The Citrus Hiking Trail earns itself the title of the most rugged of trails for hiking in Florida. Although it presents a challenge, the trail remains easily followed thanks to regular grooming and clearly-defined footpaths.
Begin by parking your car at Holder Mine, where you’ll pay $5 per day while backpacking. With few water sources, consider this a dry trail and plan accordingly.
If you don’t want to tough it out in nature over four days, never fear! Check maps for forest roads to break up the trail into a comfortable day hike. You can always come back and tackle more each time you visit.
On your first and second day, you’ll pass through groves of live sand oaks and Bull Sink. Make your camps at the Dixieland Equestrian Trail and Taylor Campsites respectively.
On day three, you’ll leave the denser forest and encounter a reliable water source at Stage Pond, where stage coaches once stopped. Make your camp at Mutual Mine on soft pine needles.
On the last day of your hike, you’ll move into open grasslands through sandy hills. Make sure to stop at the biggest cave in Florida before looping back to Holder Mine to complete the hike.
