🌴Suncoast Outdoors🥾

Withlacoochee State Forest is a wonderful place to be early in the morning! Let's start early from the Ridge Manor trailhead and give this trail a little LOVE! Note, I am not able to do prehikes so please be prepared for anything.

We will utilize the orange (river) and blue trails and enjoy a lovely combo of open sky and forest canopy, and pine needle/dirt and sugar sand trails that loosely follow the curves of the withlacoochee river. There's lots to see including the river, cliffs, cypress domes, oak hammocks, pine nurseries, wildlife, and hopefully a few colorful winter flowers.

Because of the season, this might be a bit of a wet or muddy hike and also there might be lots of sun. But if it happens to rain, I will still see you there anyway. We will hike at a moderate pace and take a 20 minute break for a snack. To do this hike, you must also have experience with hiking 7 miles in the heat.

On the day of the hike, please meet me before 730am at the pavilion next to the bathroom and the parking lot. We will leave promptly at 740am. Because of the early start time, please don't count on the trailhead bathrooms being open or water being available.

You will need at least 3 liters of water, snacks, bug spray, sunscreen, a hat, hikers, and anything else you deem necessary for your comfort. There are very few benches so you may want to bring a ground cloth to sit on during the snack break.

My number on the day of the hike is 813-713-2492.

.
This will be a 7 mile hike in Florida's punishing heat and humidity. We will be in a minimally maintained wilderness environment that may involve off trail bushwacking through dense vegetation. If you are not 100% sure of your ability to complete this, THIS EVENT IS NOT FOR YOU! Please do not put yourself and others at risk.

Heads up, there are no bathrooms here.
This is one of my favorite hiking trails. We checked it out last week and did the whole 7-mile loop.
It has changed a little and some parts of the trails still need some work. So, we might need to hike arounds some of the area and most of the bridges.

This will be a 7-mile hike loop at a relaxed pass but moving to beat the afternoon heat.

Your feet may get wet and muddy on this event depending on the weather.

Let begin our hike PROMPTLY please at 6:30 am.

We will meet at
Little Manatee River State Park, North Trail
17837 US-301
Wimauma, Fl. 33598
It is across the street from Saffold Rd and US-301

Please Read Full Description Before Signing Up

BYOK only. In April 2024, Mother Nature cut Honeymoon Island State Park into two. This formed a new pass connecting the Gulf of Mexico and St. Joseph Sound. Some call it "Pelican Pass" and others say it's "Bean Bag Pass". Whichever it is? It's a BEAUTIFUL place!

This will be an out and back of approximately 7.00 miles on the backside of Honeymoon Island State Park, which is the waters of St. Joseph Sound. We will not be paddling on the Gulf side of the island. Majority of the paddle is in, shallow clear waters, grassy flats and within no motor zones. But expect boat & watercraft traffic by the causeway as we depart and especially when we return. Great opportunity to see wildlife. Such as, dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, birds and if we're lucky the resident bald eagles who currently have two juveniles. Ending time is an approximate so, if you're in a hurry or on a time constraint then, this paddle is not for you.

Skill Level: Intermediate (please scroll to the bottom for skill level definitions) and you should be able to maintain at least a 2-2.5 mph speed and have comfortably done this distance, before.
Paddlers should have all proper safety equipment and check conditions before departure. All paddlers should always wear PFDs while on the water and leave a float plan. There are inherent dangers in any paddle sport. There are special hazards along the Florida coast due to shifting tides, changing wind and weather, shallow waters, and treacherous bottoms with soft mud, rocks, and oyster bars.
It is up to each paddler to be aware of these dangers, to accept and be prepared for the risks involved, and to be certain they have the skills to safely paddle in these conditions.

Launch: Address is for directional purposes. Dunedin Causeway, south side, and just west of Sail Honeymoon (look for the tiki hut and colorful kayaks). It's an easy launch as you can drive/park your vehicle right at the water's edge. There are no parking fees and restroom facilities are nearby.

Float Plan: We will wet our paddles at 8am, short paddle to the west and under the bridge that leads to Honeymoon Island State Park, make our way northward following the contour of the island and around the 3.75-mile mark we'll land at the pass/cove. Here we will spend at least an hour enjoying the area. Bring a chair and chill, do some shelling, swim, or stroll along the scenic beach. Or, if you'd like to paddle a little more. You can explore the protected waters of Pelican Cove. For our return, we'll head south generally in the direction which we came and staying on the backside of the island. But we'll take a more direct line to the launch, paddling by Grassy Key and back under the bridge to conclude our journey.

This is not a professional tour nor am I a professional guide.