Withlacoochee State Forest is a not too often visited place to ride your ATV. The weather is good nearly all year around in Florida, so it is a great place to get away and ride your ATV.
Most of the ATV trails are open all year round and as with the Aplachicola National Forest, these ATV trails are not clearly marked and the Forest Rangers Service has not issued ATV trail maps, so make sure and have your GPS with you in case you get turned around in these densely foliaged areas. So far the Withlacoochee State Forest is divided into 8 separate tracts of land. These areas are being set up for sound eco-management and will translate fully to the ATV trails as time goes by. In the meantime, they ask that you adhere to the standards set forth by Treadlightly when riding these ATV trails.
There is a huge variety of plants and trees to see while riding your ATV in this forest. Just a few of the varieties of trees you will see are : slash pine, long leaf pine, cypress and a mixture of live oak, maple, southern magnolia, gum and hickory (the live oak trees are the ones that have Spanish moss hanging down from the limbs).
There are numerous ATV trails to go through and several small streams to ford. Be sure you know the correct way to navigate your ATV through these areas or you may well be stuck. Having a buddy along for the ATV ride that has a winch and never, ever go ATVing alone. As with all National Forest managed lands, riding your ATV in Withlacoochee requires that you have wear a DOT approved helmet, a valid driving license and since the foliage is so dense, there is a lot of wisdom in wearing safety gear to protect your arms, legs, and chest from slapping tree and shrubbery branches.
