With a high water table and poorly drained soil, longleaf and slash pines, saw palmettoes, and wire grass dominate this region of sandy ridges. Cypress, black gum, bay, and maple trees are found in the Osceola's marshier terrain.

The Osceola National Forest was also home to a major Civil War battle, one of those the Union lost. The forest has one wilderness, 14,000-acre Big Gum Swamp. Running through 35 miles of the most beautiful sections of the Osceloa is the Florida Trail, which the ambitious hiker can follow from the Florida Panhandle all the way to the Everglades.

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