Four rivers impressively emerge from the Green Swamp. Restaurant Ghosts & Forgotten Florida. Wellness Travel Journeys is her story about exploring the globe as an active and health-conscious traveler. Florida Roadside Attractions History. Based in Sanford, Florida, she is perpetually scheming her next getaway with her husband, Wesley. This segment of trail leads you down a rural roadwalk on Deen Still Road past cattle ranches and orange groves; look for unusual sandstone formations along the road. Re-entering the forest, you parallel the northwesterly course of the Withlacoochee River. It’s a short walk off of the Florida Trail on a path into the forest to find the remains. Green Swamp WMA - West Unit. The beautiful wide path quickly turned into a nightmare. Hikers will appreciate the many miles of marked trails, including the 20 mile long Green Swamp Trail - 13 miles of which are part of the Florida National Scenic Trail. Book. Unlike most of the swamps along the Florida Trail, the Green Swamp is more dry than wet. Add your bird observations to the following Green Swamp WMA eBird Hotspots: Green Swamp WMA - Little Withlacoochee Tract. We can’t vouch for the existence of the giant ape, but you’ll definitely find plenty of alligators, armadillos, feral hogs, and quail in the area. We hiked 10 miles round trip using the blue day trail loop off of the Florida Trail to go back to the parking lot. Thankfully it was on another section of the wilderness preserve (not the Florida Trail). Length: 25.4 miles (linear) plus 9.7 mile loop. After we made it out of spider alley, we were back on the dirt road and heading to the car. Interest. Posted by Tim Fasano at 5/31/2015 06:54:00 PM. We know to expect the unexpected and allow for extra time. ©2017 Florida Trail Association - All Rights Reserved. Not even realizing it about five or ten feet in front of me this huge alligator just sitting there Basking in the sun and we spooked each other. When hiking the Florida Trail, you can expect lots of dense forest, palms and knee-high grass. I’m also joining him more now that he is in the Central Florida region. The obstacles and difficulty with the trail made this a really long day. The area is rich in history as well so I enjoy learning about and tracking down of that kind of stuff in this wilderness. For the second trip, we parked at another trailhead at the beginning of the West Tract called the McNeil entrance. The beautiful wide path quickly turned into a nightmare. The Green Swamp contains at least 14 different species of insectivoro… Along the way, periodically, I also will post about my explorations on the trail. In an area of The Green Swamp I found this site while I was searching for a ghost town known as “Sturkey”. Almost 13,000 acres of the preserve, however, are comprised of a dense evergreen shrub bog (pocosin) dominated by gallberry, titi, and sweetbay. Van Fleet Trail designated as a National Recreation Trail®, the Van Fleet State Trail runs through the Green Swamp, the headwaters for some of Florida’s most popular paddling destinations including the Withlacoochee, Hillsborough and Peace rivers.Landscapes include the river swamp, bottomland forest, pine flatwoods, former citrus lands and cattle ranches. The Green Swamp West Tract is probable most popular with three groups of people ... hikers, kayakers, and hunters. It was so beautiful! Copyright © 2019 Wellness Travel Journeys - All Rights Reserved, Niagara Falls Marathon Runcation Guide – Wellness Weekend for Runners, The Ultimate Guide to Hiking the Cotswold Way, 10 Must-Do Outdoor Adventure Travel Trips in the South of France, The Wicklow Way – 5 Day Hiking Trip in Ireland, Tick Tock Ultra Race – You Don’t Stop for 12 Hours, Hiking the Florida Trail – Green Swamp East Tract, The Top 5 Reasons Why Sanford, FL is a Wellness Travel Destination, 7 Experiences You’ll Only Have at the Central Florida Legends Marathon, Lake Monroe Conservation Area: Exploring Florida Trails, 3 Random Surprises in a Rural Indiana Cornfield, Feeling Ultra Love at the Indiana Trail 100, 5 Can’t Miss Spots on the C & O Canal Towpath Trail, The Other Side of Austin – A Wellness Travel Destination, 5 Can’t Miss Places to Eat in Savannah, Georgia, The Best Places to Eat on Hilton Head Island. Hiking the Florida Trail – Day 2 on the Green Swamp East Tract Beware of the Vines. We laugh about how some of our worst experiences are the ones we remember the best. This section was definitely one of the most challenging hikes we have completed in Florida. The 1,300 mile Florida National Scenic Trail begins in the Everglades and ends at the Alabama state line. You have to either backpack for several days or do short out-and-back trips. This was a relatively easy section of the trail but it was extremely overgrown and covered in spiderwebs. Now that we are done with the East Tract, we need to make our plans for tackling the West Tract. The Green Swamp Trail bridges the entire distance of the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve. Green Swamp, Florida: Phone Number, Green Swamp Reviews: 4.5/5. The trail was visible and cleared in this area making for some nice hiking. Green Swamp WMA. One of those sections is through the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve. On each of these trips, Wesley hiked about 30-50 total miles north of where he started. It’s not for the faint of heart. The open savannas have a diverse herb layer with many orchids and insectivorous plants. Length: 30 miles (linear) from SR 471 to Ridge Manor plus 25.9 mile loop. The trail follows a grassy two-track forest access road for most of this section, except for a short section near the east end near the bridge. Hunting is allowed in the preserve so be sure to consult the preserve's web site … Main Ride Route (continued) - Green Pond Road : 28: You are now on Green Pond Road. Out here exploring this trail. This requires walking down the highway berm for a half mile before getting back on the trail. The Green Swamp offers a variety of plants, animals, and topography. We’ve run several trail races in the area and it’s gorgeous and relatively dry. This section was definitely one of the... Moving Forward. So I made it an adventure to go and try find it, the site can be found by an old railroad grade in the West Tract of The Green Swamp. Once we found the trail entrance off of the highway, we were greeted with a beautiful grass path in a pine forest. It’s the southernmost true hardwood swamp in Florida, and is fabled to be the home of Sasquatch. Hiking the Florida Trail in this section was like a horror movie. A few months later we tackled the next section of the Green Swamp East Tract. Once we survived the vines, we were hiking the Florida Trail through palm trees and over a few bridges. The signpost for the Florida trail. All of us loved the trail ride, prepping and bonding with the horses, seeing the Green Swamp WMA and then grooming and feeding our horses upon return. The flood plane along the Hillsborough River . Unlike most of the swamps along the Florida Trail, the Green Swamp is more dry than wet. It took forever just to get through this small section of hiking the Florida Trail. Hauling yourself over the downed trees is one hurdle but the bigger issue here are the vines. Sandra is prone to wander off the beaten path in search of a beautiful trail, a great bookstore, and awesome local food. Portions of this section were beautiful and peaceful while other sections were horrible. Journey with me as I explore along this beautiful creek deep in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve in central Florida. This spider is about the size of a fist with legs extending another few inches. Follow it as it twists and turns past the Green Swamp Preserve access and a little later the Van Fleet Trail Access. Went to Green Swamp WMA West tract where the owner met us with the horses. This section of the Florida Trail parallels the Withlachoochee River in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve from FL 471 to the Withlachoochee River crossing. Sometimes this road is open to cars and you can park closer to the actual trailhead. I only recommend products that I personally use and love. Florida Trail Map. Formerly known as Cone Ranch and Audubon Ranch, the property was managed by the County’s Public Utilities Water Department from 1988 to 2010, when it was transferred as part of the County's Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and … As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Encompassing 870 square miles across five counties, it’s a vast watershed of pine forests and cypress swamps where four of the state’s major rivers (Ocklawaha, Peace, Hillsborough, Withlacoochee) are born, each flowing away in a different direction. Green Swamp is just 20 miles west of Disney World, offering a terrific day-trip for the family. For example, the Van Fleet State Trail, also designated as a National Recreation Trail, runs through the Swamp and is known as one of Florida’s most rural trails. We parked our vehicle in the Colt Creek State Park and did the short road walk to the start of the trail on right just before the Withlacoochie river bridge on 471. The white-blazed loop trail at the Rock Ridge Road trailhead provides a long day hike or a short overnight backpacking trip. Our plan was to walk back to the point where we turned around on our first trip in order to complete the entire East Tract. Two of us are beginners and for the third it was a first time experience. Park well off the highway and enter the trail at the walk-thru. There are lots of orange markers on the trees but in a few areas the vegetation is so thick it’s difficult to see anything. Download Grab & Go Guide Map of Green Swamp … The entire section is 15 miles but we decided to take only one car and do two out-and-back trips. The Florida Trail Guide. Today, it was our turnaround point. What’s even more amazing – it’s a half hour from Disney World. Seriously. Green Swamp West to River Road 14.8 miles. You could not move without the vines reaching out and grabbing you. At various points along the Green Swamp Trail, three hike-in campsites have been created to accommodate overnight guests. The only thing we love more than trails is volunteers! The webs were 5-6 feet in length and 7-8 feet wide and they were spaced about every 3-4 feet. If you’re lucky, there will be bridges over some of the swampy sections like below. In addition to these ecosystem services, the Green Swamp also provides physical and mental health benefits through its recreational value. The Green Swamp contains some of the country’s finest examples of longleaf pine savannas. Also known as Green Swamp East, this area is part of the approximately 110,000 acres purchased to protect the land and water resources of the Green Swamp Basin. Length: 25.4 miles (linear) plus 9.7 mile loop. No kidding. It was also clearly mating season with many of the webs containing an entire spider family with babies. This was our stopping point on the previous trip. For over 2 miles. I agreed to do some of the out-and-back sections with him that (hopefully) did not involve wading through snake-infested water. Volunteers are the heart and soul of the Florida Trail Association. This was a 20-mile challenging hike . After returning to the trail, we walked on a forest service road for 2 miles before getting back on a nice forest path to Mott Hammock. Recognizing the statewide significance of this area, the state of Florida in 1974 designated 322,000 acres of the Green Swamp region as an Area of Critical State Concern. Look for Sherman’s fox squirrels in the sandhills, and deer in the open flatwoods understory. We seek contributions about the trail from as many backgrounds as possible. Three Lakes to Green Swamp East (roadwalk + bike paths) 13.4 miles. Those that show images and descriptions include information about hiking that segment. Roam Florida. We didn’t want to break up the webs–they were really beautiful–so we were constantly crawling under them. I will definitely never forget those spiders! The Green Swamp West Unit Wildlife Management Area (WMA) consists of more than 34,000 acres in Pasco County and is part of the approximately 110,000 acres purchased to protect the land and water resources of the Green Swamp Basin of Central Florida. It was a spider obstacle course! Most of the trail is through swamp water, dense vegetation, along highways, or very much off the beaten path. Richloam/Green Swamp West. posted from Bloggeroid. This is truly wild and natural Old Florida. Perhaps the best thing about Hiking the Florida Trail is its remoteness. Just For Fun. Encompassing 870 square miles across five counties, it’s a vast watershed of pine forests and cypress swamps where four of the state’s major rivers (Ocklawaha, Peace, Hillsborough, Withlacoochee) are born, each flowing away in a different … This paved state bike trail goes through the Green Swamp, a vast watery wilderness west of Orlando. There are few access points to the trail so you need to plan out your trip in advance. Take a hike along the Florida Trail in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve with me as I explore these scenic woods. Learn more about these rivers, and our other virtual watershed excursions.