Blue Loop

This trail is a 4.5 mile round trip through a variety of trail and land types in this wilderness area. The trail starts from a small parking lot on Howard Ave. The first portion of the trail goes through a hardwood swamp and is a mix of singletrack and boardwalks over the wetter areas. After about a mile the trail emerges from the swampy area into drier pine woods. At this point the trail joins a network of fire roads and consists of doubletrack for the rest of the distance until your return. The route is well marked with blue arrows at major intersections and the county has set up numbered trail safety markers periodically if you are tracking your progress on a map. The roads are mostly solid and grassy, but become quite sandy in the far northeastern portion of the loop. About 1.5 miles from the trailhead the trail splits into the loop portion and again is well marked. This portion of the hike is more open and provides the best chances for seeing birds and other wildlife. There are also several small rain shelters set up along the route in case you get surprised by Florida weather. After completing the loop, follow the same trail you used on the outbound trip back through the swampy area to the trailhead.