Florida National Scenic Trail Northern Terminus
in Florida
The Florida National Scenic Trail , or just Florida Trail, is a federally-designated trail intended to offer a continuous non-motorized recreation opportunity showcasing the biodiversity, history, and culture of Florida. Its northern terminus lies here on the white sands of Gulf Islands National Seashore. Follow it south for over 1,300 miles and you'll eventually find its southern terminus in the river of grass in Big Cypress National Preserve.
Across the United States there are only 11 National Scenic Trails. The Florida Trails offers an exclusive Florida experience including the only segment of a National Scenic Trail that follows an ocean beach right here at Gulf Islands National Seashore. The Authentic Florida Experience Florida is home to many unique environments, some of which are not seen anywhere else in the world.
This gives trail users prime access to some of the best nature and wildlife viewing opportunities in the country. By traveling the Florida Trail, one can experience a variety of ecosystems including longleaf pine forests, sand dune scattered beaches, and hardwood hammocks. Wildlife viewing along the Florida Trail is also spectacular, providing visitors with the opportunity to see black bears, alligators, panthers, gopher tortoises, and many species of endangered birds including wood storks, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and roseate spoon bills.
- States
- Florida
- Trail type
- National Seashore trail
- Centroid nearest city
- New Orleans, LA · 168 mi · ~5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 30.3286°, -87.2896°
About Gulf Islands National Seashore
This trail is inside Gulf Islands National Seashore, a national seashore managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/florida-national-scenic-trail-northern-terminus.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/guis/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Florida National Scenic Trail Northern Terminus and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Florida Trail Stop 2
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Florida Trail Stop 3
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Florida Trail Stop 4
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Florida Trail Stop 5
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Fort Pickens Campground: Loop D
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Fort Pickens Campground: Loop B
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.