A podcast of the Florida Trail Association
right click and "save target as" to download to your MP3 player:  podcast: Cross Florida Greenway

Early Florida surveyors, including Robert E. Lee, had a dream of cutting the peninsula in two with a canal that would expedite shipping to the Gulf of Mexico. Portions of the canal were even dug – near Belleview in the 1930s, and at the St. Johns River and the Gulf of Mexico in the 1960s. In 1971, the canal project was finally stopped, and by 1991, the strip of land between the two waterways was returned to the state.

On its journey between the Marshall Swamp and Pruitt trailheads, the Florida Trail slips past remains of the canal-building legacy. Pause in front of the church in the historic community of Santos, which was to be wiped out by the canal. Stand beneath bridge piers poured in the 1930s. Take a break beneath an enormous sand dune, part of the 1930s canal diggings. Filter water from one of the rectangular lakes that would have been part of the canal. Climb a switchback up terraces more than 70 years old, where forest now blankets the piles of dirt moved to create portions of the canal. 

To provide recreation for all, Florida Trail volunteers partnered with biking and equestrian groups to plan parallel trail systems. The Florida Trail is for hiking only, but meets up with the biking and equestrian trails at major trailheads, road crossings and at the Land Bridge, the first ever built in America. It’s an easy mile’s walk to this engineering marvel. Pass ancient, ghostly oaks on your way to this thousand-ton planter, a bridge filled with dirt, rock, trees, and shrubs. From an overlook in the middle, you can wave at the traffic speeding below on Interstate 75.  

Although lands along the Greenway have seen a century’s worth of farming, ranching, mining, and ditch-digging, there are still quiet places of natural beauty. Marshall Swamp is a dense, humid swamp forest, where cypress, cabbage palms, and loblolly pines grow to incredible size. Boardwalks lead across the floodplains. The trail winds through patches of scrub forest west of the 49^th Street trailhead, where ancient sand dunes host a variety of shrubs. At Ross Prairie, the prairies and wetlands provide open vistas, and there are lovely stretches of longleaf pine forest.   

It’s 32 miles between the Marshall Swamp and Pruitt trailheads. With four designated campsites along the way, this portion of the Florida Trail is an ideal section for a backpacking trip. Call 352-236-7143 for a free camping permit. During deer-hunting season in November and December, the Cross Florida Greenway is a great getaway, as no hunting is permitted along the route. Our Gateway Community of Belleview is just four miles south of the Santos trailhead, with full services. At Santos and Ross Prairie, there are campgrounds with bath houses.  

This is a popular destination for day hikers, too, thanks to the many trailheads along the route. Five of the eight trailheads – Marshall Swamp, Baseline Road, Santos, Land Bridge, and Ross Prairie – have potable water and flush toilets. At Ross Prairie and the Land Bridge, loop hikes provide a fun and easy way to experience the Florida Trail.  

Music for this podcast includes Somewhere Sunny (Kevin McCloud, www.incompetech.com ) Memoirs and Inner Peace (Shaun Harris, www.royaltyfreemusic.com ) and Song of the Florida Trail, by Gordon Johnson.