For recreation professionals and trail managers, September is a great time to plan events for Florida Greenways and Trails Month coming up in October. There are many ways to celebrate our state’s thousands of trails, from planning a physical event to simply making local trails better known to residents and visitors in your area.
The Office of Greenways and Trails is kicking off Greenways and Trails Month with First Day Bikes, a cycling focused event in Tallahassee at the Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail. Join us on the trail from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Oct. 1, to browse outdoor booths, participate in one of three scheduled bike rides, enjoy food trucks, and pick up a free bike helmet.
Interested in holding your own First Day Bikes celebration? Check out our new toolkit to get you started with event ideas, social media posts, and ready-to-use graphics. Don’t forget to send us your event information to share on our Community Trails Calendar!
For this month’s Outdoor Florida Webinar, our featured guest is Florida Environmental Public Health Tracking, a program of the Florida Department of Health. The Florida Tracking team offers a wide array of data and information, from how many county residents live within walking distance of a park to how you can recognize heat related illness when recreating outdoors. Sign up here to tune in live on Sept. 13.
Planning is underway for the 2027-31 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). We’re currently gathering information from recreation providers and outdoor professionals about what data they would like to see in the plan. Please take a moment to share your thoughts via our brief survey.
Coming up next month we’ll be revealing the finalist logos from Trust for Public Land’s Florida Gulf Coast Trail logo contest! Stay tuned to vote on your favorite design during Greenways and Trails Month.
Resources:
First Day Bikes Flyer and Schedule
The Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail (C2C) was conceived as an ambitious effort to create a continuous paved multi-use trail across the state of Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, the first state trail of its kind in the United States. It will span approximately 250 miles and is currently 88 percent complete. The trail will link communities between St. Petersburg and Titusville along its entire length, allowing residents and visitors to explore Central Florida by bicycle or foot. The trail is linking all or part of several existing multi-use trails and will be managed by a broad range of communities and agencies. The Coast-to-Coast Trail Alliance is coordinated by the Office of Greenways and Trails. Visit the website for more information on the C2C Alliance.
The Coast-to-Coast Story Map Guide is the culmination of efforts to create a practical, adaptable, accessible mode for communicating information about the trail including wayfinding, alternate routes for large gaps, amenities and local information.
The initial scouting and mapping of the 1,515-mile Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail (CT) was completed in 2007, but periodic updates are needed for a trail of this length and magnitude. For our latest map upgrade, we changed the appearance and scope of the 26 segment maps to make them clearer and more informative. Check them out on the CT segments page. We have also created a CT Story Map and a Suwannee River Wilderness State Trail Story Map.
With our sunny skies and active lifestyles, Florida’s residents and visitors enjoy exploring our many miles of trails. Trail safety is important, particularly where trails and roadways cross. We all need to do our part to protect one another and prevent accidents. Whether as a motorist or trail user, we have a shared responsibility to:
The Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Recreation and Parks joined together to put the spotlight on this important topic by developing a Trail Safety Video.
Feel free to share or download the video along with the extra information found below ... and remember to Always Put Safety First.
| More Trail Safety Information |
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| Trail Safety Poster |
| Trail Safety at Crossings |
For even more information on trail safety, please visit our assistance and resources section.
Do you enjoy hiking, biking, paddling or horseback riding? The Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT) within the Division of Recreation and Parks provides statewide leadership and coordination to establish, expand and promote non-motorized trails that make up the Florida Greenways and Trails System, pursuant to the Florida Greenways and Trails Act (Chapter 260, Florida Statutes). More can be found in the Office Overview and Historical Timeline.
"Florida's Growing Trail System" article in the March/April 2019 issue of Quality Cities Magazine provides an overview of Florida's trail system and Trail Town program.
To be included in OGT's online calendar, send regional and state event announcements to Doug Alderson.
Featured Publications: 2019-2023 Florida Greenways and Trails System Plan; Unpaved Non-Motorized Trail Guidelines; Trail Design Standards Infogram; 2023 Outdoor Recreation Economic Infographic; Establishing and Promoting a Paddling Trail or Blueways System.
Florida trails 500-plus miles in length:
Florida Bike Touring and State Trail Public Camping Options
Florida Bike Touring and State Trail Public Camping OptionsNone available at this time.
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Sign UpThe Florida Department of Environmental Protection is the state’s lead agency for environmental management and stewardship – protecting our air, water and land. The vision of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is to create strong community partnerships, safeguard Florida’s natural resources and enhance its ecosystems.
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