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Length: 38.3 miles (linear) Welcome to the Ocala National Forest, the heart and soul of the Florida Trail. In October 1966, Florida Trail Association founder Jim Kern and a handful of hardy hikers painted the trail’s first blaze at the beginning of this segment at Clearwater Lake. Offering a week’s worth of unbroken wilderness hiking through sandhills, prairies, pine flatwoods, and the beautiful Big Scrub, this is the prime destination for backpackers who want to spend a week out on the Florida Trail. The footpath is well maintained and well worn, and signage at road crossings helps you figure out exactly where you are.
 Grab and Go Hike: Juniper Prairie Wilderness
Although there are a number of designated campsites, you may camp anywhere you wish—as long as it’s not hunting season. The Ocala National Forest draws a lot of deer and turkey hunters, so be cognizant of hunting season, when you must stay at designated campsites. Always wear blaze orange during hunting season.
 This segment of the trail offers numerous don’t-miss stops, from the swimming holes at Alexander and Juniper Springs to the incredibly beautiful primitive hikers-only campsite at Hidden Pond. You’ll walk through hydric hammocks crowded with palms, through open prairies filled with wildflowers, and through the wild and wonderful Juniper Prairie Wilderness with its many pristine ponds. The north end of this segment is at Hopkins Prairie, a vast open wetland which the trail winds along for miles in the shade of the oak forest on its shoreline.
A side trip on the blue-blazed trail to beautiful, crystal clear Alexander Springs (78 million gallons per day) is highly recommended for those who would like to stop for a snack or swim in the cool spring water. Portions of the forest near Alexander Springs, Billies Bay and Juniper Prairie are designated wilderness areas. Trail work in the Juniper Prairie Wilderness must be done with hand tools only. FTA workers use two-man crosscut saws to remove blown down trees on this section of the trail. Juniper Springs is also good for swimming, and the Juniper Springs Run is a great short canoe trip. Canoe rental and canoe shuttle service are available at the park concession.  The southern end of this section where the trail crosses CR 42 near the Clearwater Lake Campground, six miles east of Altoona. The northern end is at the Hopkins Prairie camping area.
Disclaimer: While FTA strives to maintain accurate information and is constantly updating its geodatabase, the trail and development along the trail corridor is constantly changing. The data has been collected from a variety of sources and accuracy varies. FTA provides this data for recreational purposes only and does not intend the data as a survey.
Centerline data Florida Trail System (c) 2007 Florida Trail Association, Inc. Park at the campgrounds at either terminus. At Clearwater Lake, turn right into the trail parking lot before the campground entrance booth. There is also parking on FR 10 at the north end of Juniper Wilderness, Buck Lake, Farles Prairie Campground, Alexander Springs and Juniper Springs. A fee of $10 per day is charged by the campground concessionaires at Juniper Springs and Alexander Springs for secured parking. Campsites Coon Hollow, Hidden Pond, Pat's Island History Clearwater Lake - birthplace of the Florida Trail, Yearling Trail The Ocala National Forest offers mostly dry, level hiking through pine and hardwood forest, along the edges of prairies and across narrow sections of hardwood swamp. Limit backpacking groups to no more than 12 people. The entire trail in the Ocala is open to hiking during hunting season, but wear blaze orange for safety. Road numbers throughout the Ocala are scheduled to be changed. Buck Lake is now a group campground, available by reservation only, and the water pump has been shut down. Farles Prairie Campground is closed from April 1 until 1 week prior to general gun hunting season. Do not build fires during drought conditions. Backpack camping is permitted anywhere in the Ocala National Forest, except during general gun hunting season mid-November through mid-January. Camping during general hunting season is permitted only at designated sites. These include: Clearwater Lake, Alexander Springs, Buck Lake, Farles Prairie, Juniper Springs, Hopkins Prairie, and Lake Delancy. Trailside camping is also allowed anywhere within the Juniper Prairie Wilderness Area which is closed to hunting. Buck Lake Group Camp is by reservation only - hikers may park and get water year round. Farles Prairie is open for camping 1 week before gun hunting - April 15, water and parking only the rest of the year, Hopkins Prairie and Lake Delancy are now open Oct 1 - June 1 and no parking or water is available when closed.
Note: Backpackers without vehicles are exempt from the "Fee Demo" campground fees. |
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