North of the Ocala National Forest, the Florida Trail connects together bits and pieces of natural lands in a region that still retains its rural flavor. A recent acquisition near the trail's midpoint, Keystone Heights has permitted us to move roadwalks in the region onto the Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail corridor (a work in progress). The northern anchor of this region is the Osceola National Forest, a dense pine forest with cypress swamps and bayheads, with excellent day hiking opportunities at its trailheads.
Stretching from the Ocala National Forest to the Suwannee River, the Florida Trail through North Florida exists in bits and pieces open to the public while we work to obtain trail corridor to create an unbroken footpath. Hikers headed north from Buckman Lock must be Florida Trail members to cross private timberlands en route to one of the region’s true gems, Rice Creek Sanctuary, where haunting ancient cypresses guard the remains of a 1700s indigo and rice plantation. Bridges and boardwalks carry visitors over the wetlands. In Etoniah Creek State Forest, enjoy a walk along one of the deepest ravines in the region, ablaze with dogwood and azalea in the spring. Gold Head Branch State Park contains fern-filled ravines and the Devil’s Washbasin, an eerie sinkhole in the sandhills, while Camp Blanding guards pristine lakeshores. West of Camp Crystal Lake and the Keystone Airport, the Palatka-Lake Butler Trail is a rails-to-trails corridor that the Florida Trail newly follows to connect this region with the town of Lake Butler.
At Lake Butler, hikers head north into Lake Butler Forest along private corridor opened for public use thanks to the generosity of the Plum Creek Timber Company. Watch for clay potsherds, the remains of turpentine cups used while turpentine camps were in operation in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Day hikers will appreciate the short Nice Wander loop at the Olustee Battlefield Trailhead, a natural surface portion of the Florida Trail that is accessible to wheelchairs with assistance. It circles a red-cockaded woodpecker colony, best visited in the morning. Backpackers appreciate the numerous campsites and trailheads through the Osceola National Forest, a land of dense pine forests, cypress swamps, and bayheads. One highlight is a stop at Ocean Pond Campground, a must for sunset seekers. Another is the open-air Osceola Shelter, a popular camping spot near Turkey Run.
COUNTIES: Putnam, Clay, Bradford, Union, Baker, Columbia START POINT: Buckman Lock END POINT: Deep Creek Trailhead MILES OF TRAIL: 152.6 TRAILHEADS: Buckman Lock Visitor Center, Rice Creek, Holloway Rd, Tinsley Rd, Gold Head Branch State Park, Olustee Battlefield, Turkey Run, Deep Creek DESIGNATED CAMPSITES: 9 MAPS: 15, 16, 17, 18 TRAIL PARTNERS: St. Johns Water Management District, Plum Creek Timber Company, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Division of Forestry, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, National Forests in Florida.
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.
Hiking 
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Stretching from the Ocala National Forest to the Suwannee River, the Florida Trail through North Florida exists in bits and pieces open to the public while we work to obtain trail corridor to create an unbroken footpath. Hikers headed north from Buckman Lock must be Florida Trail members to cross private timberlands en route to one of the region’s true gems, Rice Creek Sanctuary, where haunting ancient cypresses guard the remains of a 1700s indigo and rice plantation. Bridges and boardwalks carry visitors over the wetlands. In Etoniah Creek State Forest, enjoy a walk along one of the deepest ravines in the region, ablaze with dogwood and azalea in the spring. Gold Head Branch State Park contains fern-filled ravines and the Devil’s Washbasin, an eerie sinkhole in the sandhills, while Camp Blanding guards pristine lakeshores. West of Camp Crystal Lake and the Keystone Airport, the Palatka-Lake Butler Trail is a rails-to-trails corridor that the Florida Trail newly follows to connect this region with the town of Lake Butler. 
Florida Trail Map Brochure