1. All trails (except the Winter Park Historical Canoe Trail) may be walked, biked or roller skated, although the ground and dirt roads may make progress difficult in some areas. All trails are on roads, sidewalks, or other public property, and some cannot be reached by car. Driving a trail in a car does not qualify one for a patch. It also misses the details that make these trails most interesting.
2. Since you are out in public view, please dress and act appropriately. It is not necessary to wear any type of uniform while on the trails.
3. Not all of the trails have frequent access to bathrooms, water and food, so plan accordingly.
4. There are museums and other sites open for organized tours or individual visits. Some charge admission fees. To qualify for a patch, you do not need to enter any building, but touring as many as possible is strongly recommended.
5. You do not need to register with anyone in advance (except as noted in a couple of the hike plans), nor answer any questions (except for the Historic Orlando Trail). You do need to travel essentially the entire length of the trail, stop at the sites indicated, and read the explanations printed in the hike plan.
6. You do not need to complete a trail in one day. Especially for younger children, you may wish to break some of the longer trails into segments to be hiked on two or more days. In that event, qualification for the patch would require completion of all segments.
7. WARNING - Many of the trails pass through neighborhoods which, although full of history, may now be unsafe for individuals on foot, or which may make you feel unsafe there. Hikers have been approached by individuals who have asked for handouts or who have inquired (not always in a friendly manner) why the hikers are in their neighborhood. Drugs and other inappropriate items have been found by hikers in some neighborhoods. It is suggested that you drive the hike routes first to see if you will feel comfortable walking them and, if you don't think it's a good place for you walk, you might want to consider (1) traveling with a large group, (2) doing the route on bicycles, or (3) choosing another hike route. The degree of comfort will vary with the individual and with the time and season of the hike, so you need to make the determination using your best judgment.
8. When the trail has been completed, fill out the attached order form and mail it with payment in cash or check (payable to Steve Rajtar - send to 1614 Bimini Dr., Orlando, FL 32806). Please send in only one order form per group. For the Historic Orlando Trail, please include the Answer Sheet from all members of your group - all patches will be mailed to the one address you indicate. The group leader's name on the order form constitutes confirmation that the patches will be distributed only to individuals who have completed the trail.
A note regarding the patches -
Each patch is 3" by 3" square, has from 5 to 7 colors, and is approximately the same as the drawings appearing on the hike plans. To check which ones are presently in stock, go to Patches in Stock. If you order any which are not currently in stock (and likely won't be, until someone places an initial order of at least 25), your money will be returned. If you order at least 25 of something that's not in stock, 100 of that design will be ordered and your patches will be sent to you as soon as they arrive from the company which makes them. That usually takes about 8 weeks, as they are manufactured in Taiwan.
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Each patch is $4.00, which includes postage, handling and applicable sales tax. Please write in the number of each you are ordering:
___ Alachua ___ Gainesville ___ Orlando Lake Cherokee
___ Altamonte Springs ___ Geneva-Chuluota ___ Orlando Lake Ivanhoe
___ Altoona ___ Goldenrod ___ Orlando Lake Lucerne
___ Anona ___ Groveland-Mascotte ___ Orlando West Side
___ Apopka ___ Gulfport ___ Ormond Beach
___ Archer ___ Haines City ___ Oviedo
___ Astor ___ Hawthorne ___ Paisley
___ Auburndale ___ High Springs ___ Palatka
___ Babson Park ___ Historic Orlando Trl ___ Palm Bay
___ Barberville ___ Pasadena
___ Bartow ___ Hudson-Bayonet Point ___ Pass-a-Grille
___ Bellamy Road ___ Indian Rocks Beach ___ Pierson
___ Belleview ___ Interlachen ___ Pine Castle
___ Brooksville ___ Inverness ___ Pinellas Point
___ Bunnell ___ Plant City
___ Bushnell ___ Plymouth
___ Campville-Windsor ___ Korona ___ Port Orange-Ponce Inlet
___ Cape Canaveral- ___ La Crosse-Santa Fe ___ Port Tampa
Cocoa Beach ___ Lady Lake ___ Reddick
___ Cedar Key ___ Lake Apopka (Bike) ___ Rochelle
___ Christmas ___ Lake Helen-Cassadaga ___ Ruskin
___ Citrus Park ___ Lake Hollingsworth ___ Safety Harbor
___ Clearwater ___ Lake Maggiore
___ Clermont ___ Lake Mary ___ St. Petersburg
___ Cocoa-Rockledge ___ Lake of the Hills ___ San Antonio-St. Joseph
___ Crescent City ___ Lake Pasadena ___ Sanford
___ Cross Creek- ___ Lake Wales ___ Sebastian
___ Island Grove ___ Lakeland ___ Seminole Heights
___ Land O'Lakes ___ Seville
___ Dade City ___ Largo ___ Slavia
___ Davenport ___ Leesburg ___ Tampa Heights
___ Davis Islands- ___ Longwood ___ Tangerine
Hyde Park ___ Maitland ___ Tarpon Springs
___ Daytona Beach ___ McIntosh ___ Tavares
___ DeBary ___ Melbourne ___ Temple Terrace
___ DeLand ___ Melbourne Beach ___ Titusville
___ Deleon Springs ___ Melbourne Village ___ Tomoka
___ Downtown Orlando ___ Melrose ___ Trenton
___ Downtown Tampa ___ Micanopy ___ Trilacoochee
___ Dunedin ___ Minneola ___ University of Florida
___ Dunnellon ___ Montverde ___ Vero Beach
___ Eatonville ___ Mount Dora ___ Waldo
___ Eau Gallie ___ Welaka
___ New Smyrna Beach ___ West Tampa
___ Enterprise ___ Newberry ___ Windermere
___ Eustis ___ Northern Levy County ___ Winter Garden
___ Fellsmere ___ Oak Hill ___ Winter Haven
___ Floral City ___ Winter Park
___ Forest City ___ Ocala ___ Winter Park (Canoe)
___ Fort McCoy ___ Ocoee ___ Winter Springs
___ Fort Meade ___ Oldsmar ___ Yankeetown
___ Frostproof ___ Orange City ___ Ybor City
___ Fruitland Park ___ Orlando Greenwood ___ Zellwood
Cemetery ___ Zephyrhills
Return to list of Florida trails