Lace Up, Grab Your Pack, and Hit the Trail in North Central Florida! 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. Five-Star Trails: Gainesville & Ocala helps you find the best among the region’s several hundred miles of trails. 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! Immerse yourself in the natural wonderland of North Central Florida. Discover urban places for reflection such as Sholom Park, a carefully manicured woodlands in a retirement community, and Bivens Arm Nature Park, surrounding a marsh in Gainesville. Explore the vast longleaf pine flatwoods of the Ocala National Forest on the Florida Trail near Lake Delancy and the shady swamp forests of Goethe State Forest along the Big Cypress Trail. See more alligators than you've ever seen in your life in the home of the Gators along the La Chua Trail at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. Immerse yourself in the natural wonderland of North Central Florida. Discover urban places for reflection such as Sholom Park, a carefully manicured woodlands in a retirement community, and Bivens Arm Nature Park, surrounding a marsh in Gainesville. Explore the vast longleaf pine flatwoods of the Ocala National Forest on the Florida Trail near Lake Delancy and the shady swamp forests of Goethe State Forest along the Big Cypress Trail. See more alligators than you've ever seen in your life in the home of the Gators along the La Chua Trail at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. An avid outdoors enthusiast, Sandra Friend is known beyond her books for keeping up with the cutting edge of online communications. A native of Rockledge, FL, and a member of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association, John Keatley grew up along the Space Coast and spent most of his youth in the woods or on the water. While preparing for a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail he met Sandra, and they have been hiking and writing together ever since. They live in Sanford, FL. Florida Trail: Southwest 49th Avenue to Land Bridge Scenery: 5 stars Trail Condition: 4 stars Children: 3 stars Difficulty: 5 stars Solitude: 4 stars GPS Trailhead Coordinates: N29° 02.461' W82° 12.068' Distance & Configuration: 5.7-mile balloon Hiking Time: 3 hours Highlights: Rugged terrain, Cross Florida Barge Canal diggings Access: Daily, sunrise–sunset; open for backpacking 24/7. Free. Maps: USGS Shady, on kiosk Facilities: Portable toilet and picnic area at trailhead; benches, kiosks, and campsite along the trail. Wheelchair Access: None Comments: Leashed dogs welcome. Backpackers may use designated campsites with a free permit; call the Sharpes Ferry Office. No permit required for Florida Trail Association members. Contacts: Office of Greenways and Trails, Sharpes Ferry Office: 352-236-7143; floridahikes.com/florida-trail-cross-florida-greenway. Florida Trail Association: 352-378-8823; floridatrail.org Overview With nearly 6 miles of rugged hiking along the Cross Florida Greenway, the Florida Trail between Southwest 49th Avenue Trailhead and the Land Bridge is a lesson in Florida's environmental history and the healing power of time. Native habitats reclaimed one of Florida's largest public works projects, the Cross Florida Barge Canal, with time and erosion creating the steep ravines and bluffs that the trail now traverses. The loop portion of this hike lets you see what remains of this big dig, as well as a peek at the renowned Land Bridge over I-75. Route Details Starting at the trailhead kiosk, follow the blue blazes. It's a little confusing as you see mountain bike signage right away, so watch for a FT sign beyond the OMBA sign, and follow the FT path into the sandhills, the turkey oak leaves making crunching sounds underfoot as you walk. Crossing a limerock road, the blue-blazed trail leads you into a scrubby habitat with big drops off the footpath. You descend down a steep slope with roots sticking out like a staircase. The sides are hard packed sand but there are enough pine needles that you can slip and slide. At a quarter mile you reach the Florida Trail junction. Turn right at the sign to start walking east towards the Land Bridge. A steep ascent follows through a cut. A primitive campsite with a picnic bench is atop the bluff, a short bl