Compared to the Appalachian Trail, there aren’t a lot of books about the Florida Trail. What is especially lacking is first-person accounts of hiking it. As the authors of some of these books, we can tell you why: books about the Florida Trail don’t make enough money for publishers.
Most of these books were written because the people involved with them had a passion for the trail and/or took on the publication costs themselves.
Links lead to purchase points for books that are still in print. Books with a * are books about the trail experience. The rest are guidebooks to the trail.
DISCLOSURE: Many of these links lead to Amazon.com so you may purchase the item if you are interested in it. We earn a small commission on each purchase, which helps us fund our special events and programs.
A Chronological Florida Trail Bibliography
| Book | Year(s) | Author(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Walking the Florida Trail | 1985/1987/1988 | FTA/John Keller and Ernie Baldini |
| Florida Hiking Trails | 1991 | FTA/Nancy Gildersleeve |
| Hiking Guide to the Florida Trail | 1988/1992 | FTA/Nancy Gildersleeve |
| From Here to There on the Florida Trail | 1998/1999 | Susan Roquemore and Joan Hobson |
| Long Distance Backpacking the Florida Trail | 1998/1999 | FTA/Rick Gushe editor |
| Along the Florida Trail* | 2003 | Sandra Friend and Bart Smith |
| Florida Trail Companion Guide for Long Distance Hikers | 2003/2005/2007 | FTA/Sandra Friend |
| The Florida Trail: The Official Hiking Guide | 2004 | Sandra Friend |
| Hiking the Florida Trail* | 2008 | Johnny Molloy |
| The Florida Trail Data Book | 2008-2016 | Florida Trail Association |
| Florida Any Way You Can* | 2011 | Steve Sheridan |
| The Florida Trail Guide | 2013/2015/2017 | Sandra Friend and John Keatley |
| The Florida Trail End to End* | 2015 | Mike Umbarger |
| The Florida Trail: Florida's National Scenic Trail* | 2016 | Sandra Friend and John Keatley |
In addition to the above books, there are more books that include the Florida Trail as part of a larger discussion on hiking, either hiking in Florida or hiking the National Scenic Trails.
Books that include the Florida Trail in part
| Book | Year(s) | Author(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Foot Trails in America | 1972 | Robert Colwell |
| The American Walk Book | 1978 | Jean Craighead George |
| The Hiker’s Guide to Florida | 1993 | M. Timothy O’Keefe |
| Hiking Florida | 1997 | M. Timothy O’Keefe |
| A Hiking Guide to the Trails of Florida | 1998 | Elizabeth Carter |
| America’s National Scenic Trails | 2001 | Kathleen Ann Cordes |
| The Hiking Trails of Florida’s National Forests Parks and Preserves | 2001 | Johnny Molloy |
| America’s National Trails: Journeys across Land and Time | 2002 | Glen Scherer |
| Ten Million Steps* | 2002 | M.J. Eberhardt |
| Where Less the Path is Worn* | 2004 | M.J. Eberhardt |
| A Hiker’s Guide to the Sunshine State | 2005 | Sandra Friend |
| The Hiking Trails of Florida’s National Forests Parks and Preserves | 2007 | Johnny Molloy and Sandra Friend |
| Hiking Central Florida | 2008 | M. Timothy O’Keefe |
| Exploring Florida’s Botanical Wonders | 2009 | Sandra Friend |
| Hiking North Florida and the Panhandle | 2009 | M. Timothy O’Keefe |
| Hiking South Florida and the Keys | 2009 | M. Timothy O’Keefe |
| Five Star Trails Orlando | 2012 | Sandra Friend |
| Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala | 2013 | Sandra Friend and John Keatley |
| A Twentieth Century Argonaut* | 2013 | Ernest Baldini |
| Trail Reflections: 50 Years of Hiking and Backpacking* | 2013 | James A. Kern |
| America’s Great Hiking Trails* | 2014 | Karen Berger and Bart Smith |
| The Hidden Tracks* | 2018 | Cam "Swami" Honan |
| 50 Hikes in Central Florida | 2018 | Sandra Friend and John Keatley |
Love trail books? Check out the reviews and recommendations on Linda “Earthworm” Patton’s website Books for Hikers. Linda is a retired librarian and long-time volunteer for the Florida Trail Association, as well as the organizing founder of the AT Museum Research Library at the Appalachian Trail Museum in Pennsylvania.