View Full Version : Hiking the FT thru Ocala state forest
I am coming to Fla. the end of the month and would like to hike the FT that runs thru Ocala state park. I ve been researching this and it seems to be about 70 miles.It said an average hiker should take 6-9 days to complete it. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in doing this with me or joining up for a day or two along they way. I also read that there are nice places to stop and camp every 8-10 miles.... any input about where to stop or what to expect would be greatly appreciated.Thanks
mmais68569
02-07-2011, 09:21
I have done most of what you are talking about & it is very easy. Once you get your legs under you, you will be doing 14 miles days & still have daylight left. As far as camping there are 4 National campgrounds along the trail. Clearwater Lake, Alexander Springs, Juniper Springs, & Hopkins Prairie, all charge a fee to camp. I know Alexander & Juniper are in the $22 per night range. With that said you can camp for free anyplace along the FT in the forest just pick a spot & set up camp to many spots to try to name.
As far as water there are many lakes along the trail but you WILL NEED TO USE A PUMP TYPE FILTER. There is also a muddy musty algae taste to the water that I do not like. Get water from wells Farles Lake Campground or from public systems at the above mentioned campgrounds. I will caution you the water from the well at Hopkins Prairie Campground is WORSE then the lake water.When I hiked through I asked the campground manager for some water.
When you get in the north forest there is a west corridor that goes west, you can take it & enjoy the Florida Greenway section of the FT.
Any questions ask & I will try to help.
Mike (Mr. Mean)
JaxHiker
02-07-2011, 11:50
The area between Alexander and Juniper is nice. I find Juniper to Hopkins kind of boring (though Hidden Pond is a nice site to stop). Farles is a nice little lake. If you don't get water at Farles there is Buck Lake a couple of miles south of it.
Spirit Walker
02-07-2011, 13:50
We hiked that last year. 66 miles in 5 days (short first and last days.) It was very nice, except for the prescribed burn we walked through. Lots of good camping, some nice swimming, easy walking.
As already pointed out this trip is easy. I do 10 miles in 4 hours with a day pack along any of the trail in the ONF. 5 days is max unless you stop to blue blaze or maybe take the paddle trip at Juniper. You can rent a boat and paddle a fairly challenging (by Florida standards) trip down the Juniper Springs run. If you decide to take the west trail to the Florida Greenway for a side trip there is one section that is closed because of a water bog but you can road walk around it. The FTA is planning to build a board walk over the bog but I don't think that's been done yet. You should enjoy the hike this is the right time of year for hiking in Florida.
This is great.. Thank you.I would appreciate some input on a starting and ending spot...The map I have show Alexander Springs being north about 6 miles from where it enters into the park. Is there specific points to start and end right at the parks boundaries.... Also does anyone know where I can get specific maps for the park that marks out campgrounds,water supplies and what each campground has to offer??? It seems I can hike from one campground to the next and do this in 4-5 days... Thanks for your patience...
Also is there any permits/or fees for hiking in Fla. state parks.
WingedMonkey
02-07-2011, 18:52
Also is there any permits/or fees for hiking in Fla. state parks.
Yes: Trails in Florida State Parks (http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/parkstrails.htm)
Ocala National Forest, however is a National Forest and charges for "use areas" and has many areas that are free including hiking trails. Ocala National Forest (http://fs.usda.gov/ocala)
mmais68569
02-07-2011, 21:30
The section of the Greenway that is closed will have a boardwalk built by the end of March. F troop is coming in the first of March with 60 college students to build it.
Mike ( Mr. Mean)
Spirit Walker
02-07-2011, 23:14
We had the FT map for that section. It was all we needed. We were dropped off at the southern end of the forest and walked north to the dam where our car was parked.
The section of the Greenway that is closed will have a boardwalk built by the end of March. F troop is coming in the first of March with 60 college students to build it.
Mike ( Mr. Mean)
Good to know. Thanks
Thanks all !!!! I will be on the trail the beginning of march.... If anyones interested in hiking for a day or so , let me know.... Im a slow hiker and like to take everything in. I also take alot of pics...anyones welcome.
off-pher
02-12-2011, 20:13
I might be able to part of the trail with you. From juniper to the spillway or dam.
PM me with the date you will be here.
runnergirl
02-13-2011, 16:28
Last spring break, my friends and I hiked from Buckman Lock (I think this is what it was called) to a highway 70 miles south where our ride picked us up (with 2 large pizzas). We completed the 70 mile hike plus a 3 mile out-and-back side trail (6 miles total) in 5 days. It was a beautiful hike with many accessible places to camp along the trail. They let us keep our vehicle at the lock for no charge and we picked it up at the end of the week. The scenery was nice at it seemed to change every couple miles. My favorite sections were Hopkins praire and Juniper springs. We ran into 3 hikers our whole time out. The water was very murky and algea-filled; we simply used bleach and no one got sick. Good luck!
I hiked between Alexander Springs and Salt Spring a few weeks ago. It was pretty enjoyable, except for some ticks here and there. Like 'MMais' says; dont plan on getting water at Hopkins Prairie, its no good. Also to repeat Jaxhiker....the pump at Buck lake is excellent water....The Rainbow people should be cleared out by now too, they were all over the place at Farles Prairie ....they seemed quite harmless but kind of messy.
JaxHiker
02-13-2011, 21:42
The pump at Buck Lake.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/fotomonkey/hiking/ocala/buck_lake/1223-2038-640.jpg
rainbow people ???? ok, it has my curiousity...I ll bite. WHo are the rainbow people?????
Gray Blazer
02-15-2011, 08:17
rainbow people ???? ok, it has my curiousity...I ll bite. WHo are the rainbow people?????
Oh boy. Here we go.
You can google them or search WB or just hang here and find out. They are basically wannabee hippies that attend the Rainbow Gatherings.
chiefiepoo
02-15-2011, 09:33
When you hear drumming all night, when you hear chanting from miles away. That's the rainbow people. Generally harmless folks. Unassimilated hippies. One word of caution that I always observe when hiking in Ocala NF. Never, ever camp overnight in an unstaffed remote site that can be accessed by road or is within sight of a road. Go up the trail aways, out of sight from random visitors. Some primitive sites that are road accessible attract unsavory locals for partying and occasional mayhem.
Thanks Chief , I usually use that as a rule of thumb anyways...
After researching this ,I find that the ocala forest has had their fair share of troubles in the past.I will be doing this section the first week of March and it is posted that these gatherings go from Feb. to March 3...
Im all for everyone having a good timebut my concerns are the meth labs and the rifff raff that goes along with this... Has anyone recently encountered any problems or has been threathened by any way...Also does anyone see a problem with me doing this section solo...Im abig strong person,but just don t need the headaches...im doing this to relax ,not bring back the bar fighting era of our youths...lol
Gray Blazer
02-15-2011, 10:39
Thanks Chief , I usually use that as a rule of thumb anyways...
After researching this ,I find that the ocala forest has had their fair share of troubles in the past.I will be doing this section the first week of March and it is posted that these gatherings go from Feb. to March 3...
Im all for everyone having a good timebut my concerns are the meth labs and the rifff raff that goes along with this... Has anyone recently encountered any problems or has been threathened by any way...Also does anyone see a problem with me doing this section solo...Im abig strong person,but just don t need the headaches...im doing this to relax ,not bring back the bar fighting era of our youths...lol
People dissapear in the forest, people get murdered and Big Foot lives there, but, this happens everywhere. Just be yourswlf and be aware.
I hike the ONF alone almost every week. I've never had a problem but I do not camp near roads or near any housing area's. A couple of weeks ago I came into a clearing and was looking a some young dudes standing near an old dodge van. One of them yelled "Hey mister, you seen any hippies?" I yelled back "what do they look like?" He says " kind of dirty, baggy cloths and long hair." I laughed and said "kinda like you then." he laughed and said "yea" . I don't think it ever occured to this guy that I was his age in the 60's. "Hippies my eye!"
maybe you could join me for a day or so ...
maybe you could join me for a day or so ...
I will assume you are asking me since I said I hike in the Forest every week. I might be able to meet up with you and hike some but here is my situation. During the week I do contract work for the State of Florida. Computer and network related fixes etc. Some days I have all day to hike and some days I only have a couple of hours. So I end up doing a lot of day hikes. The problem is I never know until the day before and sometimes the day of my work what my schedule is going to be. Let me know when you are starting and where and I'll do my best to meet you and do a little of the trail with you.
Sickmont
02-22-2011, 11:35
One of these days i have got to get up there to do some hiking. I get tired of all the scrub palms and the lack of shade and tree canopy down this way.
Heading out this weekend...Possibly Sun. or Mon. If anyones interested send me a ppm with a phone # and I will get in touch....Thanks all for your Thoughts and generosities... E
mmais68569
03-06-2011, 20:12
ERNMAN is on the trail headed north from Clearwater Lake trail head in the morning. I dropped him off this afternoon.
Mike
WingedMonkey
03-06-2011, 20:30
How far? to Buckman?
mmais68569
03-07-2011, 08:28
He is going to the HWY 19 bridge just before the locks, about 65 miles. I will pick him up on Friday.
Mike
WingedMonkey
03-14-2011, 22:46
He is going to the HWY 19 bridge just before the locks, about 65 miles. I will pick him up on Friday.
Mike
We gonna get a trail report? :sun
Gray Blazer
03-15-2011, 08:00
We gonna get a trail report? :sun
What do you want to know? Lots of sand, palmettos and pine trees with a few bears thrown in and a panther or two.
WingedMonkey
03-15-2011, 14:30
What do you want to know? Lots of sand, palmettos and pine trees with a few bears thrown in and a panther or two.
I have been on about every inch of Ocala. Some ancestors even homesteaded there more than a century ago. I would like to know how a visitor enjoyed it. Perhaps someone on a first visit would see more than sand and pine trees, I know I do.
Would you mind documenting any panther sightings on the Forest for me? I'm a big fan of their preservation and have never heard of any verified north of Lake Okeechobee in recent history.
True you may be lucky to see a bear or two since Florida stopped allowing hunting of them on Ocala. I have seen them several times.
:sun
Gray Blazer
03-16-2011, 09:26
I saw a black panther near Wacahoota about 25 years ago. The locals knew about him and said he lived in an abandoned house. Two of my boys saw Big Foot near Buck Lake and I have seen several bears in ONF and Etoniah Creek State Forest. Also, eagles, otters and bobcats. Lots of wildlife in FL.
WingedMonkey
03-16-2011, 12:39
Ok, maybe the black panther is Bigfoot's pet.
Jeremiah Greenjeans
05-04-2011, 10:32
I hike the ONF alone almost every week. I've never had a problem but I do not camp near roads or near any housing area's. A couple of weeks ago I came into a clearing and was looking a some young dudes standing near an old dodge van. One of them yelled "Hey mister, you seen any hippies?" I yelled back "what do they look like?" He says " kind of dirty, baggy cloths and long hair." I laughed and said "kinda like you then." he laughed and said "yea" . I don't think it ever occured to this guy that I was his age in the 60's. "Hippies my eye!"
Only in Florida...
Being from Ocala, I hiked a small part of it around Hopkin's Praire. Do you have a favorite part in the forest? Somewhere I should check out on my second hike?
mmais68569
05-06-2011, 20:31
I would recommend Clearwater Lake Trail Head to Hopkins Prairie.
Mike