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What is there to do outdoors in Florida?

Florida's outdoor choices include 175 state parks, trails and historic sites, freshwater and saltwater fishing, and a 2,000-mile wildlife viewing trail.

Florida State Parks counts 175 state parks, trails and historic sites. Shoal River Headwaters State Park is the newest. The parks have a Junior Ranger program and take volunteers. For questions about overnight stays, the parks' call center is 1-800-326-3521, and the statewide information line is 850-245-2157.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) publishes the state's freshwater and saltwater fishing rules. Its rule is that a license is required to attempt to take fish. Young people under 16 are exempt. Florida residents 65 and older are exempt with proof of age or residency, such as a Florida driver's license or ID card, and can get an optional Resident 65+ Hunt/Fish Certificate at no cost at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or at a county tax collector's office. The FWC's main office in Tallahassee is at 850-488-4676.

For wildlife watching, the FWC's Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail is a 2,000-mile, self-guided highway trail with nearly 500 sites across the state.

Where to go from here.

An aerial view of Bahia Honda Key, most of it Bahia Honda State Park, with the old railroad bridge and the turquoise shallows around it.01

Which Florida state parks are worth a whole day?

Florida has one of the larger state park systems in the country and a dozen or so carry a full day on their own.

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An angler standing in a small boat among lily pads on Lake Miccosukee near Tallahassee, Florida.02

Do you need a fishing license in Florida?

Yes, unless you are exempt: Florida requires a freshwater or saltwater fishing license, or both, for anyone 16 or older.

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A roseate spoonbill wading at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island.03

Where is the birdwatching in Florida?

Florida sits on the Atlantic flyway with the Gulf on one side, so it carries both resident wading birds and everything passing through.

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A group of hikers walking through longleaf pine and wiregrass on the Florida National Scenic Trail.04

Where is the hiking in Florida?

The long one is the Florida National Scenic Trail, about 1,500 miles from Big Cypress National Preserve in the south to Gulf Islands National Seashore at the western end of the Panhandle.

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Where this comes from.

More questions like this.

How do you visit Everglades National Park?

By car, through one of three entrances in three different cities, which do not connect to each other inside the park: the Homestead entrance, which leads down the main park road to Flamingo on the coast; the Miami entrance at Shark Valley, with trails, an observation tower and tram tours; and the Everglades City entrance on the Gulf coast, for boat tours and the mangrove waterways.

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