Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway: Pruitt Trailhead

The Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway is a linear swath of protected forests, swamps, lakes and streams that crosses the central section of the state of Florida, coast to coast. Once touted as the Cross Florida Barge Canal, this piece of land was destined to become a canal for shipping across the entire state of Florida, cutting the shipping time from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean. Much protest occurred over the years and many times the project was shut down. After building bridges, digging canals and changing presidents a few times, the project was abandoned and the land was given to the people.

After I section hiked the first western half of the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Barge canal at Withlacoochee Bay and Felburn Park in Citrus County, I was forced to either swim up the river, or drive around to the Pruitt Trailhead in Marion County.

The Pruitt Trailhead is located on S.R. 484 in Marion County, Florida. A few miles west of Dunnellon, Florida, the Pruitt Trailhead leads the way to the main section of The Florida Scenic Trail that crosses through the greenway. Ample parking and well marked trailheads make Pruitt Trailhead a great place to start a through-hike or just a one day loop. It also abuts the several other forest reserves, including Ross Prairie, allowing one to hike any number of miles, trails and locations.

Since I planned on doing a through-hike, we used two cars, one parked at Ross Prairie where we would later arrive on the Florida Scenic Trail. My wife picked me up, and then we parked our car at the Pruitt Trailhead and started our hike.

The initial hike strolls through gentle grass prairies bordering cow pastures and ancient lonely oaks. The view is spectacular. After a few miles along the trail, we reached the forests we could see far off in the distance when we first began.

After a few hundred feet into the forests, we came across a memorial dedicated to the son of the original owners of the donated forest lands. Mark Huntington Pruitt grew up on this land and respected the beauty and nature of the area. He tragically died in a plane crash at the age of 25.

Scores of rare plant and animal species, historic remnants of the past and easy access makes the Pruitt Trailhead one of the best hiking opportunities available in the west coast of Florida. After a few hours, we had spotted several deer, an endangered gopher tortoise and scores of birds. But before we knew it, our hike had come to an end. We loaded the car and drove home in silence. All I could think about was when I was going to return.