50 Hikes in Central Florida Diversity is the name of the game in Central Florida, a transition zone with some of the state’s longest stretches of trail and awesome rugged hikes in the Central Highlands. With its massive population centers, the region is also home to many short nature trails that enable urban dwellers to explore natural Florida in their own backyard. You can climb to the top of a 50 foot sandhill and survey the scrub as scrub-jays play in Lyonia Preserve, wade through coastal pine flatwoods on Merritt Island, walk the vast open prairies at Hal Scott Preserve, and clamber over the rocky rim of a giant sinkhole as you backpack the 43 mile circuit at the Citrus Tract of Withlacoochee State Forest. Explore these 50 sites for your hiking pleasure, from a 1-mile loop around a sinkhole to a 4-day backpacking trip. 50 Hikes in Central Florida ISBN 0-88150-523-4 Backcountry Guides First edition, 2002, $16.95 Softcover. 312 pages. CONTENTS I. Central Highlands 1 Johnson Pond Trail 2 Potts Preserve 3 Citrus Trail 4 Fort Cooper State Park 5 Panasoffkee Outlet 6 Flat Island Preserve 7 Perry Oldenburg Mitigation Park 8 Withlacoochee River Park Trail 9 Gator Creek Preserve 10 Tenoroc Fish Mgmt Area 11 Lake Kissimmee State Park 12 Tiger Creek Preserve II. Ocala National Forest 13 Silver River State Park 14 Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area 15 Emeralda Marsh 16 Hidden Waters Preserve 17 St. Francis Hiking Trail 18 Wild Persimmon Trail 19 Hontoon Island State Park 20 Blue Spring State Park 21 Rock Springs Run State Preserve III. Orlando Metro 22 Lyonia Preserve 23 Sabal Point Sanctuary 24 Geneva Wilderness Area 25 Split Oak Forest Mitigation Park 26 Hal Scott Regional Preserve 27 Tibet-Butler Preserve 28 Reedy Creek Swamp 29 Disney Wilderness Preserve IV. Suncoast 30 Weekiwachee Preserve 31 Starkey Wilderness Park 32 Hillsborough River State Park 33 Lettuce Lake Park 34 John Chesnut Sr. County Park 35 Honeymoon Island State Park 36 Caladesi Island State Park 37 Sawgrass Lake Park 38 Boyd Hill Nature Park 39 Fort De Soto Park 40 Little Manatee State Recreation Area V. Atlantic Coast 41 Buncombe Hill Interpretive Trail 42 Smyrna Dunes Park 43 Puzzle Lake 44 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 45 Enchanted Forest 46 Pine Island Conservation Area 47 Turkey Creek Sanctuary 48 Malabar Scrub Sanctuary 49 Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area 50 Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area   < Prev   Next >