Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Florida / Central Florida

Florida Trail on the Cross Florida Greenway (Ross Prairie to Santos and Beyond)

Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, Florida State Parks Office of Greenways and Trails (south of Ocala)

The Florida Trail follows the Cross Florida Greenway south of Ocala for about 44 miles, between the Withlacoochee and Ocklawaha Rivers. Florida Hikes calls it a prime destination for backpacking, crossing sandhills, oak hammocks, and hilly karst terrain with sinkholes and fern-covered boulders. It also crosses Florida’s first wildlife land bridge over an interstate.

There’s no hunting on this corridor, which makes it a good fall choice, and primitive camping needs only a free permit.

The hike

Florida State Parks manages the Greenway and says it’s also a wildlife corridor, the first in Florida to have a land bridge across a major interstate that both trail users and wildlife use. It notes that black bears use the Greenway as a major corridor, especially at the eastern end near the Ocala National Forest. Florida State Parks lists the trail sections west to east, including Ross Prairie, Shangri-La, the Land Bridge Trailhead, Santos, Baseline Road, and Rodman.

Florida Hikes says the Greenway provides a 39-mile corridor for backpacking the Florida Trail where hunting isn’t permitted. It warns that portions are high and dry with limited water, so logistics planning is crucial.

Near the western end, Florida Hikes describes the 6.5-mile segment from Ross Prairie to SW 49th Ave as rugged and interesting, with hilly terrain past fern-covered boulders and large sinkholes beneath the pines. It says there are designated campsites just west of the Ross Prairie connector and just east of the SW 49th Ave trailhead. The Ross Prairie Loop, which circles the largest prairie on the Greenway, has a designated campsite with a picnic bench and fire ring up a blue-blazed side trail.

East of there, Florida Hikes describes the segment from SW 49th Ave to the Land Bridge Trailhead, with sand pines, ancient oaks, a massive dune-like slope, and the Land Bridge over I-75. From the Land Bridge to Santos, about 6.7 miles, the trail winds around horse farms through oaks and longleaf pine. Florida Hikes notes a spot around 4.3 miles that looks suitable for a dry primitive campsite, near a stand of skinny longleaf pines.

Farther east, the trail heads toward Rodman and the Ocala National Forest. An AllTrails reviewer who hiked the full section to the Ocala over four nights called it spectacular, especially from Marshall Swamp on. Another mentioned some climbing, a few downed trees that were easy to get around, and the need to be careful at road crossings.

Only in Ocala describes Ross Prairie Trailhead, at the southern end, as on SR 200 about 12 miles west of I-75 Exit 350, with 14 campsites with water and electric hookups plus a separate equestrian area.

The camping rules are simple. Florida Hikes and Florida Trail Hikers say the Office of Greenways and Trails requires a free permit for primitive camping, obtained by calling 352-236-7143, and that Florida Trail Association members can carry their membership card instead. Florida Hikes recommends checking in either way, since parts of the corridor are near urban areas. It says each primitive campsite has a picnic table and fire ring and fits only a few tents.

For a hilly Central Florida loop nearby, see the Citrus Hiking Trail.

Tips

Camping

Primitive camping on the Greenway is at designated campsites, with a free permit from the Office of Greenways and Trails or a Florida Trail Association membership card. Florida Hikes says each site has a picnic table and fire ring and fits only a few tents. Developed campgrounds at Ross Prairie, Shangri-La, Santos, and Rodman, reserved through the state system, are base-camp options.

Inside Intel: Florida Hikes points to the designated campsite on the Ross Prairie Loop, up a blue-blazed side trail, as a convenient first stop, and suggests the quieter Shangri-La Campground as a good base for the area. An AllTrails reviewer who did the whole section in four nights found the eastern miles, from Marshall Swamp on, the most memorable.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Prairie miles from Ross Prairie to Rodman:

The Greenway's primitive sites fit only a few tents, and portions of the corridor are high and dry. Is a pricey shell worth carrying here? We compared the Beta SL with two cheaper options.

Read the comparison →

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.