Florida Hikes and Other Outdoor Information

Orlando Wetlands Hiking

Please Note: Orlando Wetlands current closed dates are from November to February 1st - don't even go out there during that time period as they won't let you in! ===============================++++========================

The Orlando Wetlands is a unique area to visit. It is made up of multiple Eco-Systems, which make each visit new and interesting. The original area was purchased in 1986 by the City of Orlando to be used as the final processing of Orlando wastewater. Natural plants are used in deep marshes to perform the filtering. There are many websites that explain the actual process of how the wastewater is processed, so this posting will not delve into the topic. The total area is 1,650 acres with approximately 20 miles of scenic trails. Please, remember the Wetlands are closed during the winter months - check before going out there. The City entered into an agreement with the original landowners at the time of the purchase of the land. This agreement gave the family exclusive rights to use the property on those dates until the year 2038. This closer covers all trails, including the Florida Trail that passes through the park. During that time frame the Florida Trail is detoured down Wheeler Road, where it connects back to the main trail. I will just cover the hiking/walking aspect of the Wetlands. I have hiked the area many times, covering around 60 miles (according to my GPS records). The trails are made up of roads around the filtering ponds, as well as blazed trails through the wooded section. As you walk around the ponds you will see a variety of wildlife - the variety changes for each season of the year.

Parking and Main Entrance Area
The Wetlands provides plenty of parking. They have also setup a very informative section complete with pictures, right near the parking area. So whether you are a wildlife, or plant life enthusiast, the information is available to fill you with expectations of what you will encounter while out and about the area. You will also find a clean restroom area and a large covered picnic area. There are different events held in the field near the parking area during the year. As I noted above, the area is closed during a section of the winter. If the gate to the parking area is closed, don’t try and get in.

Map showing some of my hikes around the area (yellow lines - multiple hikes)

Filter Ponds and Berms Area
This area of the wetlands is located mainly to the left of the parking area. You can enter it from any of the roads you will see as you leave the parking area. It is here that you will see most of the wildlife. I have seen a lot of alligators, a large variety of wading birds and songbirds. The amount of birds and animals you will see depends on the time of the year of your visit. You can walk all around the berms, it seems for miles and miles. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the berms, so that is not a problem. I have run across horse riders, but that is it. You will also be exposed to a large variety of wildflowers that grow around the filtering ponds. The berms run all around the filtering ponds, you can walk around all the filtering ponds without getting lost.

Woods and Blazed Trails
There are some nice blazed trails that start in the woods to the right of the parking area. I enjoyed the variety of woods, streams, wildlife and wildflowers found along these trails. The first trail you encounter will be the "South Woods Branch Trail". This trail starts just a short ways from the parking area and winds through the woods until you reach a berm and one of the filtering ponds. They estimate that it is a 15-minute hike - it takes me longer because I like to "stop and smell the flowers". There is a nice primitive campsite located along this trail, keep an eye open for the sign. Walk awhile down the road and around the tip of the filtering pond until you come to the "North Woods Branch Trail" on your right side. This trail ends up at the Florida Trail. They estimate that it is a 35-minute hike. You will encounter the Florida Trail (orange blazes) after crossing a small stream, which actually is the filtered water on its way to the St Johns River. Follow the trail to the east and than back to the west where you will hit a road taking you back to the parking area. You will know you are leaving the Wetlands area because you will hit a fence with a hiker’s crossover. Once you cross the fence you are into the Seminole Ranch WMA. If you elect to explore, you can take the roads in the area all over. As I mentioned a fair portion of the area is the Seminole Ranch WMA, but as you get closer to the river it is SJRWMD property. Both these areas are open to the public year round. The one thing you want to be aware of when you explore those areas is that hunting is permitted, so be watchful. I have hiked all the trails in the Wetlands Area, as well as most of the roads in the areas to the north and east of the Wetlands. I can tell you that it is a great place to visit and explore.

GPS Locations Note: can use in Google Earth "Fly to" box - just "copy & paste the coords to Google Earth to zoom to the spot

Parking area - N28 34.180 W80 59.781
South Woods Trail Start - N28 34.213 W80 59.740
South Woods Trail End - N28 34.224 W80 59.385
North Woods Trail Start - N28 34.451 W80 59.034
North Woods Trail End/Florida Trail - N28 35.023 W80 59.173
FT Fence Crossover - N28 35.015 W80 58.800 Orange
Mound Campsite - N28 34.900 W80 59.028
Seminole Campsite - N28 34.251 W80 59.550

A couple of hikes that can be viewed/downloaded -
WIKILOC Orlando Wetlands to Florida Trail Hike
WIKILOC Orlando Wetlands / Berms and Trails

Some Pictures of the area (click to enlarge) -
Picnic area at parking area -

Filtered Pond View -

Small Gators Near Filtering Pond -

South Woods Trailhead -

Seminole Primitive Campsite -

South Woods Trail View -

North Woods Trailhead -

North Woods Trail View -

Small Bridge Along Trail -

Bridge Over Filtered Water to Florida Trail -

Filtered Water on Way to St Johns River -

Florida Trail View -

Florida Trail Crossover to Seminole Ranch -

Small Dam near St Johns River on Seminole Ranch -

Florida’s “Wild” Cattle

If you do any rural hiking around Florida you are sure to encounter some pretty impressive cattle out there in the wilds. Most of the time you do not actually see them, but rather the evidence they leave as their “pies” and the well-worn “trails” they use in their search for grass and water. Of course these beasts are not “wild”, merely left by the owners to forage for themselves. At one time Florida was the largest cattle state in the union, this is no longer true; but it is I’ve been told number ten. The cattle that wander around in the woods and grasslands are not raised for food, but for their offspring. The calves that are born in the wild are rounded up just after weaning and sold to ranches in cattle country to be raised for beef. Thus, the cows and bulls you encounter are seasoned veterans, most likely wandering the area you are in for years. During my exploring of different areas, I have encountered a variety of these beasts. Some were skittish and left the area as soon as they saw me. While others just stood there and tried to stare me down. I’ve had some actually give me the impression (false charges) that they were coming after me, but none of them actually did charge me. During a few encounters, I have used the procedure of taking my hat off and putting it on my hiking stick, waving it around above my head to make them think I am bigger than I actually am – works just sometimes. For those times it doesn’t work, it is usually a big steer that decides he is tougher than I am; I then have to find an alternate way around them to continue my hike. I have had a couple of confrontations where I had to walk within 10 feet of a big steer to get where I wanted to go, so far they have just glared at me, seemingly with hate in their eyes. I try never to get between a mother and her calf, but at times that has happened with no real problem. I have used many a cattle trail to save myself from bushwhacking and so far have never had to yield a trail to one of these beasts. I have to imagine they hear me coming and sneak off into the woods to avoid confrontation. All in all, I’m very happy they are there because the trails they make are very useful. I truly believe that they are more afraid of us than we need to be of them. In any encounter always border on the side of caution, but don’t let them upset a good hike.

Cattle/Game Trail

Mother and Calf I was Forced to Walk By

This Guy Popped Up As I walked By

Just a Casually Look

This Guy Really Gave Me A Look - Finally Had to Work Around Him

Major Cattle Trail Near St Johns River

One of The Cows Which Died in The Woods

These Boys Really Gave Me Some Bad Looks

If Looks Could Kill....

One Mean Looking Cow

Tosohatchee WMA Hiking

Tosohatchee WMA is one of the best places to hike and if you so desire, camp. The Florida Trail runs right through it. It has a number of other blazed trails you can hike. It also has a number of unblazed trails which you could spend days, if not weeks exploring. There are a number of man-made ponds within its boundaries. I have been fortunate enough to have been on a good deal of the blazed and unblazed trails. Tosohatchee has many sections to visit - each section has a numbered parking area nearby (get map during signin or look at the one below). I have parked and hiked from just about all of them. Each section has a personality all it’s own, I hope you get to visit as many as you can. Because Tosohatchee is such a diverse area, you will find some areas very wet at times and just not accessible. I wish I could tell you my favorite section, but it seems whichever one I’m in at that time is my favorite. I always enjoy making my way out to the St Johns River; the river forms the easterly border of Tosohatchee. This area again is like all the others, some days it is just wonderful, while at other times it can be just nice (mud, tall grass, etc). The ponds below RT528 (actually manmade ponds created during the making of RT528) are always pretty. If you work your way back to what I call "T-Shirt" pond, you will be in for a real treat. There is a number of cypress mounds (the most famous is "Blues Head") found around Tosohatchee, they are always interesting to visit. There also are a number of creeks running through Tosohatchee, the biggest being James (Jim) Creek. You can follow James creek from Mud Lake (part of St Johns River) all the way down to the western border of Tosohatchee. The cypress trees found along the creek are what I consider spectacular! This is one area you would most likely only want to venture into during the dry season. Tosohatchee has a very interesting history, so you will come across some places that I’m sure have a colorful history. Friends and I have tried to get a handle on Tosohatchee’s history, but at this time much of it escapes us. Just words of warning, do now cross any barbed wire when you encounter it. All the land around Tosohatchee is privately owned and patrolled. The westerly border land is owned by Deseret Ranch and they will prosecute you if they catch you on their land. So you cannot get over to RT520 without taking a major risk. They also own land to the south, so once again - do not cross fences! The office is open 5 days a week, stop in and say hi to Patsy, she will be more than happy to help you the best she can. Here are some of the places found in Tosohatchee. Note: Use GPS coords to find the place on Google Earth or other mapping tools.

Campsites - These are "primitive" campsites - make sure you follow the rules for this type of campsite

Group Camp - Just off St Nicholas Road - N28 30.338 W80 58.818
Horse Camp - Just off St Nicholas Road - N28 30.277 W80 58.804
Tiger Branch Camp - Down off Fish Hole Road - N28 28.671 W80 57.279

Ponds/Lakes - Some of these have areas for canoe launches - for fishing or just boating

Lake Charlie - The nicest one - N28 26.972 W80 56.263
Peek-a-Boo Pond - big pond - N28 27.037 W80 55.713
T-Shirt Pond - No easy access - forget boating it, just explore it - N28 26.962 W80 57.244
Unnamed Pond - Can portal a canoe to it, but it is a ways - N28 27.038 W80 54.845
Duck Ponds - Man-made ponds for ducks and other birds - N28 28.893 W80 54.770
Mud Lake - The day I went to this place, it was just mud and grass, very little water - N28 30.426 W80 54.505

Other areas to visit/explore -

Old Beehead Ranch - just wood now - actual ranch has been moved to FT Christmas - N28 29.579 W80 56.364
Old Chimney - Just part of the chimney from an old hunting camp - N28 26.708 W80 56.982
Old Horse Trail - Mostly blazed trail which runs down to St Johns River - N28 26.906 W80 54.811
Big/Little Blues Heads - Cypress mounds - Big: N28 31.537 W80 56.643 Little: N28 31.486 W80 56.407
Bald Eagles Nest - In large cypress tree on Little Blues Head - eaglet has been seen on the nest - N28 31.480 W80 56.415
St Johns River - Can drive out to it or hike in from a number of different spots - N28 29.519 W80 52.998
Florida Trail - Orange blazed trail through the area - Enters at: N28 27.185 W80 57.711 Exits at: N28 31.553 W80 59.235

If you want to know more or reserve a campsite, call the main office at (407)568-5893 - normally there is someone in the office at the entrance from 8am to 4pm. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. If for no other reason than to say "hi" and see the exhibits they have in the office, stop in to see them on your visit. It costs $3.00 a car to enter the area - if you are 65 or older, there is no charge. The only vehicle entrance is off Taylor Creek Road - the coords for that are N28 29.900 W80 59.922 FYI - my records show that as of 4/09 I have hiked the area 41 times for over 245 miles.
See links on the side to "My Hikes" to see some of the trails available for hiking.
I suggest that you review my hunting calendar (Hunting Schedule) to see if any hunting is scheduled in the area.

Here is a map showing my hikes through Tosohatchee - it should give you an idea where you can hike - as you can see, all over the place - click on it to see larger version

Map supplied by Tosohatchee WMA (click on it to enlarge)

Pictures from the Tosohatchee WMA (Click on picture to enlarge)
Entrance/Signin Area

One of the Roads Running Through The WMA - Open To The Public

Lake Charlie

One of the Many Bridges Used to Cross Creeks

Flood Waterline on Cypress Trees at James Creek

One of the Large Gators Around the Area

Tosohatchee South Hiking - Off RT520

This section of the Tosohatchee WMA is completely separated from the main Tosohatchee WMA area by RT520, thus it is commonly referred to as "Tosohatchee South". It can be a little hard to find the entrance the first time you elect to visit the trails. There is a gate on the south side of RT520 that you must open, enter the parking area and then close after you. You will see the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management sign in the parking area so you know you are in the right spot. There is no fee for using this area. Once into the parking area, you will have the option of entering the loop trail from one side or the other. One section of the trail is mainly road so I normally take that direction to start the loop - that would be the road to the right of the Tosohatchee sign.

Trail and other information
This section will take you along the trails starting at the white blazed trail/road. As you walk down the road you will see quite a variety of trees and flowers. If you look to the left you should be able to see the remnants of some cattle dipping tanks. You will come to a point where the white trail will turn to the left. I suggest that at this point you take the road to the right out to the fence for a little exploring. Work your way down the fence line into the woods. You will enter a section of the area that is a very nice cypress swamp. If the water is low you can get down close to Taylor Creek You might be able to get across Taylor Creek into a primitive camping area when the water is very low. Just be careful as it can get pretty muddy back there. Work your way back to the fence and them back to the white trail. The white trail will now enter a very nice oak hammock area. You will come upon another trail on the right leading to another section of Taylor Creek. Take a look around that area, then work your way back to the white trail. You can take the road to the right down to a nice pond area of Taylor Creek. Depending on the water level you will see a different scene at each visit. Exploring around this area can be very nice. When done in that area, work you way back to the white trail and head north on the wooded section of the trail. This trail provides you with views of the many different ecosystems that make up the area. This trail will take you back to the parking lot. I have hiked this area a number of times, discovering new spots each time. The variety of wildflowers and mushrooms has been quite extensive. You cannot get lost in this section of Tosohatchee because roads, fences or water surrounds it.
If you are into venturing off blazed trails, you can attempt to cross Taylor creek and wander around that area of the this WMA. At times Taylor Creek is quite dry and passable. The Florida trail use to run through this area. You can see remnants of the old campsite at N28 21.061 W80 54.711. The day we visited the campsite, we crossed Taylor Creek at N28 21.317 W80 54.640

The loop hike can be viewed/downloaded at - WIKILOC Hike

These GPS Coords which can be used in "Fly To" area of Google Earth -

Gate/Parking Area - N28 22.421 W80 54.273
Fence Line - N28 21.587 W80 54.714
Cypress Area - N28 21.332 W80 54.625
Primitive Campsite - N28 21.050 W80 54.693
Trail Crossings - N28 21.501 W80 54.298
Taylor Creek Trail End - N28 21.380 W80 54.464
Small Pond - N28 21.361 W80 54.161

Loop trail map and some of the "exploring" -

Looking at Gate From Parking Area -

Tososhatchee WMA Parking Area Sign -

White Trail Road/Trail South From Parking Area -

Fence Line -

White Trail Into Oak Hammock -

End of Trail Sign at Taylor Creek -

Small Pond Covered With Water Hyacinths -

One of the Water Hyacinths -

White Trail View -

"Buddy" Mushrooms -

Colorful Mushroom -

Canaveral Marshes Hiking

This is a very nice place to visit. I have hiked most of it, enjoying all of the various areas. I personally like the St. Johns River side; the views of the river and cypress trees are just beautiful! The only real available access spot now is just off RT50, watch for the sign marking the area. Parking is pretty scarce, I assume because it is an area not that widely used. If I could change one thing, that would be to get rid of the helicopter training which were quite annoying during my 2008-2009 visits. It seems a school has an airfield right in the middle of the area and use it all the time. A fair percentage of the trails are actually roads leading out in different directions as you leave the parking area. You can head straight south and will eventually wind up at the St. Johns River floodplain with Paw Paw Mound on your right. You could take a right at the first crossroads and head down that road, after going through a gate and heading south you will come out again at the St. Johns River floodplain with Paw Paw Mound on your left. This route down to the river is normally the drier route, if it is still the wetter part of the year use it. If you want to go over to Addison canal and the Indian mound trail area, than look for the blue blazed trail just after entering the area on your left. You will follow the blue blazes (at times hard to spot) down to where you will find a log bridge which allows you to cross the Addison Canal. Look for the blue blazes and follow them over to the edge of Great Outdoors RV Park. You will then head south down into just about the only real wooded section in the area. You will find a loop trail that will take you around what is recorded as an Indian mound. So regardless of which way you go you should enjoy the area. As I mentioned, I have hiked most all of the trails and roads, as well as explored some of the areas which just had cattle trails cutting through them. I have run into some pretty big cows during my walks, but they just looked at me and let me pass. I feel they provide a great benefit to the area; the trails through the grass are great to find. The main problem and concern for me at all times are the hunters that show up along the St. Johns River. I hate to even mention hunters but I feel I would be amiss if I didn’t make people aware of their presence. I normally wear bright colors whenever I go into the St. Johns River floodplain.

Blazed trails - the only actual blazed trails start on the left side as you leave the parking lot. You start on a blue blazed trail, then see a white blazed trail which leads to a red blazed trail loop in the woods. In many areas the blazes are not that great; they are faded or even non-existent. If you don't spot a blaze, try and determine the way you think the trail should go and go that way - if a blaze is not encountered after a reasonable distance, go back and look around.

~ You can check the hunting schedule at my web calendar devoted to that – see Hunting Schedule Calendar
~ SJRWMD has provided a PDF brochure and trail map at http://www.sjrwmd.com/recreationguide/canaveralmarshes/
~ My hikes at Canaveral Marshes can be viewed/downloaded at - My WIKILOC Hikes - just look for Canaveral Marshes Hikes in list

Here are some of the GPS coords for spots in the Marshes - use them in Google Earth Parking Area -