida Trail is a toughie!

Florida is a very wet state with a lot of sand. Many parts of the trail are in floodplains, and a few sections require a good bit of wading. We have alligators, black bears, and panthers to be alert for, as well as thieving raccoons.

Trail Community

If you plan to thru-hike the Florida Trail, keep in mind this is not a social trail like the Appalachian Trail. Less than 400 people have completed the entire trail.

Unless you pair up with a hiking partner, much of your hike will be spent in solitude. That’s a plus for many hikers who come here, but not a great idea if you’re thinking that the Florida Trail should be your first long distance hike.

The Florida Trail Hikers Alliance has helped nurture the trail community for years, but there are still many Floridians who have no clue that the Florida Trail is in their backyard, including law enforcement.

Unlike the AT, hitchhiking is nearly impossible. Residents are uncomfortable with shaggy-haired bearded guys with a backpack because they might be a homeless person. Women have an easier time being accepted, as do couples.

Fortunately, many service providers along the way know about the trail and about long distance hikers, and the hikers before you have set the tone for how well you’ll be treated, generally very well.

One thing to share with any resident who asks about what you’re doing: our former governor Lawton Chiles once hiked from one end of Florida to the other!

Compare Experiences

Learn who came before you. Take a look at the roster of hikers who’ve completed the Florida Trail since its inception and see if you know anyone. A list of hiker stats includes the “firsts” and “bests,” including attempts at the Fastest Known Time and its current record holder.

Research other hikers’ experiences. Dig through hiker accounts on TrailJournals.com to have an idea of what to expect.

Listen to hikers! Follow along with Orange Blaze: A Florida Trail podcast, hosted by Class of 2011 FT thru-hiker Misti “Ridley” Little.

Take a look at videos from section and thru-hikers tackling the Florida Trail. You’ll find many on YouTube. This is a video slide show of Sandra’s end-to-end hike on the FT.

Support the Trail

Become a member of the Florida Trail Association (FTA) before you start hiking the Florida Trail. FTA provides the volunteer effort that keeps this statewide trail open. They also produce detailed maps of the trail and a data book.

You must be an FTA member to hike through a handful of private lands that the trail crosses, and you should be a member to support the ongoing trail building maintenance efforts of FTA volunteers. Get your membership here.

Pick the Right Gear

Florida is a state with outrageous humidity and lots of sand and water. Tents and clothing don’t dry quickly. Waterproof boots are pointless except for day hiking, since you’ll wade through water deeper than your boots.

Choose light and quick drying items. We’ve spent years trying out gear in these tough conditions. Here is the full list of our trail-tested, personal recommendations for gear in Florida, both for day hiking and backpacking.

Figure Out Logistics

Logistics are crucial on the Florida Trail for backpackers, section hikers, and thru-hikers. Unlike the Appalachian Trail, there is a maze of permits, hunting seasons, and connecting roadwalks you must navigate.

Guide and Maps

You can’t just follow the blazes. There are some sections with no surface water, and other sections with too much water.

The Florida Trail Guide provides detailed logistics for planning those long hikes. Or use the an interactive version of our guide by FarOut Guides, an app with built-in offline mapping.

You will also want a set of detailed water-resistant paper maps from the Florida Trail Association. They don’t require batteries!

Hiking with Dogs

Bringing a dog? Keep in mind for your dog’s safety and yours that alligators and dogs don’t mix. Although hikers have done it in the past, it’s no longer possible to thru-hike with a dog due to land manager restrictions. Dogs are not permitted on the Florida Trail on the following public lands:

Big Cypress National Preserve
Gulf Islands National Seashore (no dogs on beaches)
Green Swamp West
Perry Oldenberg WMA
Chinsegut WEA

However, there are certainly places you can day hike or backpack with your dog on the Florida Trail. The best destinations for taking a dog are largely high and dry: the Ocala, Suwannee, Eglin and Blackwater sections.

Plan Your Permits

Along some portions of the Florida Trail, free camping permits are required and can be obtained online. In other places, you need to arrange and pay for camping in advance. Three of the most critical permits you’ll need include:

1) If you plan to cross Big Cypress Seminole Reservation during your hike, you must fill out and return this Hold Harmless form to the Seminole Tribe of Florida before you hike there. Be sure to keep a copy of it with you while on foot on the reservation.

2) If you are backpacking across St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, obtain and pay for a camping permit before entering the refuge. Only hikers who are crossing the entire refuge may utilize their campsites. Learn more here.

3) If you are hiking at Eglin Air Force Base – even DAY hiking – it is necessary to obtain an Eglin Recreational Permit before you set foot on the trail. Learn more here and obtain passes here.

If you dig into our section-by-section details, you’ll find additional details about these permits. Our guidebook and app contain specific information and links to obtain camping permits for each campsite that requires one.

Trail Conditions

Closures

Before you set foot on the Florida Trail, you need to know what’s open. The Florida Trail Association maintains an ongoing list of Notices to Hikers keyed to their maps that gives you a heads-up on trail closures and major relocations.

Hiking at Eglin Air Force Base? Check their Public Access Map to ensure that you are allowed to hike the Florida Trail when you plan to. The Air Force provides a three-day forecast of their base closures for training missions on this map.

Hunting

Prime hiking season is also hunting season in Florida. Hunting season dates change annually and differ on every piece of public land the Florida Trail crosses. Our section and hike details have links to check on hunting dates.

Always wear bright orange when hiking during hunting seasons. Fall general gun season (deer hunting) brings more hunters out along the trail than any other time of year.

The only full section of the Florida Trail where hunting is prohibited is Seashore. The longest backpack you can do without running into hunters during deer season is along the Cross Florida Greenway.

Flooding

Unlike the Appalachian Trail, we didn’t have a major landform to put the Florida Trail on top of across the state of Florida. Instead, it tends to be on public lands in river floodplains and public watersheds.

Flooding can happen along many creeks as well as major rivers such as the Kissimmee, St. Johns, Econlockhatchee, Suwannee, Aucilla, Chipola, and Choctawhatchee. When the footpath is obscured, you can’t tell where land ends and river begins.

Our section pages and hike writeups include links to water level gauges along major waterways. Our guidebooks and app explain what areas are most prone to flooding.

Register Your Hike

Let the Florida Trail Hikers Alliance (FTHA, aka FTThruHike) know that you’re planning a thru-hike or working on a section hike of the Florida Trail. This grassroots nonprofit organization is made up of hikers helping hikers throughout the state.

FTHA volunteers place water caches along the trail during hiking season, pop up as trail angels for hikers in need, and work with local communities to help them understand that the folks walking through are there to enjoy the outdoors and to learn more about Florida.

At any time, you can apply to join Florida Trail Hikers, a general Florida Trail discussion group on Facebook, but be sure to answer the questions to be approved.

By registering with FTHA, you’ll also be able to join the current “Class of” Facebook group to communicate with fellow hikers up and down the trail.

Florida Trail Sections

These are all of the sections of the Florida Trail, including two side trails (Ocean to Lake and Blackwater).

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