Florida · National Scenic Trail

Florida National Scenic Trail

1,500 mi long · in Florida · centroid 74 mi from Tampa

The Florida National Scenic Trail runs approximately 1,500 miles through the state of Florida, from Big Cypress National Preserve in the south to the Gulf Islands National Seashore in the panhandle. Designated in 1983, it traverses cypress swamps, longleaf pine flatwoods, and coastal ecosystems unique among the National Scenic Trails. Best hiked in winter to avoid heat and biting insects.

Florida National Scenic Trail
Photo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
States
Florida
Length
1,500 mi
Trail type
National Scenic Trail
Network
National (nwn)
Centroid nearest city
Tampa, FL · 74 mi · ~2.1 hr drive
Centroid coords
29.0223°, -82.5095°
Official site
floridatrail.org
OSM relations
7 sub-relations on OpenStreetMap
From Wikipedia: The Florida Trail is one of eleven National Scenic Trails in the United States, created by the National Trails System Act of 1968. It runs 1,500 miles (2,400 km), from Big Cypress National Preserve to Fort Pickens at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach. Also known as the Florida National Scenic Trail, the trail provides permanent non-motorized recreation for hiking and other compatible activities within an hour's drive of most Floridians. Excerpt from the Wikipedia article on Florida Trail, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Termini

Start & end

Southern terminus: Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida.

Northern terminus: Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida.

Plan your hike

Practical notes

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 and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.

Stay nearby

Affiliate · disclosed
Driving in? The nearest documented metro is Tampa, FL — 74 miles away (~2.1 hr drive). See accommodation in Tampa on Booking.com → RoamFound earns a small commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we handle affiliate links.

Sources

Public data + curation

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.