Florida Factoid Friday

America's first man-made land bridge, opened in 2000, connects trails on the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway across six lanes of Interstate 75 near Ocala. The bridge is 52 feet wide, 200 feet long, and landscaped with trees and other natural vegetation.

Florida Named Best Trails State

News from the Florida State Parks E-Newsletter for December 2008

Florida Named Best Trails State by American Trails

The Best Trails State Award was presented to the State of Florida, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Greenways & Trails on November 17, 2008, during the National Trails Symposium in Little Rock, Arkansas. This first ever “Best Trails State Award” by American Trails recognizes Florida’s success in facilitating an outstanding statewide system of trails.

Most of Florida’s 160 state parks offer trails for hiking, bicycling, mountain biking, paddling or horseback riding. The hiking trails at Torreya State Park in the panhandle rival those of the Appalachian Trail. Oleta River State Park in Miami, Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound and Alafia River State Park south of Tampa offer mountain biking trails. Canoeists and kayakers enjoy paddling trails across the state. From Long Key State Park in the Florida Keys, to the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail that stretches 170 miles from White Springs to the Gulf of Mexico, December’s mild weather is the perfect time to plan an adventure.

The nearly 1,000-mile long Florida National Scenic Trail connects ten state parks with diverse natural areas across Florida.