Day Trippin' › Florida › From Orlando › Best hikes
Our picks for the best hikes within 3 hours of Orlando: 31 places, 4 under an hour away, 16 between 1 and 2 hours and 11 between 2 and 3 hours, counted by road time from ZIP 32801.
We put first the places with a real photo, a well-known name, a family-friendly note and an official site, then list the rest by drive time. The closest is Wekiwa Springs State Park, 33 min northwest of Orlando.
Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours
Photo: Moni3 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
#1 · Island · 52 min north
A car-free island in the St. Johns River, reached by a free ferry, with trails and a shell mound.
Heads-up: Last ferry leaves the island one hour before sundown.
Photo: Tupelo the typo fixer, CC BY-SA 4.0
#2 · Bike trail · 1 hr 6 min west
Florida's longest paved rail trail, about 46-47 miles through small towns and forest.
Heads-up: Pick a section; bring water.
Photo: Intergalacticz9 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
#3 · Historic site · 1 hr 32 min north
Take a short free ferry to a small Spanish fort on a marsh island. Nice nature trail at the visitor center too.
Heads-up: Free boarding passes go fast, often by 11 am. Ferry runs weather permitting.
Photo: LittleT889, CC BY-SA 4.0
#4 · Hike · 1 hr 34 min west
Quiet trails and a long loop through salt marsh and pine flatwoods on the Nature Coast. Great for birding and biking.
Heads-up: Open 8 a.m. to sunset. Little shade on some trails, so bring water and bug spray.
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
#5 · Bike trail · 1 hr 43 min northwest
A 16-mile paved rail trail through forest and along Paynes Prairie.
Heads-up: Bring water; little shade in places.
Photo: User:BucsWeb, Public domain
#6 · Bike trail · 1 hr 47 min southwest
Paved trail of over 40 miles from Tarpon Springs through Dunedin to St. Petersburg. Lots of food stops on the way.
Heads-up: Crosses many busy roads. Little shade in places. Dunedin is a fun midpoint.
Photo: The original uploader was Mwanner at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
#7 · Springs · 33 min northwest
A clear, cool spring swimming area close to Orlando, with paddling and trails.
Heads-up: All day visitors need a reservation, including passholders.
Photo: Mwanner at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
#8 · Lake · 49 min west
Rolling hills and a string of lakes near Clermont, with swimming, paddling and trails.
Heads-up: Swim area rules.
Photo: Sudhir Viswarajan;, CC BY-SA 3.0
#9 · Wildlife · 53 min east
Black Point Wildlife Drive is a 7-mile loop full of wading birds, gators and winter ducks.
Heads-up: Pay with fee envelopes when the visitor center is closed. Best birding in winter.
Photo: Mwanner at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
#10 · State park · 1 hr 16 min southwest
Rare Class II rapids on a Florida river, shady trails, paddling and a campground close to Tampa.
Heads-up: Open 8 a.m. to sunset. Some trails and buildings were closed after storms.
Photo: Operator 16, CC0
#11 · Wildlife · 1 hr 37 min northwest
A huge open prairie where wild horses, bison and alligators roam. Climb the tower for the view.
Heads-up: Keep well back from bison, horses and gators. Hot in summer.
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
#12 · Historic site · 1 hr 38 min northwest
The Cross Creek farm home of the author of The Yearling, with gardens and trails.
Heads-up: No tours Aug-Sep. Tours stop when the heat index is 103 or higher.
Photo: Brandon Moore (Raskuly), CC BY 4.0
#13 · Hike · 1 hr 41 min south
Boardwalks through old cypress swamps and giant oaks, one of Florida's first state parks.
Heads-up: Tram runs 11 am and 1 pm in winter season.
Photo: “Jon Zander(digon3)”, CC BY-SA 3.0
#14 · Historic site · 1 hr 45 min north
Climb 219 steps up a black and white striped lighthouse for big views of the old city and the ocean.
Heads-up: Free parking. Climb has height limits for kids.
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
#15 · Wildlife · 1 hr 45 min southeast
America's first national wildlife refuge with trails and an observation tower over the lagoon.
Heads-up: No pets or bikes.
Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park (1 hr 50 min), Honeymoon Island State Park (1 hr 54 min), Guana Tolomato Matanzas Research Reserve (1 hr 54 min), Caladesi Island State Park (1 hr 55 min), Ravine Gardens State Park (1 hr 58 min), De Soto National Memorial (2 hr 2 min), Fort Caroline National Memorial (2 hr 15 min), O'Leno State Park (2 hr 16 min), Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse (2 hr 24 min), Jonathan Dickinson State Park (2 hr 29 min), Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park (2 hr 32 min), Big Talbot Island State Park (2 hr 33 min), Suwannee River State Park (2 hr 46 min), Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve (2 hr 50 min), Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (2 hr 51 min), Fort Clinch State Park (2 hr 56 min)
Our top picks are Hontoon Island State Park (52 min), Withlacoochee State Trail (1 hr 6 min), Fort Matanzas (1 hr 32 min), Crystal River Preserve State Park (1 hr 34 min) and Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail (1 hr 43 min). The page lists 31 places in all.
31: 4 under an hour away, 16 between 1 and 2 hours and 11 between 2 and 3 hours, by road from ZIP 32801.
Wekiwa Springs State Park, about 33 min northwest of Orlando.
8 need no pass or fee, including Hontoon Island State Park, Fort Caroline National Memorial and Fort Matanzas. Fees change, so check each place.
17 of the 31 list themselves as open year-round. Places with a season say so on their card; check hours before you go.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner); places under 25 minutes away count as in town. Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.