A podcast of the Florida Trail Association
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Osceola National Forest 
On February 20, 1864, ten thousand soldiers moved through this forest of pine in a struggle that was Florida’s longest and bloodiest battle of the Civil War. On an early morning hike, the mist beneath the longleaf pines bears a subtle ghostly touch. It is hard to forget that thousands died on this spot, a dense forest along a railroad line that was crucial to the Confederacy. 

A state monument to the Battle of Olustee began the protection of this land back in 1899. Around it grew the Osceola National Forest, named for a fierce warrior of the Seminole and first dedicated in 1931. Managed for decades for timber production, it is a mosaic of habitats along the Georgia border. Wild landscapes connect to the legendary Okeefenokee Swamp, including the wet flatwoods of the Pinhook Swamp and the inaccessible swamp forests of the Big Gum Wilderness. While it is Florida’s smallest National Forest, Osceola has a large population of endangered red cockaded woodpeckers, which need old-growth longleaf pines to thrive.

Along the Nice Wander Trail, a 1.6-mile accessible-with-assistance loop hike that starts at the Olustee Trailhead, white bands mark pines where red-cockaded woodpeckers are nesting. As they create their nests inside living trees, the sap around the nest hole drips down the tree and looks like candle wax. The woodpeckers often peck around the nest hole to make the sap stickier, making it tougher for predators like snakes to gain access to their young. 

It is 20.7 miles across the Osceola on the Florida Trail. Along this footpath through the forest, you’ll encounter pine forests that reach to the sky, the remains of old logging railroad lines, and haunting stands of cypress. There are boardwalks to cross, deep puddles to wade, and bogs with sundews and pitcher plants. Ocean Pond, a lake surrounded by cypress trees, is a favorite destination, a developed campground that you can backpack into. Near a small creek, the Osceola Shelter is a four-sided open air camping platform providing shelter from the rain. For an immersion into the past, arrive on the third weekend of February, during the annual re-enactment of the Battle of Olustee. The Florida Trail runs right through the encampment, where you may be temped to pick a side and spend the weekend in the 1860s. 

The easiest access to the Florida Trail is at the Olustee Trailhead at Olustee Battlefield. From Interstate 75 exit 427, Lake City, drive 18.6 miles east on US 90 east to the trailhead. The entrance is on the left. If you’re traveling on Interstate 10 westbound from Jacksonville, use exit 324 and follow US 90 west for 5.5 miles to the trailhead at the park entrance.

There are three other major trailheads: Turkey Run Trailhead off County Road 250, West Tower off Forest Road 233, and the Deep Creek Trailhead along Drew Road, east of US 441. Deep Creek marks the western edge of the Florida Trail in the Osceola National Forest. 

Music for this podcast includes In This Moment (Shaun Harris, www.royaltyfreemusic.com ) and selections from The Song of the Florida Trail, by Gordon Johnson and friends.