View Full Version : Moving to Florida, looking for an area with good hiking!
joshuauaerbach
08-24-2014, 09:23
So I've decided to move to Florida, tired of the snow! I've been in Pennsylvania for over 20 years now. I'm trying to decide which area of Florida to live in. I'm looking for area that has a lot of good hiking and camping that is within an hour drive of some nice beaches as well. Any suggestions?
seminoles
08-24-2014, 09:35
Northwest Florida: Panama City, Panama City Beach, Destin, Walton County.
Came here from Chicago in 1979 and stayed!
atmilkman
08-24-2014, 10:26
Moved to SFL back in 1969 and although I have enjoyed the Everglades immensely and the knowledge gained there within as a swampbilly (that's what the surf boys used to call us - we called them pier rats) I have to agree with seminoles on the Panhandle. We've got family in Pace, FL - outside of Pensacola and really enjoy that entire area such as Blackwater River SP and the FNST in that area that goes up to Alabama. Don't get me wrong I really like the hiking in the southernmost part of the state, it's just that the weather in NFL (Flabama) is a little more tolerable all year long except for right now in the dead heat of the summer. Your hiking season is longer up that way. We live in N Alabama and winter in SFL and stop and stay in the Panhandle on our way down. It's nice there. Different. Good people.
If you are looking for hills...up by tally has a few. I hike at Alafia River State Park several times a week. Not many hills but so e nice trails. The Florida Trail takes you through so e nice areas but also a lot of road walking. I regularly see gators and such on my hikes. You will be happy to know that WaWas have arrived recently on Florida.
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be ready for insufferable heat and humidity and bugs here in Florida in the summers. I'm not sure which is worse, the long PA winters or the long FL summers. That said, I agree with Seminoles, the NW Fla beaches from Pensacola to St. George Island are real nice.
I've lived all over Florida and most of the state meets your stated requirements. That said, depending on your climate preferences, south of Daytona is where the Gulf Stream affects the climate somewhat. It becomes more tropical down there. As you get further north, there is more cooling during the winter. Not PA cold, but distinctly cooler than south of Orlando/Daytona. Summers can be brutal anywhere in the state.
I prefer the cooler (again, FL standards) of the Panhandle. Anything along the I10 corridor is great with me. White Springs is sometimes mentioned as being as close to a trail town as we have here. College towns aren't bad, especially if one stays at least a mile or two away from campus. Other than that, I lean away from cities as I'm just not a city person.
I live on two acres outside a small town near Tallahassee. Lots of woods and I even have a stream in my backyard. Tallahassee is a decent college town and also state capitol, so plenty to do in less than a 30 minute drive. If you like I wrote a PDF guide of short trails in the area. PM your address and I can send it to you to help you explore (anyone welcome to this). More than 30 nice trails within an hour or so of Tallahassee. Canoeing is also popular around here and the gulf beaches of St. George Island (an hour from Tallahassee) are often rated in the top ten in the country.
If you have any specific questions on areas, please ask.
I forgot to mention, cost of living rises sharply as one moves further south. In the Panhandle one can live fairly inexpensively. Stay a few miles outside of a large town (where the jobs are) and the cost goes down further. For example, one can get a nice home in Tallahassee (job hub for the area) starting around $150K. One can also spend over a million of one so desires. One can find homes, depending on neighborhood and condition, under $100K. I saw several places inside city limits starting at $10K (older single wide mobile home with small lot) and several at around $25K (site built fixer uppers in neighborhoods that you might not want to leave your family alone if you had to go out of town on business for a week but otherwise convenient locations). If you don't mind living in the country, getting a reasonable place under $100K is very do-able. I suppose this depends on ones definition of reasonable (smile) but I don't think my idea is too far out.
life scout
08-26-2014, 17:00
Ocala. Has the cross florida greenway trail. About an hour from both coasts and Disney. As well as home to the ocala national forest. With lots of outdoor activities.
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WingedMonkey
08-26-2014, 22:21
Florida is full.
New York and New Jersey should be empty by now, try there.
:sun
chiefduffy
08-27-2014, 08:18
Pensacola is amazing. Lots of work, low cost of living, very small city(downtown is all sidewalk cafes), uncrowded beaches. Near Blackwater River State forest, with lots of trails, rivers, lakes.
Riocielo
08-27-2014, 13:58
Never underestimate the effects of the humidity/heat combination in the South. Drink more than you think you should and use every tool to stay cool (Frozen water bottles -will melt fast, frozen towels, etc.)
Hubby & I just got back from a 10 Mile walk and the "feels like" temp is 105°.
Also be prepared for seven months of summer and almost no winter. (February's ice storm was a novelty for us all down here. Everything shut down - except the hospitals. Of course, being a nurse, that's where I had to be. )
Also, enjoy all the wonderful abundance of water sports in our area. We especially love kayaking.
You will find few true hills, but there are so many outdoor opportunities -and for most of the year- you will find plenty to do.
Spirit Walker
08-27-2014, 20:56
From my visits there, and correspondence with friends, I'd choose Tallahassee, if I were to move to Florida. It's not as crowded as central Florida, it has hills and interesting hiking and boating, plus nice beaches and wilderness areas. Southern Florida is too miserably hot and humid, year around. Central Florida is a zoo, unless you go inland to ranch country.
MuddyWaters
08-27-2014, 22:29
As in most of the lowland southeast, camping and hiking is an oct-april activity. Summer months are just plain unpleasant
.
lilricky
09-01-2014, 15:38
I would have to agree with Lifescout, the Ocala area has tons of pristine hiking/camping areas along with alot of history. Just do us a favor, when you come down, please don't bring ideas like a state income tax, mandatory union memberships for getting a job, and the idea that more government is good government. No offense, but that sort of thing will kill a state. That being said, welcome to Florida! :)
rocketsocks
09-01-2014, 17:11
Florida is full.
New York and New Jersey should be empty by now, try there.
:sun
The Vill-a-ges
Flo-ri-das friend-li-est home town. :D
send us your weary, your tired, your re-tired. ;)
theoilman
09-01-2014, 18:19
Last week we had 4 mornings with lows that got into the upper 60s in Tallahassee. Hiking season can't be too far away. Hiking season runs mid fall through the winter into mid spring. Definitely not in the summer!
lilricky
09-03-2014, 22:12
Funny you should mention that oilman, we're having a "Summer's Last Gasp" hang at Hidden Pond in the Ocala National Forest. If you guys are interested, check out the hang here: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?97534-FL-gt-ONF-gt-Hidden-Pond-gt-Sep-26-29-gt-The-Summer-s-Last-Gasp-Hang We even welcome tenters! ;)
he.who.forgets
09-06-2014, 18:23
Ocala is also a short drive away from hundreds of fresh water springs and endless paddling/floating opportunities. Check out this website too:
http://floridahikes.com/
I'm here in SoFla, and I can tell you this: listen to the other posters! Stay north! (Panhandle area is nice, and offers you more day-trip options.)
chiefiepoo
09-18-2014, 15:52
Tallahassee good for a small city. Forget Ocala, despite its favorable and central location, it's growing like a weed and is one of the hottest locations. Small town, Live Oak, FL has a very modest housing market and proximity to Suwannee River country.
Have a look here;
http://www.floridastateparks.org/wilderness/
JohnnySnook
09-18-2014, 16:20
I would area on staying north unless you have millions to spend south of Fort pierce or Vero. The west coat is even worse with retirees that have unlimited money to spend. On the east coast mainland Sebastian is nice. As long as you stay away from the coast and big $$$$ retirement areas you can find nice areas.
Alafia state park and surrounding areas have some great MTBing trails, same with santos along the greenway. So many good trails up there. Just rarely see hikers. Ocala has some bears to keep you on your feet. Even heard the panthers are moving north. Lots of springs around also.
Just remember MTB'ers rule most off the trails.
Whoops I'm a MTB'er looking to hike? Sorry guys. Just a fair warning.
Screw the west coast....water in the summer is like a bath tub and it's full of ol' farts in faded yella leisure suits driving equally faded yella Cadillacs at twenty nine miles an hour......come to the east coast, north of Sebastian and enjoy the waves....l
The florida trail is less than an hour away and you can hike the Ocala Forest along with the bears...
Of course, Florida is a big pool table and the only mountains are trash dumps covered in grass but the winters are pleasant and when you get old, well, the climate is good when your circulation starts packing up...
I am not a big fan of hiking in the everglades but Big Cypress preserve is something really special in the winter months. I have made the hike from the Alley to Tamiami about 5 times without GPS and it really grew on me. I also like Johnathon Dickinson in south Florida. I heard about a hard-core hike from Pa-hay-okee overlook to shark Valley in the Everglades but never had the guts to try it. :)
At 28 years old I'm guessing you will be looking for a job. That may dictate where your going to live but if you can, stay away from the big cities. Jobs in Fl don't pay nearly as well as jobs up north but one advantage is that there is no Fl income tax. Ocala is hot but it is close to a lot of outdoor recreation areas and the job market has some potential. Construction jobs in the Villiages south of Ocala are pretty plentiful. I personally hate the Villiages but others seem to like the life style. There are places in Fl your not going to find a lot of people your age :) So scope a place out before you decide.
I've lived in Florida since ... forever. Throwing in my $ 0.02 - I'd go for someplace nearer Atlanta. You get some Fall and Winter weather that Florida lacks. A cosmopolitan community and you're a _lot_ closer to mountains and hiking trails.
I've lived in Florida since ... forever. Throwing in my $ 0.02 - I'd go for someplace nearer Atlanta. You get some Fall and Winter weather that Florida lacks. A cosmopolitan community and you're a _lot_ closer to mountains and hiking trails.
+2 to this. Atlanta FTW...
overall hiking in Florida sucks, the terrain is flat, and nothing but sand, swamp, pines and palmettos, and an occasional oak. With the exception of a very few areas in NW Florida, and it's way too hot and humid except for only 3-4 months of the year.
off-pher
09-22-2014, 22:50
overall hiking in Florida sucks, the terrain is flat, and nothing but sand, swamp, pines and palmettos, and an occasional oak. With the exception of a very few areas in NW Florida, and it's way too hot and humid except for only 3-4 months of the year.
Plus 1 on this. good advice. Move to north Georgia better weather better hiking
good jobs and on and on and on.................................
Don't listen to them, they're just trying to keep you out ;)
Florida is beautiful, it just takes a little patience to understand that. I'm 28, have been living here my whole life and am ready to move on but there is a ton to explore down here if you're looking for a rewarding challenge. Parts of the state are still extremely wild. You don't get drop-to-your-knees-vistas but you get break taking fields of flowers in the spring (yes, we have a spring, despite what the northerners will tell you) and one of the few places in the East where you can still hike with big cats.
My best advice--don't limit yourself to land activities. Get a canoe, some snorkel gear, and maybe even SCUBA experience and get in the water--it's everywhere down here.
off-pher
09-26-2014, 19:54
not trying to keep anyone out.....
just stating fact...........you can hike during the
summer if you like HEAT, TICS, chiggers, red bugs
and those are the nice things.................
or you can move north and be happier............
and by the way I have lived in Florida all my life
also that's x2 yours Old man..........just sayin.............
joshuauaerbach
09-28-2014, 12:02
Well I made the move down! I played it smart. I work from home, so I can live anywhere and keep my job. I found a month to month, no lease rental for only 400 including utilites in Chiefland Florida. Not the most pleasant place in Florida, but there are plenty of springs and hiking trails and it is a good place to branch out and visit different areas. So far, St Augustine is my number one choice to live so looking for places there! Thanks for all of the feedback! And if anyone is near me and wants to hike sometime let me know!
Well I made the move down! I played it smart. I work from home, so I can live anywhere and keep my job. I found a month to month, no lease rental for only 400 including utilites in Chiefland Florida. Not the most pleasant place in Florida, but there are plenty of springs and hiking trails and it is a good place to branch out and visit different areas. So far, St Augustine is my number one choice to live so looking for places there! Thanks for all of the feedback! And if anyone is near me and wants to hike sometime let me know!
So did you move into one of the new High rises in Chiefland? :)
I found a ...in Chiefland Florida.
I've not been there but on the map its looks to be centrally located to plenty of hiking and kayaking/canoeing. Check out Cedar Key and Devils Millhopper, both a short drive from you.
Chiefland is located in an area of Florida called the Nature Coast, at one time called the big bend area. The tallest structure in Chiefland is the fire tower just south of town on Hwy 19. With no interstates nearby it feels like the Florida of the 50's. Not a bad thing in by oppinion.
In the summer, from sunrise to about 10 a.m. is beautiful for walking.
Wise Old Owl
12-31-2014, 21:29
So I've decided to move to Florida, tired of the snow! I've been in Pennsylvania for over 20 years now. I'm trying to decide which area of Florida to live in. I'm looking for area that has a lot of good hiking and camping that is within an hour drive of some nice beaches as well. Any suggestions?
Have you noticed by now tis a little FLAT? come back to PA and PUDS... Pointless Ups and Downs... :eek: You wouldn't understand - its PA Rocks.
faplache
01-09-2015, 00:04
I think Orlando is a great place, because you have Ocala National Forest there and you are middle of state so everywhere is not too far away to get to. If you really want to know about the outdoor activities in that area (of which there are many), there is a meetup website from florida trails/orlando. Those members will be able to provide you with all the activities in that area and all the trails. Good luck with your new and warmer life!
faplache
faplache
01-09-2015, 00:07
Check out floridatrails.org website, then go to the different chapters and events. should be enough to keep you very busy. A couple other websites that I have enjoyed going on trips with are paddleflorida.org and bikeflorida.org but that's if youre into multisports! Best of luck! Faplache
faplache
01-09-2015, 00:10
yeah, true, we don't really hike in the summertime down here. Outdoor activities like backpacking generally start in Oct or Nov until around March or April. And those bugs are definitely something to be prepared for. No fun at all! Faplache
LuckyMan
01-10-2015, 12:36
Consider some of the small towns in north Florida, such as DeFuniak Springs and Madison. Gainesville and Tallahassee and DeLand, which are larger and more expensive, have a lot of cultural as well as natural things to offer.
Fireonwindcsr
01-11-2015, 21:49
I'm in the Villages! I have to escape from the golf carts, pools, golf, liquor...... by doing a thru hike.