Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area is the Florida Trail’s Gateway to Central Florida’s Woodlands

Tantalizingly close to Orlando and just south of Christmas sits a stretch of pine, live oak, and cypress forest that is treasured by northbound thru hikers taking the eastern corridor up the Florida National Scenic Trail. Just after they complete their 30-mile road walk north after Bull Creek WMA, Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area welcomes them back to the wilderness, with most of the next 40 miles of the Florida Trail winding away from cars through the heart of the St. John’s River Basin. And with miles of hiking trails and several fine backcountry campsites, Tosohatchee WMA is also a Central Florida favorite for hunters, hikers, and weekend backpackers like yours truly.

Covering more than 30,000 acres just east of the St. John’s River near Christmas, Tosohatchee WMA has a rich history. It was the site of hostilities during the Second Seminole War in the early 19th century, and also of an infamous meeting where Chief Micanopy and more than 70 other Seminole warriors were tricked under a flag of truce into meeting to discuss removal to the Oklahoma territory, then were instead taken prisoner. The area was later used for cattle ranching before becoming a private game preserve, then acquired by the state of Florida in the 1970s.  Tosohatchee WMA is home to more than 1,000 acres of old growth floodplain swamp, as well as acres of mesic flatwoods and old growth hydric hammock. It is still a favorite spot for local hunters, and eleven miles of the Florida Trail cross its northern half.

Loops of varying sizes can be hiked by joining the 7.4-mile stretch of the Florida Trail between its northern and southern junctions with Tosohatchee’s white trail. For the one-nighter I took last year, I began at Parking Area 1 beside the hunt station near the WMA’s northeastern entrance and hiked 5 miles west and south to the white trail’s southern junction with the Florida Trail, then north on the FT less than half a mile to Tiger Branch Camp, where I spent the night before hiking north on the Florida Trail the next day and back to my car for a bit more than 9 more miles on Day 2.

Two impressions stood out about Tosohatchee. The first is the height and size of the pines and palms. Tall, thick pines covered with shingles of bark like vertical bricks stand everywhere beside towering pines of similar height, particularly along the abandoned railroad bed on the white trail and the drier western segments of the Florida Trail.

Tosohatchee is also known for the old growth cypress in the swamps near Jim Creek, which (with notable exceptions) were dry when I was there last February. About halfway between its northern and southern junctions with the white trail, the Florida Trail meets a quarter-mile spur to the edge of Jim Creek, where the trail winds like an obstacle course through a rugged stretch of virgin cypress and cypress knees. Although blazes can be tricky to spot behind the palmettos and the trail can be mucky under foot, it’s worth a stop to imagine what the region looked like when the loggers were there in the early 20th century.

The Tiger Creek Campsite is also worth a stay. Sitting just off the Florida Trail near its southern junction with the white loop, it sits in a patch of sabal palms and slash pines and has a picnic table, benches, and even tent platforms for use during the wet seasons. It’s a great place to enjoy sunsets and sunrises, and the tent spots are also secluded enough among the palmettos for privacy if you need to share the campsite with thru hikers as I did when I spent the night there.

With ample accessible parking for just $3 per day (including Parking Area 31, less than a half-mile from the Tiger Branch campsite) and campsite reservations available online, Tosohatchee is a great place to explore the Florida Trail, by day or overnight.