This portion of the “Forgotten Coast” is dotted with parks, forests, and refuges along US 98 and the barrier islands, none of which are easily accessed from Tallahassee or Panama City. Better to make Apalachicola your base camp for adventure!
Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve - A sweeping view of the Apalachicola River estuary waits like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on this don’t-miss nature trail in Apalachicola, which coaxes you through a succession of coastal [...]
Apalachicola National Forest – Camel Lake Loop - Circle a cypress lined pond in the Apalachicola National Forest on the Camel Lake Loop. It’s a short hike on high ground in a place where most habitats are downright swampy. Despite the name of [...]
Apalachicola National Forest – Fort Gadsden - On an early morning in the fog off the river, you can almost feel the ghosts slipping between the trees, sunlight dappling through the moist needles of longleaf pine and the air thick with the [...]
Apalachicola National Forest – Wright Lake Trail - This well-kept loop along the western edge of the Apalachicola National Forest was a real surprise to me. I expected pine plantations (and there were many), but did not expect the diversity of longleaf pine [...]
Bald Point State Park - Beaches in the Big Bend are rare, since this stretch of shoreline is defined by coastal estuaries and there is a lack of barrier islands. Still, in the sweep of the shallows of the Gulf [...]
Chapman Botanical Garden - Adjoining the historic Orman House in downtown Apalachicola, Chapman Botanical Garden honors the memory of Dr. Alvan Wentworth Chapman, a noted botanist who lived and worked as a medical doctor in Apalachicola. In 1860, Chapman [...]
Constitution Convention Museum State Park - At the Constitution Convention Museum State Park, interpretive exhibits and artifacts put a face on Florida’s frontier days, with a special focus on the historic city of St. Joseph (now Port St. Joe). Established by [...]
Myron B Hodge City Park - Hidden on a back street within walking distance of downtown Sopchoppy, Myron B. Hodge City Park offers quiet campsites along the dark placid waters of the Sopchoppy River, and a nature trail where you can [...]
Ochlockonee River State Park - At the confluence of the Ochlockonee River and the marshes fed by the Sopchoppy River, Ochlockonee River State Park is tucked behind a corner of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge just south of Sopchoppy as you [...]
St. George Island State Park – Gap Point Trail - Tall slash pines dominate the windswept remnant of coastal scrub forest that St. George Island State Park protects at the easternmost tip of this barrier island dividing the mouth of the Apalachicola River from the [...]
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park – Maritime Forest Nature Trail - Just before you get to the park gates of St Joseph Peninsula State Park, the Maritime Forest Nature Trail offers a quick sampling of the habitats that cling to the bluffs along St. Joseph’s Bay. [...]
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park – St. Joseph Bay Trail - For a sampling of the fragile coastal habitats protected along St. Joseph Bay by St Joseph Peninsula State Park, take a short walk on this spectacularly scenic coastal trail. You’ll meander through a diminutive scrub [...]
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park – Wilderness Preserve Trail - If you’ve dreamed of camping on a deserted beach, here’s your chance. The westernmost tip of the St Joseph Peninsula is set aside for hikers to explore, a wilderness of windswept coastal scrub and sand [...]
Tate’s Hell State Forest – Ralph G. Kendrick Dwarf Cypress Boardwalk - Why build a boardwalk in the middle of one of the most impassible swamps in Florida? Along the Gulf Coast near Carrabelle, Tate’s Hell is well-known for being a wild place. Its name is derived [...]
Tate’s Hell State Forest – High Bluff Coastal Trail - In Tate’s Hell State Forest, the High Bluff Coastal Trail along US 98 near Carrabelle leads you over relict dunes covered with scrub plants like Florida rosemary and scrub mint, partially shaded by a canopy [...]
