Hiking & Backpacking Florida

Canaveral National Seashore has two expansive beaches, with its island back country sites being accessible from its northern Apollo Beach entrance, from New Smyrna Beach.

The more famous Playalinda Beach is accessed from a southern entrance in Titusville, and in between the northern and southern beaches is an additional back country hiking area of shoreline called Klondike Beach, although no camping is permitted there.

You can rent canoes from the Apollo Beach Visitors Center, although these rentals are apparently subject to good weather.

If you are camping in the first five camp sites along the islands in the Banana River, you can get an overnight canoe rental as well.

From the northern Apollo Beach side of the park, there is also the historic Eldora Statehouse, a remainder of a turn of the century village on the island.

There is a canoeing loop around the campsites, as well as numerous hiking trails, many of which contain elevated boardwalks.

Camping on Orange aislandwill be rustic, with no electricity, water, or bathroom facilities.

All supplies will need to go in the canoes with us, although I believe restrooms and water will be available from the Apollo Beach Visitors Center, just offshore.

Mike March
(305) 785-2174

Oleta River State Park is in a great location, next to the expansive Haulover Beach, just to the east, across A1A.

The State Park also has its own beachfront, along the Intracoastal Waterway.

There are kayak and canoe rentals available onsite, from the Oleta River Outdoor Center, as well as mountain biking and hiking trails.

The cabins themselves are simple but very comfortable, similar to the "Kozy Kabins" you may remember from the KOAs.

You need to bring your own linens or sleeping bags for the cabins, as well as pillows, but the beds have mattresses, and the units have A/C!

There's a shower house and barbeques nearby, with adjacent parking for each cabin.

I believe most of the cabins contain one double bed and a set of stacking bunk beds, sleeping four people each.

Cabin 3 may be the exception, with two sets of bunk beds instead.

As of now, there is still plenty of availability in the cabins, since I'm going during the week.

I believe there's a two night minimum stay for the cabins.

We can utilize the barbeques, although we would need to bring coolers for any food, as there aren't refrigerators in the units.

Each unit has a little front porch. You may want to bring chairs for the porch.

Once you leave the State Park, there is the convenience of a mall across the street, with a Winn-Dixie, restaurants, including a Duffy's Sports Grill, and an IPIC dine in movie theatre.

Mike March
(305) 785-2174

I just reserved camp site #57 in Loop A, for Friday and Saturday nights.

If anyone wants to book a second site, there is only one more available for the weekend, ten months out!

https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/rainbow-springs-state-park/experiences-amenities

This tubing run, between the state park's campground and its tubing takeout, takes about one and a half hours.

https://visitrainbowsprings.com/hours-and-fees/

You can buy tickets on a tram which bring you between these two entrances to the park.

There is also a third park entrance, furthest upstream, at the spring head.

We should make a point to go up there and swim, since our camping permits will gain us entry to the head spring,.

There is a longer, four hour tube run available between two Marion County Parks, beginning at the KP Hole Park, across the river from our campground, and running down to the Blue Run of Dunnellon Park.

https://www.marionfl.org/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/54/663

It may be fun to try this longer run, since it goes by a riverfront restaurant called Swampy's Bar and Grill.

I'll look forward to cooling off up there!

Mike March
(305) 785-2174

I'm always looking for campgrounds next to springs.

In the case of Devil's Den, it's a sinkhole, but it holds an important advantage over other springs.

devilsden.com

I noticed that some of the other springs can be closed to swimming, seasonally (or longer!), due to things like high water levels, or restoration projects.

I think a Memorial Day weekend at Devil's Den should be more of a sure thing, in terms of the spring staying open, due to its unique and more tightly controlled environment, in a cave of sorts.

Devil's Den is not open to swimmers, but it's open to snorkelers, in addition to divers.

Choose your accommodation, with choices ranging from cabins, to RV spots, to tent camping.

I booked a camp site for Friday through Monday, but there are still cabins available, in case anybody is interested.

Once you figure out where you will be staying, we can figure out what we want to do over the weekend, other than a ninety minute snorkeling session at some point.

Hopefully we can also make time for a card ♦️ ♠️ ❤️ game or some s'mores.

Mike March
(305) 785-2174

Aerial photo of quarry garden and waterfall are taken from the nearby Cedar Lakes Woods and Garden, which is just down the road from Devil's Den.

cedarlakeswoodsandgarden.com