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Randy's Favorite Trails:


From sugar-white beaches, to sparkling bays, to thick pinewoods, to some of the finest sand-bottom rivers
in the country. Randy the Butterfly has seen it all. As Santa Rosa County's official Beaches to Rivers tour guide,
Randy knows all the secret spots, legendary places and undiscovered treasures this region has to offer.
Here are the trails that have become some of his (and our visitors') favorites:

1) South Santa Rosa Loop Trail: this 40-mile multi-use trail takes you from Navarre Beach, through the Gulf Islands National Seashore towards Pensacola Beach, over to the mainland to the Live Oaks area, and back through rural neighborhoods all the way back to Navarre. Click here to read more…
2) Blackwater Heritage Trail: This multi-use trail starts out in the middle of Historic Milton, follows the old rail road track, through the outskirts of the Blackwater River State Forest. Perfect for bikers who want to enjoy the scenery of the woods and fields in this area, but like the comfort of a paved path. Click here to read more…
3) Coldwater Creek Canoe Trail: This slow moving creek is perfect for tubing, kayaking and canoeing trips. There are plenty of sugar-white sand bars along the way that offer space for picnicking and sun-bathing and taking a dip in the clear-tannin-colored water. Canoe rentals and campgrounds in the area are available to help you plan your trip. Click here to read more…
4) Sweetwater Trail: This short but charming trail connects the Bear Lake Recreation Area with the Krul Lake Recreation Area includes a boardwalk, suspension bridge, and a historic mill along the way. Perfect for a short walk in the summer after a dip in the lake. This trail is also wheelchair accessible. Click here to read more…
5) Florida Trail: The end of the popular state-wide Florida trail is found right here, in Northwest Florida. The Florida trail enters through a forest that is owned by Eglin Air Force Base on Eglin Hiking Trail. Where the trail emerges on SR 85 south of Crestview, it presents a disconnect in the corridor, where long-distance hikers follow the roadside blazes up to US 90 to reach the rest of the Eglin Trail on the western side of the base, paralleling the Yellow River. The northern edge of Eglin AFB is a decision point for long-distance hikers. Those working their way north on the 4,000-mile Eastern Continental Trail route take a turn at Harold to join the Blackwater Connector to Alabama. Those thru-hiking the Florida Trail continue south through the sandhills of Eglin to walk along the roads into Navarre, crossing Navarre Beach Bridge to Santa Rosa Island. The last part of the Florida trail takes hikers through the small beach community of Navarre Beach into the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Here the trail runs on the shoreline parallel to the Gulf through the unspoiled dune landscape, coastal scrub and views of both the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico. The trail ends west of Pensacola Beach at historic Fort Pickens.
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