George Cooley Trail

The Buster Island Loop hike is the longest hike in the park at 6.7 miles. It is completely flat and easy hike that goes through a varied landscape. The trail starts from the north side of the parking lot (only one parking area). Follow the blue connector trail a short way to a road. Here you will see a sign for the Buster Island trail to the left. Follow the road over a canal where the road the...

I'm not sure why this trail is called Gobbler Ridge. I do understand the Gobbler part as there are wild turkeys in the park. However, I don't think there is a ridge in all of Florida! Anyway, this is a nice trail about 2.8 miles long marked with green blazes. The trailhead is from the south end of the parking lot past a playground or you can access the trail via a connecting trail from the Nort...

Highlands Hammock State Park is one of the best places in all of Florida! There are multiple trails to choose from, but if you want to see ancient oak trees in a quintessential swamp then the Ancient Hammock Trail is your best bet. The boardwalk meanders through the swampy forest and you can be on the look out for herons, birds, frogs, and other wildlife.  The trail is short but can be combined...

Sweeping views of open sky and vast palmetto prairies greet  visitors as they drive along the park drive. Here is one of the last remaining tracts of dry palmetto prairie, an ecosystem unique to Florida. This landscape is home to many rare species of wildlife, including the most endangered bird in the continental United States, the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. During the day visitors can explor...

The Archbold Research station has plenty to see as they have a visitor center with exhibits, but the main attraction for me is the great nature trail that takes you through a very unique habitat called Florida Scrub. In this habitat you find a diverse amount of wildlife that is only found in these areas of Florida, and you will also find that the trail is white sand because it located in what i...

This trail is accessible to hikers, cyclists, equestrians and dogs. It takes you through open Florida landscape enlivened by wildflowers and also takes you past Dixie and Bear Lakes on the way to the much larger Lake Louisa. The trail is out-and-back, so you can go the whole way or choose do just do a portion if you're looking for a shorter adventure.