The Florida Trail Guide

Using this comprehensive hiker's guide to travel services along Florida's National Scenic Trail, you can plan a weekend, a week, or an entire walk across Florida using the logistical details for hikers and backpackers presented in this book. Covering more than 1,400 miles of hiking on the Florida Trail and connected footpaths, The Florida Trail Guide offers you hundreds of starting points for a walk in the woods, Florida-style. Spanning from the edge of the Everglades to Gulf Islands National Seashore in Pensacola Beach, the Florida Trail is one of America's great National Scenic Trails. With statewide volunteer efforts coordinated by the Florida Trail Association since 1966, the route of the trail leads you through the most diverse landscapes you'll find along a trail in a single state. From tropical forests in South Florida to the deep ravines and Appalachian-like bluffs of Northwest Florida, hikers enjoy an extraordinary amount of scenery on a trail that is best enjoyed from October through April. The trail passes by and through many small towns and several cities and is within an hour's drive of most of Florida's major cities. Included in this guide are a full map of the trail, 36 regional overview maps, 63 town maps with service details for towns located along or close to the trail, GPS coordinates for several hundred trailheads and trail access points, at-a-glance services icons, section and thru-trail mileage, mileage charts with point-to-point details based on trail landmarks, calculated mileages between designated campsites, post office locations and hours, hotels and campgrounds near the trail, contact information for thousands of services, permit requirements, important precautions, and basics you should know about hiking in Florida. Links are included to let you expand on the details in this book with online resources.