{"id":282672,"date":"2026-05-24T10:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T10:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/282672\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T10:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T10:30:10","slug":"new-hikers-guide-to-the-sunshine-state-features-1000-trails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/282672\/","title":{"rendered":"New ‘Hiker’s Guide to the Sunshine State’ features 1,000+ trails"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is there any good hiking in flat Florida? Absolutely, say the co-authors of a new statewide hiking guide that encompasses more than 1,000 Sunshine State trails.<\/p>\n

Florida Hikes founder Sandra Friend teamed up with Central Florida-based writer Chris Stevens to craft \u201cHiker\u2019s Guide to the Sunshine State,<\/a>\u201d a guidebook with footpaths from the Panhandle to the Keys. Each listing was meticulously researched, hiked and rated by the pair, who fanned out across the state and spent years exploring.<\/p>\n

A lot has changed since the first edition came out in 2005 with around 580 hikes, Friend said. This second edition ($29.95 from University Press of Florida<\/a>) has double the trails, focusing on 46 cities, towns and metros across the state with high concentrations of trails.<\/p>\n

\"SandraSandra Friend and Chris Stevens explored hundreds of trails each to compile the “Hiker’s Guide to the Sunshine State,” a second-edition guidebook. The final book has more than 1,000 trails from the Panhandle to the Keys. (Courtesy Sandra Friend)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were some real surprises this time around. There are so many new public lands and new trails since I worked on the initial one. There were places I\u2019ve never been,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving the Florida Hikes website,<\/a> now 20 years old, gave me a basis on what was worth checking into again to make sure it was still interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Florida Hikes still serves as a trusted online resource, many outdoor enthusiasts will find a benefit from holding a paperback guide with more than 400 pages of hiking suggestions and maps divided by region. Each chapter notes recommended hikes, featured trails, pet-friendly excursions and accessible hikes, plus campgrounds in the area to utilize as base camps.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many unique hikes across the state, they are hard to compare,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cI do tend to like the Panhandle and South Florida. Once you get to know the difference between ecosystems and how different everything is, it\u2019s really hard to pick favorites. Travel the whole state if you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Small<\/p>\n

Patrick Connolly\/Orlando Sentinel<\/p>\n

Small tributaries of the Econlockhatchee River pop up during a hike at Hal Scott Regional Preserve and Park in Orlando. (Patrick Connolly\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

In Central Florida, Hal Scott Regional Preserve and Park and Oakland Nature Preserve are highlighted as featured hikes. Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake<\/a>, Dickson Azalea Park, Kelly Park, Mead Botanical Garden, Moss Park, Orlando Wetlands and Savage Christmas Creek Preserve are a few of the destinations mentioned in Orlando\u2019s backyard. Accessible hikes include Leu Gardens<\/a>, Lake Eola Park, the Lake Baldwin Trail and the West Orange Trail.<\/p>\n

All the hikes were rated, and the lowest-ranked ones were dropped from the list, leaving a final selection curated for quality outdoor excursions. Now 20 years older than when the first edition came out, Friend gave a different kind of consideration to trails she once thought were lackluster.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Patrick Connolly\/Orlando Sentinel<\/p>\n

A gopher tortoise makes its way across the ground at Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake. (Patrick Connolly\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I worked on the first book, I was very picky back then about not including places that were what I called at the time \u2018driveway trails.\u2019 These were a forest road or a two-track, things that I thought were boring,\u201d she said. \u201cNow that I\u2019m older and wiser, I realize they work for people my age. They\u2019re a lot more comfortable to hike.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in going outdoors and hiking skyrocketed along with traffic on the Florida Hikes website, allowing Friend to hire contract workers like Stevens. The pair also worked together on the fifth edition of \u201cThe Florida Trail Guide<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friend is now turning her attention to fiction writing after publishing this book, her final hiking guide. She is passing the torch to Stevens, who is frequently joined on adventures by his wife Chelsey and their 2-year-old son, Torrey. Both of them appear on the cover of the guidebook.<\/p>\n

\"SandraSandra Friend and Chris Stevens explored hundreds of trails each to compile the “Hiker’s Guide to the Sunshine State,” a second-edition guidebook. The final book has more than 1,000 trails from the Panhandle to the Keys. (Courtesy Sandra Friend)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m incredibly honored and grateful to Sandra for having that faith in me and taking me under her wing to teach me the ropes and stuff with this. I was always interested in writing, but never thought it never thought I\u2019d be here today,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cI think it\u2019s an incredible resource for people, and then having the books and everything else helps get people outdoors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stevens said that\u2019s what it might take to help save wild Florida, which is increasingly threatened by the kind of sprawling development both authors saw during their research.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat hit me hard was how much of Florida\u2019s farmland and ranchland has been turned into subdivisions,\u201d Friend said, with Stevens adding: \u201cYou have to get out into nature in order to appreciate it. To save these wild spaces, and to perhaps slow the development and have public appreciation for these lands, you have to get out and hike them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"3.6<\/p>\n

Patrick Connolly \/ Orlando Sentinel<\/p>\n

Dickson Azalea Park in Orlando offers 3.6 acres of natural space for visitors to explore and is one of the more urban hikes mentioned in the “Hiker’s Guide to the Sunshine State.” (Patrick Connolly\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

In an era when most everything is digital, Friend and Stevens take pride in doing everything without using AI or secondary sources.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlorida Hikes is 100% researched in person by real people,\u201d Friend said. \u201cIt has never been crowdsourced in any way.\u201d<\/p>\n

To order \u201cHiker\u2019s Guide to the Sunshine State,\u201d visit floridapress.org<\/a> or bookshop.org<\/a>. For more outdoor destinations and guides, visit floridahikes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Find me\u00a0@PConnPie on Instagram<\/a>\u00a0or send me an email:\u00a0pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at\u00a0orlandosentinel.com\/newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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