Hiking is one of my hobbies, I love walking the trails and paths throughout the parks wherever I go. I have hiked trails in many states, and yet none of them ever prepared me for hiking in Florida.
Florida is a unique place that mixes the subtropics with forests, swamps and beaches. This makes hiking a unique experience when in Florida. You don’t have mountains to hike quite like in other states, but there are locations with ravines, small hills and complicated terrains.
Florida trails often cut through swamp lands, like the Everglades, or forests, like the many Springs in Central Florida. Hiking the trails here in Florida means not only taking in the beauty all around you, but also being on alert for things like venomous snakes, gators and other wildlife that could pose a threat to hikers.
The wildlife here consists of gators, snakes and even wild boars. Wild boar may look harmless but they can be dangerous, so being on alert is always important. Alligators are known to leave the water to sun bathe, and this is why it is important to always be mindful of your surroundings, especially in the woods. Snakes are another creature that hikers need to be very aware of. They typically blend in to their surroundings. Florida is home to 6 different venomous snake breeds. The coral snake, the water moccasin, the copperhead, the diamond back, the pygmy rattlesnake and the timber rattlesnake. These snakes are known to blend in incredibly well to their surroundings which means it is easy to walk up on them without noticing them. To learn about Florida’s venomous snakes and how to spot them visit this site here:
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/herpetology/fl-snakes/list
The plus side to hiking in Florida is seeing the wonderful terrains throughout the state. Florida is such a diverse state, with so many different types of ecosystems to visit, that you will not get bored visiting the countless parks, preserves, forests and beaches. As you travel through the state, you can see the scenery change right before your eyes. It is one of the most beautiful transitions you will see.
One of my favorite places to hike at is here is Flagler County. We have two state parks in our county, Gamble Rogers and Washington Oaks Gardens, along with a myriad of county, and city, parks and preserves. One of the most beautiful trails I like to walk is in Haw Creek State Park. This park has tons of trails, and wonderful views. For a harder trail hike, there is Graham Swamp Preserve trails and mountain bike trails. This is the hardest and most complex trail system in Flagler County and is one of the hardest trails in Florida. This is not for the beginners. Graham Swamp is a beautiful preserve right in the heart of Flagler County and it is breathtaking. If you are an avid hiker or mountain biker, this is a trail system you will want to check out.
There are tons of trails throughout Florida that I have hiked, and I plan to sit down and tell you about each and every one. But for now I just wanted to cover an intro into what hiking in Florida is like. It can be dangerous but it is oh so worth it. The trails are beautiful, the scenery is spectacular, and the wild life is gorgeous when viewed from a distance of course.
I almost forgot! You can’t hike in Florida without bug spray. If the wildlife doesn’t get you, our bugs sure will. Make sure you are prepared when hiking in Florida. I recommend a bug spray that will also repel ticks like this one: https://a.co/d/goQv2dh
We hope you enjoy our lovely home state of Florida, and we hope this helps prepare you for your time visiting our great state!
