Rob Rogers
Author, attorney, backpacker, and lover of the outdoors
Category: Uncategorized
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With the Phosphate Mines Long Gone, Tenoroc Public Use Area and its Pretty Trails Showcase Land Reclamation at its Best
Not far from Lakeland lies a local favorite fishing and hiking spot that attempts, not altogether unsuccessfully, to hide its industrial past. Half a century ago, the Tenoroc Public Use Area was a collection of phosphate mines that, at the time, would not have attracted much interest from nature-loving hikers. Fast forward 50 years later,… Read.
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Come join me for a reading of my latest essay this Friday in Gainesville and at Independent Bookstore Day in Clermont on Saturday
I have the privilege of participating this Friday and Saturday in two events celebrating literature and the arts, and at one of them, I’ll be reading my latest essay titled “Trail to the Past,” which was published yesterday in Intervals. If you happen to be in Gainesville or the Clermont area, you should consider checking… Read.
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For Spectacular Backcountry Hiking Near Moab, the Needles District in Canyonlands National Park Should Not Be Missed
Last week I posted about our family’s awe-inspiring hike in the Fiery Furnace at Arches National Park during our spring break trip to Utah. Although that hike may have been our favorite of the trip, a very close second would be our hike in the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park. For being so close… Read.
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Come Join Me This Saturday at Lake Louisa State Park for Nature Fest, or Virtually, for a Live Reading of My Next Essay, “Campfire Beside the Prairie”
This Saturday, March 28th, I’ll be appearing at a live event at Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont, Florida, and then later at a virtual event to read my next essay to be published in Thorn & Bloom magazine. Both will cater to nature lovers. First will be Nature Fest at Lake Louisa State Park,… Read.
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If You Visit Utah’s Arches National Park, You Must Hike in the Fiery Furnace
Arches National Park in southeastern Utah is most famous for its monumental sandstone arches, carved over millions of years from the high desert by rain, wind, and ice. Most of these arches are accessible by short hikes or nature walks from parking lots that often crowd to capacity. But if you love to hike in… Read.
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Check out my award-winning essay “Mardi Gras ’95” in San Luis Obispo The NightWriter Review
My long-awaited essay titled “Mardi Gras’ 95,” which won First Place for Nonfiction last fall in the 2025 SLO NightWriters Golden Quill Writing Contest, has now been published in the 2025-26 issue of The NightWriter Review. The NightWriter Review is the annual publication of the San Luis Obispo NightWriters, a writing community in Central California that provides… Read.
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Orlando Wetlands Park and Seminole Ranch Conservation Area Unite Swampy Marshes with Tranquil Forests
Most of us take for granted what happens to the water we flush down our toilets, and few would suspect that its destination would be a fun place to spend a Sunday morning. But one of Orlando’s most popular outdoor spots for seeing birds and alligators is actually doing double-duty as a wastewater treatment facility.… Read.
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Seminole State Forest offers excellent backpacking and hiking just north of Orlando
The eastern corridor of the Florida National Scenic Trail has several excellent legs that are easy to reach from Orlando for short backpacking trips at charming backcountry campsites. Most are in flood plains for the St. John’s River and its tributaries. But as the Florida Trail bends northwest on its way to the Ocala National… Read.
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Check out my latest essay in Montana’s Big Sky Journal (“The First Run of the Season”)
I was honored earlier this month to have my essay titled “The First Run of the Season” published in the Fly Fishing 2026 issue of Big Sky Journal, an outdoors and cultural magazine published in Bozeman, Montana. This piece has special significance because of the magazine’s publication not far from the home of my wife’s… Read.
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The best of the Lake Wales Ridge can be found at the Arbuckle Tract of Lake Wales Ridge State Forest
I’ve raved in my book and on this blog about Tiger Creek Preserve, a special stretch of Central Florida’s Lake Wales Ridge near Frostproof maintained by the Nature Conservancy that remains one of my favorite places to hike. But Tiger Creek Preserve does not permit camping, and since the Florida Trail passes north of the… Read.
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