Five-Star Trails: Gainesville & Ocala Your Guide to the Area's Most Beautiful Hikes

From the Prairie Creek Preserve to Rainbow Springs State Park, Gainesville and Ocala are polar opposites in many ways, but both offer much for those that share a love of the outdoors. With several hundred miles of trails throughout the region to choose from, Five-Star Trails: Gainesville & Ocala helps you find the best. Authored by Florida hiking expert and long-time Ocala resident Sandra Friend along with 40-year Eagle Scout and Florida Trail Association life member John Keatley, this handy guide provides a fresh perspective on the region’s ever-expanding array of hiking trails. Covering more than 35 hikes across a three-county region, all within an hour’s drive of either city, Five-Star Trails: Gainesville & Ocala gives you a reason to get outdoors now. Hikes are rated and highlighted according to their strengths from five perspectives: scenery, trail conditions, good for children, difficulty, and solitude. This handy guide makes planning your trip easy and enjoyable!

An avid outdoors enthusiast, Sandra Friend is known beyond her books for keeping up with the cutting edge of online communications. She owns and manages the popular hiking website floridahikes.com and is now working on her 28th book. She lives in Sanford, FL.

GAINESVILLE & VICINITY
Alfred Ring Park
Barr Hammock Nature Preserve
Bivens Arm Nature Park
Devil's Millhopper Geologic State Park
Loblolly Woods Nature Park
Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve
Morningside Nature Center
Mill Creek Preserve
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park: La Chua Trail
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park: Wacahoota Trail
Prairie Creek Preserve
San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park
San Felasco Park
Sweetwater Preserve
Tuscawilla Preserve
University of Florida NATL Nature Trails
Watermelon Pond Preserve
OCALA NATIONAL FOREST
Davenport Landing Trail
Florida Trail, Pat's Island to Hidden Pond
Florida Trail, Lake Delancy
Juniper Creek Nature Trail
Lake Eaton Trails
Ocklawaha Prairie Conservation Area
Salt Springs Loop
CROSS FLORIDA GREENWAY
Florida Trail, Pruitt
Florida Trail, Santos
Florida Trail, SW 49th Ave to Land Bridge
Land Bridge Loop
Marshall Swamp Trail
OCALA & VICINITY
Carney Island Recreation & Conservation Area
Goethe State Forest: Big Cypress Trail
Goethe State Forest: Buck Island Pond Trail
Horseshoe Lake Park
Rainbow Springs State Park: Sandhill Nature Trail
Sholom Park
Silver Springs State Park: River Trails
Silver Springs State Park: Sandhill and Sinkhole Trails