recomendations on places to hike/hang in south florida??

[Ozarkhillbender]

I'm getting dropped off in Miami Jan 18 and will be there for 8 days. I'm looking to hike and camp out, but I have no idea where to go. I have done no research as of yet so I'm open to any ideas.. would like to camp on the beach if its possible. Thinking I will head to the everglades or the keys

[olddog]

Just checked the Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State and none of the 9 listed in the Miami-Dade section have camping. The only sites listed in the Everglades section are limited to the National Park. We have 2 in our group, MADD777 and O-boy that come to central Florida from West Palm just to hang.

Now if you could readjust your schedule the 4th Annual Florida Hang is the week before you're coming down in Ocala National Forest.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ad.php?t=77085

[Gravity]

Biscayne National Park includes two camping sites, Boca Chita Key and Elliot Key. A few months ago they closed Elliot Key, the larger and more forested island, so check for status.

http://www.nps.gov/bisc/planyourvisit/camping.htm
http://www.key-biscayne.com/kb/keys/bocachita/
http://www.biscayne.national-park.com/camping.htm

[lilricky]

You could also hit the Florida Trail after a bit of driving on I-75. You could hike North or South from the I-75 rest area, although, not sure how long you could have your car parked there.... If you are familiar with GPX files, download the Florida Trail GPX file from my site in my signature below, it will show you the campsites on the Florida Trail near that area. If you're not familiar with GPX files, try downloading Basecamp, its a free GPX viewer from Garmin.

[O-Boy]

Places in South Florida are hard to find, but lilricky's recommendation will be about your best bet. Hope you have a mosquito net with you!!! A little bit farther north, 80 miles or so is Johnathan Dickinson State Park, with the Ocean (Atlantic) to Lake (Okeechobee) trail which is 65-70 miles long. However, you'll need to gather some permits to for some of that trail. My final suggestion is to contact the Florida Trail Association in Gainesville and get all the information and maps you'll need.

Good Luck!!!