Florida

Spot wildlife from the Everglades' Anhinga Trail or explore the Florida Trail through Ocala National Forest. Winter is hiking season; summer heat, humidity,…

Spot wildlife from the Everglades' Anhinga Trail or explore the Florida Trail through Ocala National Forest. Winter is hiking season; summer heat, humidity, and storms can be brutal.

Why Florida hiking is its own game

Florida trades mountains for water, wildlife, and weather. Trails here are flat, but heat and humidity do the work that hills do elsewhere, standing water can hide the path, and afternoon storms arrive on a schedule regulars plan around. The reward is a landscape found nowhere else — boardwalks over wetlands, shaded hammocks, and wildlife watched safely from the trail.

What to do, step by step

1. Pick your season and start time with heat in mind: winter and early mornings are kindest, and summer hikes should be short, shaded, and early.
2. Carry more water than the flat distance suggests, plus sun protection and insect repellent. Humidity makes you sweat steadily even at an easy pace.
3. Expect wet feet on many trails. Wear shoes that drain and grip boardwalks, which get slick, and check recent conditions before assuming a path is dry.
4. Watch wildlife from a distance and never feed it. Give alligators and snakes plenty of room, and keep children and dogs close where they are allowed.
5. Turn back when thunder approaches, even if the sky overhead looks clear. Florida storms build quickly, and open wetlands offer little shelter from lightning.