Details
Join us for this adventurous cleanup and intermediate/advanced ramble out near the west coast of Florida!
Location: Citrus Wildlife Management Area, Dames Cave and surrounding trails
Parking area: 10701 S Lecanto Hwy, Lecanto, FL 34461
Date/Time: Sunday, October 5, 2025 @ 9am
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Approximate Length of Event: 3-4 hours
Cleanup Time: About 1 hour
Hiking Time: 2-3 hours
Distance: 4-5 miles
Difficulty Level: Intermediate and Up
Terrain Notes: Lots of roots and big steps. There are also patches of sugar sand, slippery clay, and puddles of water. We will be going into some caves, and the rocks are very slippery. There are some hilly parts on the trail, so be ready for a bit of elevation change.
Bathrooms: No.
Dog Friendly: No
Optional Picnic: No.
Where to meet: The parking area is a patch of dirt on the side of the road. Looking into the wildlife area, you can see several cement posts. On Google Maps it comes up as "Dames Cave Unofficial Parking". Find us right there at 9am! We will start on the trail promptly at 9:10am.
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RESTROOMS:
We highly recommend you stop on the way to use the restroom before you get to the hike. There are a couple of gas stations about 20 minutes away from the start location, and that's about it.
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Aside from a detour from the trail to see Peace Cave, this will be an out and back hike. The plan for the hike might change, depending on how busy it looks and how much litter is there.
To make sure we're out of the way before the caves get crowded, we will probably start with the cleanup portion of the day, hitting Peace Cave first, and then Dames Cave. Those folks that don't want to go into the cave (it's fairly slippery) can stand at the open top to haul up bags of trash. Jody and Mary will provide trash bags, trash pickers, and disposable gloves.
After the cleanup, we'll hike to Lizzie Hart Sink, which (to be honest) is rather unimpressive, but the hike there is pretty and has some fun gradual elevation changes. We'll swing back by Dames Cave to pick up our filled trash bags on the way back to the parking lot.
What to bring:
Water
Snacks
If possible wear good, grippy waterproof hiking shoes and clothes that can get dirty/muddy. Shoes with ankle support are a good idea for this hike. Between the clay and slippery cave rocks, it would be easy to slip and fall on this hike.
Headlamp or good flashlight if you plan to go into Peace Cave (smaller and much darker than Dames Cave).
An extra pair of shoes for the drive home is always recommended.
A towel to clean off with after the hike, or to protect the seats of your car if you get messy.
You may want to bring a change of clothes.
Bug Spray is highly recommended!!
Sunscreen, hat, sun shirt, and anything else you need to be comfortable on the hike. (Again, it's very shady, but we always recommend sun protection, just in case!)
Supplies needed when taking a bathroom break in the woods.
Jody and Mary are your hosts. Please contact either of us if you have any questions.
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