Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Florida / Central Florida

Citrus Hiking Trail (Withlacoochee State Forest)

Citrus Tract, Withlacoochee State Forest, Florida Forest Service (near Inverness)

The Citrus Hiking Trail in Withlacoochee State Forest near Inverness is one of Florida’s longest backpacking loops, a network of about 39 miles that Florida Hikes describes as rugged by Central Florida standards: rocky, hilly terrain, sinkholes, and trailside caves. The Florida Trail Association built and maintains it, and part of the statewide Florida Trail runs through all four loops.

Water is the big planning challenge here. Most of the trail is dry.

The hike

The Florida Forest Service says the Citrus Tract covers about 50,000 acres. Florida Hikes says connector trails break the Citrus Hiking Trail into four loops, labeled A, B, C, and D, and that the trail system was established and is maintained by the Florida Trail Association. Busy in Florida names Dames Cave, Lizzie Hart Sink, and Stage Pond among its points of interest.

The trip starts at Holder Mine. Florida Hikes says it’s the only official parking area for overnight hikers, in the northeastern corner of the forest, with an FT sign and kiosk at the trailhead. The Florida Forest Service’s map shows both Holder Mine and Mutual Mine as starting points for the loop system.

AllTrails describes the A Loop’s terrain as soft sand alternating with firmer, rockier patches where limestone shows through, with short dips that can hold water and turn slick after rain. It says navigation depends on painted blazes and signed junctions. Florida Hikes describes the D Loop crossing paved CR 480 into a deeply shaded hardwood forest and passing the Taylor Camp Zone.

Water is scarce. The Florida Forest Service says drinking water is available at the Holder Mine and Mutual Mine trailheads and at the Tillis Hill Recreation Area, and suggests caching water at forest road crossings before longer, hot-weather, or overnight trips. Florida Hikes says the reliable sources on the full loop are two horse water cisterns, one off-trail pitcher pump, one large pond, and a long side trip to Mutual Mine. It suggests TR-13, the main north-south forest road, for reaching trail crossings where caches can be hidden. A Backpacking Light poster who knows the forest says the western half is dry.

Hunting shapes the calendar. The Florida Forest Service says the Citrus Wildlife Management Area is open to hunting during seasons from September through April, and Florida Hikes calls it an extraordinarily popular hunting ground. It advises wearing blaze orange during all hunting seasons and doesn’t recommend backpacking during deer season. Florida Hikes also notes that camping access is limited during hunting seasons.

For shorter trips, AllTrails lists the 8.2-mile A Loop alone, with about 469 feet of gain, and notes that dogs are welcome on a leash. Florida Trail Hikers lists the Mutual Mine campground 1.6 miles east of the Florida Trail and the Holder Mine campground 1.1 miles east, for hikers planning around the developed sites. Wikipedia puts the whole Withlacoochee State Forest at about 157,479 acres.

The Citrus loop links to the wider Florida Trail. AllTrails lists a 21.5-mile section from Croom to Citrus and a section north from Citrus to the Cross Florida Greenway, where Florida Hikes says hunting isn’t permitted.

For another long Florida loop, see the Myakka Hiking Trail.

Tips

Camping

The Florida Forest Service says overnight primitive camping is allowed in designated primitive camp zones on Loops B, C, and D, first come, first served. Campgrounds with bathhouses at Holder Mine, Mutual Mine, and Tillis Hill require reservations. Florida Hikes says camping in Withlacoochee State Forest is only permitted in designated primitive campsites and recreation areas. Florida Trail Hikers adds that all Withlacoochee campsites are now set up for reservations on Reserve America, with walk-ins possible but not guaranteed, so check before you go.

Inside Intel: Plan your camps around water. Florida Hikes and a Backpacking Light poster both point out that the trail is mostly dry, and the Backpacking Light poster once saw Florida Trail Association volunteers caching water at a road crossing for a group hiking through. The developed campgrounds at Holder Mine, Mutual Mine, and Tillis Hill have water, but Florida Hikes says Mutual Mine now requires a camping reservation for any access.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Camping among the Citrus sinkholes:

Rocky, uneven ground in the Citrus Tract makes a good sleeping pad worth carrying. See which pads testers recommend.

See the picks →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.