Would you enjoy a carefree vacation away from crowds, traffic, beach pollution and lines of people? If you are Florida bound, Citrus County offers the ideal destination for you. Just 70 miles north of Tampa (map) and 60 miles northwest of Orlando, Citrus County offers diving, snorkeling, bird watching, fishing, canoeing, nature trails, museums, state parks, cycling, historical sites and much more. In Citrus County, something is always going on! On the east side of the county there is an extensive hiking trail system through the Withlacoochee State Forest while Fort Cooper State Park, in Inverness, offers a shorter trail through a hardwood hammock that loops past a finger of Lake Holathlikaha. Other hiking trails include Flying Eagle Preserve and Potts Preserve which are wetter and offer a different variety of species. On the west side of the county, nature trails within the St. Martin's Marsh Aquatic Preserve/State Buffer Reserve off Dixie Drive traverse through a number of habitats including coastal hammock, salt marsh, pond pine flatwoods and scrub. Shore birds and sea birds can be observed from the Fort Island Gulf Beach and the Cross Florida Greenway (formerly the Cross Florida Barge Canal). If you prefer to sit in one place and watch, try the Fort Island Trail Park, or the Crystal River State Archaeological Site, where you can sit at the top of the shell midden. Whether you own an inboard or outboard (or the traditional manpower), sailboat, jet ski, or pontoon, there's a water body ready to accommodate your needs. Citrus County maintains a number of public boat ramps throughout the area and if you are looking for a more permanent mooring, there are a number of privately owned marinas and boat storage yards. If boating is your desire but owning a boat isn't, there are also a number of local businesses that can rent you a vessel for a few hours, a day, a week, or more. Once you are on the water, you still face a multitude of decisions of what you want to do. Sightseeing, fishing, water sports, snorkeling, or maybe just relaxing the day away from phones, deadlines, and other signs of civilization that surround us. If you want the fun of boating without having to drive, Citrus County also has a number of tours and operators to suit your needs.