www.floridatrail.org | Wildlife Encounters | Florida, Snake, Panther, Most, Bear

Florida Trail Activities in Your Area

Check out our chapter websites and Meetup groups for activities in your area. Visit the Chapters page, scroll down to the bottom and look for your county. Click on the chapter for a county to go to its web page. Florida Trail Association activities include day hikes, backpacking trips, canoeing and kayaking, bicycling, picnics, and campouts. Day hikes may focus on birding, plant identification, geocaching or historic sites. Most activities are held locally, but some chapters travel to other parts of the state or out of state for extended trips. However you like to enjoy the great outdoors, there's a Florida Trail activity for you!


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Hiker Safety

Wildlife Encounters

On the Florida Trail, you will see wildlife, especially when you hike alone. Few trails offer as diverse a range of species you might encounter, from the regal and highly endangered Florida panther to the tiny and likewise endangered Santa Rosa beach mouse. Wildlife actively uses the trail corridor: remember that you are traversing their habitat. Walk softly. Never feed or approach any wild animal, as desensitization to humans may result in harm to a human and will result in an animal’s death.

ALLIGATORS Yes, we have them, and yes, you’ll see them. But alligators are rarely a threat to humans, unless they’ve been fed and associate you with a food source. Never throw your food scraps into a body of water (pack them out or get a friend to eat the leftovers!) and don’t bring a dog along if you’re hiking into a swampy area. Most alligators move out of your way when they hear you coming. But if an alligator is on the footpath and refuses to move after you’ve made a lot of noise, don’t walk up close to it. Give it a wide berth, circling around its tail end so it doesn’t feel trapped or threatened. Avoid filtering water at dawn or dusk, since the profile of a hiker bent over a canal or stream looks a lot like a deer from an alligator’s perspective.
BEARS A subspecies of the Eastern black bear, the full-grown Florida black bear rarely tops 350 pounds, and will quickly move out of your way if it sees or hears you. Bears tend to be most active at dawn and most commonly seen browsing patches of blueberries and blackberries in fruit. There has never been a report of a Florida black bear attacking a human, although bears that have become habituated to human presence will raid garbage cans. Consider “bear bagging” your food in bear country, a highly recommended tactic in St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.
PANTHERS A subspecies of cougar, the Florida panther has been making a slow but steady comeback in their stronghold in Big Cypress and the Everglades, with sightings of individual cats reported by hikers throughout the state. No panther has caused harm to humans in modern times. If you see one, consider yourself fortunate. If you encounter an injured or dead panther, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (941-353-8442) as quickly as possible with information on the animal’s location and condition.
SNAKES Florida has four species of poisonous snakes: the cottonmouth, an aggressive snake that prefers swampy areas; the rattlesnake (diamondback, timber, and pygmy), which can be found in upland or swampy areas; the southern copperhead, and the eastern coral snake. Most snake bites occur because someone attempted to handle a snake or got within the snake’s “strike zone.” If you encounter a snake, treat it with respect—give it a wide berth.