Florida Trail Weather Planner

This site uses average daily apparent maximum and minimum temperature data from the last seven years, along with average actual temperatures. So why both?

In many areas you can rely on straight high and low temperatures to gauge comfort and safety. Even on the AT, where the main cold-weather concerns (freezing nights in the Smokies, New England shoulder seasons) dominate planning, a simple temperature metric is sufficient.

The Florida Trail is different. One of the primary concerns for FT hikers is the combination of heat and humidity that can create genuinely dangerous conditions at certain times of year — particularly in August in the Big Cypress swamplands. To ensure hikers are properly prepared, this planner provides information on both actual temperature and heat index.

For heat index this planner uses the Steadman methodology, which handles both heat index (humidity-driven) and wind chill at very low temperatures. The extreme cold scenarios are less of a concern for most FT hikers, but building a flexible tool now also eases development of future planners for the PCT and CDT where both extremes matter greatly.

Mapping data used on this site was pulled from as many official sources as possible, but even these official sources often differed on some of the details. Some define regions differently, there are multiple side trails and spurs, and some alternate trails split in different ways. So for those who are interested (or confused!) I thought some additional notes would be helpful.

My two gold standards for the official route were the Florida Trail Association (FTA) regional definitions, ArcGIS mapping data, and the US Forest Service. I also pulled data from the OpenStreetMap database, as well as websites of various state and local parks the FT runs through. Some specific issues:

• Regions: Endpoints for the regions and segments were defined as much as possible from the FTA, though their descriptions were not always as precise as one would hope. I utilized both the narrative as well as the overall length to develop the general boundaries, but where they weren't clearly defined I used alternates such as the FT crossing a major highway, or dividing an "unclaimed" area equally between its two neighbors. Admittedly not an exact science, but I think it is the solution that will be most intuitive to most hikers and most useful to them.
• Alternate Corridors: In addition to the main spine of the FT, the mapping data also uses Western and Eastern corridors to describe some of the main alternate routings. As much as I wanted to use that terminology as well, it seemed too imprecise and did not cover the variety of alternate trail options the FT allows. So where applicable I also describe them by the area or loop they are associated with, such as the Lake Okeechobee or Orlando/Ocala areas.
• Ocean-to-Lake Option: Some parts of the hiking community have been advocating for a new 61-mile spur trail to be incorporated into the main Florida Trail route from the eastern side of the Lake Okeechobee loop to Hobe Sound beach on the Atlantic Ocean. As this is still a proposal, as it does not connect to a larger trail segment (like the Blackwater Extension does into Georgia), and taking it would bypass a significant amount of the main trail, I have not included it with this tool. However, you can find general information at the Loxahatchee FTA Regional Chapter website and find details on the actual route on the AllTrails site.
• Spurs and Side Trails: Besides the main spine of the trail and various major alternate corridor routes, there are also various side trails (connecting different parts of the main and alternate trail) and spurs which start on the trail but then veer off and don't connect back to the main FT. There are even a few outliers considered "official" alternates that don't directly connect to the main trail at all. I tried to include these on the display map for completeness purposes, though the points used for hiking duration and weather pulls mainly ignore small spurs and non-connecting side trails.

• Florida Trail Association — Official site of the FTA, responsible for managing and maintaining the Florida Trail. Of particular interest are the listing of FT Regions and Sections and the current trail closures and notices.
• Thru-Hike Florida — Extensive guide to planning and completing a thru-hike of the Florida Trail, covering costs, logistics, gear, and health and safety considerations.
• Nature on the Florida Trail — USDA guide to the flora and fauna of the Florida Trail, walking through the unique ecosystems found in each section of the trail.