ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — For many, fall means the changing of leaves, holidays and football. But for members of the Florida Trail Association, it signifies the start of maintenance season. Every year, volunteers work to upkeep the Florida National Scenic Trail.

The Florida National Scenic Trail runs across the entire state and draws in hundreds of thousands of annual visitors. In Central Florida, dozens of volunteers maintain the trail in Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties as part of the Central Florida Chapter of the Florida Trail Association.

“Each chapter has trail coordinators and trail teams that come out here to maintain the forest,” FTA member Chris Stevens said.

The Florida Trail Association is a group dedicated to maintaining the Florida National Scenic Trail, which was started by James Kern in the 1960s.

“He was inspired by hiking the Appalachian Trail and said, ‘Why don’t we have something like that here in Florida?’” Stevens said.

Today, the Florida Trail is one of just 11 national scenic trails in the country. It stretches across 1,500 miles of Florida, from the Everglades to Pensacola. 

“Typically, people will thru-hike south to north,” Stevens said.

Fall is trail maintenance season. It’s when volunteers get the trail ready for hikers. They do everything from repairs to landscaping.

“When we say we mow the woods, we literally do,” Stevens said. 

Everything that can’t be reached by the mower is cut by hand. It’s tough work, but for Stevens, there’s nowhere he’d rather be.

“I would be hiking anyway, so I’m out here hiking and working,” he said. “It’s fulfilling.”

The trail has a special significance for Stevens. He and his wife, Chelsea, have completed multiple section hikes and are on the trail often.

“It’s just an immersion in nature,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot of things about it, just having huge qualities and benefits for mental health.”

Stevens said the Florida Trail provides an accessible way for people to immerse themselves in nature. It’s something he maintains, so others can enjoy it. 

“I’m a huge proponent of the fact that you won’t really care about these outdoor spaces unless you immerse yourself into them this way,” he said.

FTA members are dedicated to protecting, maintaining, and even building the trail. They’ve built bridges, cleared paths, and provided navigation by painting orange blazes throughout the trail. Members also clear the trail after hurricanes. Chris says following Hurricane Ian, members of the Central Florida chapter ran teams of chainsaw operators, or sawyers.

“When it came across here, it uprooted giant trees like this, and we needed to run pretty much entire teams of sawyers.”

The hard work is worth it, knowing that a hiker will be able to enjoy a freshly cut, maintained trail. 

“You just see this freshly cut, inviting trail and think, somebody is going to come down with their family or thru-hiking,” Stevens said.

It’s what keeps him and other volunteers looking forward to the next trail maintenance day.

Outside of maintaining the trail, volunteers have monthly meetings, group hikes and camping events. You can learn more about the Central Florida Chapter of the Florida Trail Association on their website. You can also find other chapters across the state, here. Stevens also co-authored the latest edition of “The Florida Trail Guide,” which is a guide for thru-hikers of the Florida Trail.