Every year our Summer Guide gets the lion’s share of our outdoorsy picks and recommendations, but the truth is, spring is the best season to get outside. If you’re ready to take a walk through our gorgeous nature preserves without being eaten by insects and slathered in sweat, here’s a list of our favorite hikes.
Geneva Wilderness
A short hike from the entrance to a secluded pond makes this a kid-friendly walk in the woods. Bonus points for the full latrines along the way. Overnight camping is for groups only, but there’s a nature center and a chapel (!?) on the property. Horses, bikes and hikers share the same trails, so watch your step. According to a source from the Florida Trail Association, a side trail opposite the Ed Yarborough Nature Center boasts terrestrial orchids in November. (3501 N. County Road 426, Geneva, seminolecountyfl.gov)
Hal Scott Regional Preserve and Park
Out in east Orange County, near the intersection of State Road 528 and Dallas Boulevard on a chunk of land owned by the St. Johns River Water Management District, is this 8,400-acre wetland that’s seldom completely wet. What you’ll find instead of a swamp, usually, are four- and six-mile trails through pine flatwoods and oak-shaded campsites near the Econlockhatchee River that make for an easy overnight campout. The west side of the park is accessible only when the river is low. (Entrance is on Dallas Boulevard, two miles north of State Road 528, St. Johns River Water Management District, floridadep.gov)
Lake Proctor Wilderness Area
Six miles total of wandering trails through flatwoods, sand hills and oak hammocks, plus a scenic lookout over the still waters of Lake Proctor, make this 475-acre preserve a quiet and often overlooked destination. That’s why we like it. (920 W. State Road 46, Geneva, seminolecountyfl.gov)
Little Big Econ State Forest
In case you’re out of touch with native nature, there’s a 1,400-mile trail in Florida that begins down south in Big Cypress National Preserve in the Everglades and runs, unbroken, all the way to the Panhandle. We’ve hiked a few miles of the south end, and the prospect of 1,390 more like that is daunting, to say the least. Maybe it’s better to start with a taste of the Florida Trail, and for that, this 5,048-acre forest is perfect. The trail (look for the orange blazes) runs alongside the Econlockhatchee River. (County Road 426, 3.3 miles east of Oviedo, fdacs.gov)
Lyonia Preserve
Right behind the Deltona Regional Library is a 400-acre tract that serves a glimpse of what much of this part of Florida used to look like, prior to being converted to strip malls and suburbs. The scrub ecosystem (also found in the Ocala National Forest) supports a surprising variety of plants and animals, including the endangered Florida scrub jay. The preserve is open during daylight hours. Pick up a trail guide at the library. (2150 Eustace Ave., Deltona, volusia.org)
Ocala National Forest
At 383,573 acres, this is a place big enough to get lost in and then some. The opportunities are endless: hiking the Florida Trail, camping, primitive camping, swimming in the springs, paddling, horseback riding, ATV and motorcycle trails, etc. There’s rumored to be a camp where a bunch of World War II vets are holed up; searching for the vets you’ll no doubt come across a lot of homeless people who live in the forest full time, though the feds are trying to crack down on that. Watch the trees for wild monkeys, the water for alligators, the ground for snakes and the woods for hairless black bears. (Located 60 miles northwest of Orlando, north of Eustis; maps available at Pittman Visitor Center, 45621 State Road 19, Altoona, fs.usda.gov)