Florida summers already make hiking feel like a group project between you, the heat, and a humidity level that refuses to cooperate. The preserve covers more than 729,000 acres of subtropical wilderness, and that sprawling wet prairie and dense palmetto understory creates ideal tick habitat during the Florida summer. Everglades National Park, Florida CityMost people picture alligators and herons when they think of Everglades National Park near Florida City, FL, but the ticks deserve equal billing on the list of things that will make you regret shorts. Hillsborough River State Park, ThonotosassaJust northeast of Tampa at 15402 US-301 in Thonotosassa, FL, Hillsborough River State Park packs a surprising amount of wild Florida into a relatively compact space, and that wildness includes a healthy tick population. Hikers on the Baynard Nature Trail and the Florida Trail section through the park frequently report finding ticks on their clothing and skin after walks.