Hiking: Ocala
The Big Scrub: there is nothing else like it in the world, this wilderness of prairies, ponds, oak hammocks, pine islands, and the scrub with its bright white sands, Florida’s desert born of the sands of ancient shorelines, where shimmering springs emerge to feed the landscape. Established in 1908 by Theodore Roosevelt as the first National Forest east of the Mississippi, the Ocala National Forest protects more than 700 square miles of this unique mosaic of Florida habitats. Chosen by Florida Trail founder Jim Kern as the ideal place to build a trail for backpacking, the Ocala National Forest saw the first blazes of the Florida Trail painted at Clearwater Lake Recreation Area in October 1966.
Today, this portion of the Florida Trail remains the most heavily-used by backpackers, the footpath distinct as it winds its way between saw palmetto, prairie grasses, and live oaks. The most popular part of the trail is the Juniper Prairie Wilderness, 8 miles of immersion into the scrub with no roads to interrupt your communion with nature, just the wind through the oaks and the rustle of Florida scrub-jays in the underbrush looking for acorns, and perhaps a footprint left behind by a Florida black bear.