Florida National Scenic Trail

Florida Trail
Hiking the Florida Trail through the Ocala National Forest on the Western Corridor
Established	October 29, 1966
Length	1300 mi (2092 km)
Location	Florida
Designation	National Scenic Trail
Trailheads	Big Cypress National Preserve, Fort Pickens at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach
Use	Hiking allowed throughout, other uses allowed in certain sections by land manager: non-motorized recreation opportunity for hiking and other compatible activities
Hiking details
Trail difficulty	Moderate
Season	Year-round, maintained for seasonal use September through April
Hazards	Severe Weather, Alligators, Venomous Snakes, Bears

The Florida Trail is one of eleven National Scenic Trails in the United States currently running 1,000 miles (1,600 km), with a total of 1,300 miles (2,100 km) planned, from Big Cypress National Preserve (between Miami and Naples, Florida along the Tamiami Trail) to Fort Pickens at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach. Also known as the Florida National Scenic Trail (which applies only to its federally certified segments), the Florida Trail provides permanent non-motorized recreation opportunity for hiking and other compatible activities and is within an hour of most Floridians. The Florida National Scenic Trail is designated as a National Scenic Trail by the National Trails System Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-543).

With its first blaze marked by members of the Florida Trail Association at Clearwater Lake Recreation Area in the Ocala National Forest, the Florida Trail began on October 29, 1966. The Florida Trail was officially designated as a National Scenic Trail in 1983. The U.S. Forest Service, through the National Forests in Florida program, is the official administrator of the Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST), but trail development, maintenance, and management are a result of volunteers and land managers throughout the state.

In the early 1960s, Miami resident Jim Kern headed to North Carolina with his brother for a hike on the Appalachian Trail. Returning to Florida and knowing there was nowhere near his home to go backpacking, he envisioned a 500-mile (800 km) hiking trail across Florida. He founded the Florida Trail Association and encouraged members to join him in the vision of creating a trail across the state. His initial hike, a media event for the Miami Herald, took him from the wilds of Big Cypress to Highlands Hammock State Park near Sebring, Florida. By October 1966, Kern had spoken with the managers of the Ocala National Forest and received permission to start blazing a hiking trail. After a feasibility study, the trail was officially designated in 1983 as a National Scenic Trail. The Florida Trail has been underway as a volunteer-driven construction project ever since. Like many other National Scenic Trails, the Florida Trail has been built in disconnected segments, created in a corridor where public land (or easements granted by private individuals) is available to route the trail.