Here is an idea you can take credit for: a continuous footpath from Gulf Islands National Seashore to the Big Cypress National Preserve, 1,500 miles...70% complete. Over 3,000 members of the Florida Trail Association maintain it for everyone. Congress has already identified it as one of 11 National Scenic Trails.

But it’s NOT complete. In 1978 the Appalachian Trail was approximately 70% complete and Congress stepped in to complete it. Florida would have the only winter footpath in the nation free of snow if we finished the job.

47.9 million hikers take 14 or more outings a year, according to The Outdoor Foundation. Unlike everyone else north of the equator, our best hiking season stretches from December through March. These are real numbers. In 2025 over 405,000 people hiked an incomplete Florida Trail.

The Florida Trail Association has launched BLAZE: FTA’s Next Chapter, a community awareness campaign to reach your constituents and introduce them to the Florida Trail and the people who make it possible. As a founder of FTA, I am proud to support this campaign because the trail’s future depends on people knowing what we have and caring enough to protect it.

It connects people with wild Florida and introduces visitors to communities they might otherwise pass by. This is a natural and economic asset worth knowing.

We ask you to learn about the Florida National Scenic Trail and what the Florida Trail Association does to build, maintain, protect, and promote it. Meet the volunteers. Walk a section. See what their work makes possible.

You have a role in helping protect Florida’s natural and economic assets. The Florida National Scenic Trail is one of them. Get to know it, help others discover it, and start thinking about what you can do to support its future.

Please reach out to the Florida Trail Association to set up a meeting and learn more about the trail, our work, and how you can help. You may contact their Executive Director, Sean Amidon, directly at director@floridatrail.org.