The sole mission of the Friends of the Florida Trail is the close the gaps on our Florida Trail – by any means required. In keeping with our mission, it is important that we recognize and congratulate the U.S. Forest Service, the Florida Trail Association, and their various partners for the significant progress they’ve made in closing the gaps the past year.
14.7 miles of roadwalk were removed from the Florida Trail in 2017. These sections included nearly 10 miles at the Choctawhatchee River Section, 2 miles at the Maggie Jones Section, 1.7 miles at the Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area, and 1 mile at Silver Springs State Park. Already this year, 8 miles of roadwalk has been removed due to a reroute near Micco Bluff Rd. that opened March 31st. Another 11 miles of roadwalk is expected to be removed from the Florida Trail by the end of this year.
Despite this important progress, the task at hand is still daunting. Of the 1300 miles in our Florida Trail, 268 have gaps – more than 20% of the total. We encourage all supporters of the Florida Trail to sign the petition by clicking here to help encourage the State of Florida to act to remove these roadwalks and ensure the Florida Trail’s posterity for generations to come.