Hiking Northwest Florida

Especially on foot, Northwest Florida (the Florida Panhandle) seems nothing like the rest of the state. Here we find our greatest physical challenges, like the deep steephead ravines at Torreya State Park and Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Natural Area; swampy Bradwell Bay; rugged limestone bluffs at Florida Caverns State Park; serious elevation gain and loss along the Blackwater River, the Yellow River, Econfina Creek, and the hundreds of tiny tributaries that feed the flow of water to the Gulf of Mexico.

The joys are also many, from sparkling waterfalls to vast pitcher plant prairies to hillsides fragrant with mountain laurel and wild azalea in spring. March and April are the best months to experience the stunning array of wildflowers that Northwest Florida has to offer.