Delights and Dangers of Hiking in Ocala

Florida is so blessed with amazing natural resources that state residents typically spend entire lifetimes without even seeing much of what is on offer! Generations of authorities responsible for economic development must get credit for all the jobs and revenue streams created in Florida, without losing the pristine values of rivers, forests, and eco-systems in the area. This state is an obvious winter vacation choice, not just for Americans, but for people seeking recreation throughout the world. Freedom from oppressive and heavy outer wear is something to which people that dislike severe winters can look forward at the latitude of Florida. However, it is not as though summers are unbearably hot in this sub-tropical area. Springs, lakes, rivers, and fresh water bodies of all shapes and sizes, blend harmoniously with rich and varied vegetation to provide cool and inviting habitats right until the first signs of autumn.

Any month is right for a Florida outdoor vacation, but choosing amongst the galaxy of sites available can be daunting. The term outdoor is important because it helps to set aside the world of theme parks, which are tempting and universal attractions of fame. The world of Walt Disney in Orlando includes ethereal gardens and extensive collections of plant and animal life forms as well. However, spending quality time in natural preserves has values which tended parks and vacation hotels cannot mimic. The deep blue waters of the Atlantic, blinding white sands, friendly manatees, and legendary marine turtles, are stars which beckon us to the myriad beaches of Florida, but the state’s thick and luxurious forests are determined suitors for the hands of vacationers! The forest service of the Department of Agriculture wields a heavy bat in favor of Florida’s inland reserves, for no beach can compete with the close encounters with nature that are integral to the garland of national forests in Florida. Ocala is an especially popular choice with adventure tourists, and this reserve has an abundance of assets to justify its global and avid following.

Hontoon Island: Take a Break and Explore “Real” Florida

Hontoon Island State Park—all 1,650 acres of it—lies in the middle of the beautiful St. Johns River, which flows from the teeming marshes west of Vero Beach to where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Jacksonville. The St. Johns has been designated an American Heritage River. It is Florida’s longest river.

Hontoon Island is accessible only by private boat (dock space, including overnight dockage, is available on a first come, first serve basis) or the park’s all-electric ferry, which passengers pick up at the landing at 2309 River Ridge Road (off State Road 44) in DeLand. The ferry operates from 8:00 a.m. until one hour before sunset.

Ichetucknee Springs

Ichetucknee Springs State Park is in north central Florida, about 40 miles north of Gainesville (home of the University of Florida and the Gators) and five miles north of Fort White, a little town that experienced a mini-boom once Ichetucknee went from a secret natural wonder on an unpaved, unmarked road on private property to a full-fledge state park in 1970. After meandering off from the Santa Fe, the Ichetucknee River flows into the Suwanee and, eventually, into the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Department of the Interior declared the Ichetucknee River’s head spring a National Natural Landmark in 1972.

Before long, Ichetucknee’s glory was no longer a secret. It became the most popular river for tubing in the world. In the peak summer months, upwards of five thousand people per day would grab an inner tube and float down the river. And that didn’t count people who came to picnic, swim, hike, kayak, canoe, snorkel and scuba dive the caves.