Please use the payment button below to secure your hike after we have finalized the details via email. If you have not yet requested a private guided hike, please visit https://rhphotoadventures.com/private-guided-hikes/ for more information and to submit your request.
$99.99
Maximum number of participants is 10, including children.
Tour length is 1-3 hours.
Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park is one of Florida’s oldest state parks. It was developed in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. You can read more about the CCC here: https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/civilian-conservation-corps. They helped build many of Florida’s state parks from 1933 through the beginning of World War II.
Are you wanting to take a hike with me, but you’re not sure what kind of hikes I offer? Let me take a few moments to sum it up and help clarify what’s available. I offer two free hikes, and one paid hike per month, in addition to private hikes on an appointment only basis. […]
August brought a grand adventure along the Appalachian Trail. I’ve always wanted to hike all 2190 miles of the trail at once, but alas, I still have all these grown up responsibilities that prevent me from running off on a six or seven month long adventure. So I’ve decided to hike the trail in sections. […]
Ah, summertime in Florida. It’s funny because I accidentally typed “simmertime” and realized that’s not really all that far off. We are all simmering here. It’s hot! As promised, hikes have continued and you all have not disappointed with your dedication to showing up, despite the heat! We’ve been hiking just about every week at […]
Thanks to amazing friends, I have the first tiny section of the Appalachian Trail done. This was just enough to get a little taste of the trail, an appetizer, an aperitif, a tidbit. There are so many YouTubers and Instagram personalities out there that romanticize backpacking and long distance hiking. I’m here to tell you, […]
The weather is getting hot. If you live here, you’re quite well aware of that fact. I recently wrote a blog post on the fun things we Floridians have to deal with as summer draws near. You can read all about that here: https://rhphotoadventures.com/2022/05/05/summertime-florida-hiking/. Guided Hikes and Photo Walks As the weather starts to heat […]
Our Premium Guided Hike for May is at Myakka River State Park. I like to prepare my hikers with a visual of what they might see on our hikes by pre-hiking our route within a week of the planned hike. This gives me an opportunity to see what’s blooming and to learn about anything I […]
It always amazes me how many different flowers are blooming each time I visit a familiar, local to me place like the Babcock Webb Wildlife Management Area. Here’s a sampling of what I saw today in just a small area of the park.
April showers are bringing the May flowers for sure. You may have noticed the coreopsis blooms beginning across the state. These flowers bloom in great abundance in pine flat woods, but they can be found just about anywhere. Florida has twelve native species of coreopsis, and they are all Florida’s state wildflower. Myakka state park […]
Deep Hole is a 141 foot deep sinkhole located just northwest of the upper Myakka Lake portion of the Myakka River. It’s easy to see the outline of Deep Hole during the dry season when the land around it is above water. During the wet season, it blends in with the Myakka River as the […]
There is no shortage of things to do in our area if you’re looking to get outdoors and enjoy some spectacular Florida nature. I did a post about this back in 2019. https://rhphotoadventures.com/2019/03/06/what-is-there-to-do/ I’ve since discovered a lot of new resources to find places to explore. The CREW Land and Water Trust https://crewtrust.org/ oversees and […]
This area was purchased in 1914 by a lumberman from Pittsburg named Edward Babcock. In 1931, he leased the timber rights on his land, and eventually nearly all of the old growth pines were cut down for timber. The Commission of Game and Fresh Water Fish (the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before it […]
Wherever there’s water in Southwest Florida, you can probably count on there being some birds and an alligator or two. Here’s a quick little guide to the most common wading birds you’ll encounter in this area. Click on each photo for full-screen view.
Have you been wanting to try backpacking, but have been a little intimidated by the idea? Hopefully this post will help boost your confidence. If you can walk a few miles and carry 20% of your bodyweight, you can backpack. We’ll start with water. I’m not a proponent of plastic water bottles. Having said that, […]
How do you pronounce “slough?” It rhymes with flew, not cough or chow. English is weird. Anyway, welcome to one of my favorite local spots! I will say, I prefer this place in the summer on weekdays because in the winter and on weekends it gets crazy busy. Today was a federal holiday, and I […]
O’Leno was Florida’s eleventh state park, established in 1940. Like many of the original state parks, it was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. This park is full of history and natural beauty. Some of the best hiking trails in Florida can be found here, particularly when combined with neighboring River Rise Preserve State Park’s […]
Hontoon Island is a sweet little 1,650 acre state park located on the St. John’s River, six miles west of Deland in Florida. We visited in mid-October and had the whole place practically to ourselves. We arrived on a late Sunday afternoon. There were several families enjoying the day use area, fishing and playing on […]
A walk in nature is the perfect antidote to feeling stressed, fatigued, and generally unhappy. Breathe in the fresh air, and take some time to find something cool and unusual. There’s always something interesting to see, you just have to look a little more closely sometimes. Scavenger hunts are a great way to train your […]
Wood storks are a threatened species of bird that can be found hanging out in wetlands in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. They are occasionally seen in all states along the Mississippi River and as far north as Ontario. Mostly they stay in the Southeast though.
Turtle or tortoise? If you want to get technical, all tortoises are turtles, meaning they belong to the order Testudines. However, not all turtles are tortoises. Tortoises are land animals, and they can’t swim. Though there are land turtles that are not tortoises, like wood turtles and box turtles. Are you confused yet? An easy […]
If you hike near water in Florida, chances are pretty good you’re going to see an alligator at some point. Those of us who are on the trails a lot are used to it, but it can be scary if you haven’t had much experience sharing the trails with these reptiles. Something that’s important to […]
When everything was shut down for a Covid-19, I decided it was a good time to check out some local birding hot spots. Ollie’s Pond is one of those places I put off going to because I didn’t think it would be all that exciting. It’s just a big pond in the middle of a […]
A trip through Florida’s Big Bend area and into the panhandle is like a trip back in time. Urban sprawl has yet to infect this remote area of the state. Taking a drive across the 220 mile long Big Bend Scenic Byway will take you through miles of longleaf pine forests and along fabulously undeveloped […]
You may have noticed I take some photos of some critters that some people feel would be better off left alone. I do this for a few reasons. I really just love nature. ALL nature. Even the parts of it that some people might deem scary, ugly, or dangerous.
You could drive around the state looking for brown signs indicating scenic areas and parks, or you could check out some of this info I’ve gathered here for you. I’ve spent an awful lot of time seeking out some of the best (in my opinion) places for exploring nature in Florida. This is not a […]
It was pretty easy deciding which place I wanted to share first. I have a lot of favorites, but my absolute favorite is easily Corkscrew Swamp. Cypress swamps are my favorite, and this place has the largest old growth bald cypress forest in the world. It’s also home to one of the largest nesting colonies […]
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