In addition to putting together the "Historic Hiking Trails" book which covers the entire U.S., I have established over 150 new trails in the middle one-third of Florida. Each trail covers a community and its sites of historic and architectural importance, and by following a written hike plan you can learn quite a bit about the community.
Each trail has its own embroidered patch, available to anyone who hikes or bikes (or in one case, canoes) the trail.
Each of the trails has the name of the community or communities covered, plus the words "Historical Trail", and the patch contains a picture of a local building or something else which exemplifies that area. For example, the first one on the list below is named "Alachua Historical Trail", and the patch has a picture of the Alachua First Methodist Church.
Click on a community name below for a drawing of the patch and a summary of the trail. Some will also have hike plans that you can copy free right on your computer (if you want a copy of a hand-drawn map to go with it, send me a self-addressed stamped envelope and a note stating which one(s) you want).
The numbers in parenthesis below indicate the length of the trail in miles. All are "loop" trails, which end at the starting point, except for the one for Cape Canaveral-Cocoa Beach, which is essential a straight line ending about 9 miles sought of the starting point.
This leads to about 1000 links, not all of which have been recently tested. If any links do not work, please contact Steve Rajtar by e-mail at rajtar@aol.com and the problem will be rectified.
Alachua - (5.4)
Archer - (8.2)
Bellamy Road - (11.3)
Campville-Windsor - (16.8)
Cross Creek-Island Grove - (11.2)
Gainesville - (9.0)
Hawthorne - (3.7)
High Springs - (4.1)
La Crosse-Santa Fe - (7.8)
Micanopy - (10.3)
Newberry - (3.1)
Rochelle - (9.6)
University of Florida - (6.0)
Waldo - (3.1)
Cape Canaveral-Cocoa Beach - (9.9)
Cocoa-Rockledge - (8.0)
Eau Gallie - (4.8)
Melbourne - (8.9)
Melbourne Beach - (9.0)
Melbourne Village - (10.9)
Palm Bay - (9.4)
Titusville - (6.7)
Crystal River - (9.0)
Floral City - (7.3)
Homosassa - (5.6)
Inverness - (9.4)
Bunnell - (2.8)
Korona - (18.4 to 20.0)
Trenton - (2.8)
Brooksville - (7.0)
Citrus Park - (10.1)
Davis Islands-Hyde Park - (12.5)
Downtown Tampa - (6.3)
Plant City - (7.8)
Port Tampa - (10.0)
Ruskin - (8.0)
Seminole Heights - (4.2)
Tampa Heights - (4.1)
Temple Terrace - (5.1 & 12.5)
West Tampa - (11.0)
Ybor City - (6.7)
Fellsmere - (4.2)
Sebastian - (6.2)
Vero Beach - (5.9)
Altoona - (7.7)
Astor - (9.8)
Clermont - (8.7)
Eustis - (9.2)
Fruitland Park - (8.9)
Groveland-Mascotte - (9.5)
Lady Lake - (5.1)
Leesburg - (10.0)
Minneola - (7.0)
Montverde - (7.1)
Mount Dora - (9.7)
Paisley - (11.9 or 5.8)
Tavares - (4.4)
Cedar Key - (5.8)
Northern Levy County - (10.0)
Yankeetown - (9.1)
Belleview - (6.7)
Dunnellon - (7.7)
Fort McCoy - (6.0)
McIntosh - (5.7)
Ocala - (9.0)
Reddick - (4.2)
Apopka - (8.2)
Christmas - (7.2)
Downtown Orlando - (5.2)
Eatonville - (5.0)
Goldenrod - (8.9)
Historic Orlando Trail - (5.0)
Lake Apopka (Bike) - (56.5)
Maitland - (9.1)
Oakland - (11.1)
Ocoee - (7.4)
Orlando Greenwood Cemetery - (4.0)
Orlando Lake Cherokee - (4.4)
Orlando Lake Eola - (3.3)
Orlando Lake Ivanhoe - (8.0)
Orlando Lake Lucerne - (3.5)
Orlando Ten Commandments Hike - (n/a)
Orlando West Side - (4.3)
Pine Castle - (13.3)
Plymouth - (9.6)
Tangerine - (9.0)
Windermere - (10.0)
Winter Garden - (10.1)
Winter Park - (12.0)
Winter Park (Canoe) - (12.0)
Zellwood - (9.8)
Kenansville - (8.8)
Kissimmee - (11.3)
St. Cloud - (11.8)
Dade City - (9.0)
Elfers - (7.9)
Hudson-Bayonet Point - (9.0)
Lake Pasadena - (7.7)
Land O'Lakes - (7.5)
New Port Richey - (8.0)
San Antonio-St. Joseph - (11.3)
Trilacoochee - (6.9)
Zephyrhills - (7.8)
Anona (10.2)
Clearwater (10.1)
Dunedin - (10.6)
Gulfport - (9.9)
Indian Rocks Beach - (7.8)
Lake Maggiore - (11.0)
Largo - (6.4)
Oldsmar - (7.3)
Pasadena - (10.4)
Pass-A-Grille - (6.5)
Pinellas Point - (9.5)
Safety Harbor - (9.5)
St. Petersburg - (9.5)
Tarpon Springs - (12.9)
Auburndale - (4.1)
Babson Park - (5.7)
Bartow - (8.3)
Davenport - (5.1)
Fort Meade - (6.8)
Frostproof - (4.7)
Haines City - (7.2)
Lake Hollingsworth - (5.6)
Lake of the Hills - (9.4)
Lake Wales - (11.9)
Lakeland - (9.8)
Winter Haven - (9.0)
Crescent City - (8.0)
Interlachen - (6.0)
Melrose - (4.5)
Palatka - (10.5)
Welaka - (5.1)
Altamonte Springs - (11.3)
Forest City - (10.9)
Geneva-Chuluota - (9.9)
Lake Mary - (9.7)
Longwood - (7.8)
Oviedo - (7.0)
Sanford - (10.1)
Slavia - (2.7)
Winter Springs - (19.5)
Bushnell - (5.8)
Barberville - (10.3)
Daytona Beach - (12.0)
DeBary - (10.9)
DeLand - (11.7)
Deleon Springs - (11.1)
Enterprise - (9.8)
Lake Helen-Cassadaga - (9.5)
New Smyrna Beach - (9.6)
Oak Hill - (6.4)
Orange City - (15.6)
Ormond Beach - (7.4)
Pierson - (9.1)
Port Orange-Ponce Inlet - (11.0)
Seville - (10.8)
Tomoka - (13.1)
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