Best known as the location of Florida Caverns State Park, which offers Florida’s only show cave as well as excellent hiking and camping, Marianna is one of the larger communities in Florida’s Central Panhandle region along I-10 near the Alabama border. Nearby public lands offer places to explore outdoors.
Angus Gholson Nature Park - Right on the Georgia border, the small riverside community of Chattahoochee hides a natural treasure in its deep ravines—a park named for a native son. On my first visit to the town, I hiked with [...]
Blountstown Greenway - A ribbon of asphalt that connects communities and parks within the historic Apalachicola River town of Blountstown, the Blountstown Greenway is ideal for walking or biking and, in part, serves as a path for the [...]
Econfina Nature Trail - Sluicing its way through high bluffs and low flatlands, Econfina Creek is one of Florida’s most beautiful and unsung waterways. The Florida Trail follows it for nearly 20 miles through Washington and Bay Counties. This [...]
Falling Waters State Park - Iconic as the home of Florida’s tallest waterfall, Falling Waters State Park is a showcase for Florida geology. The park sits atop a high ridge, offering steep slopes on its short but delightful trail system [...]
Florida Caverns State Park – Caverns Trail System - One of the best parts of Florida Caverns State Park is its Caverns Trail System, an interconnected group of nature trails that surround the big show cave. Most folks don’t step off that paved path [...]
Florida Trail, Econfina Creek - Following the course of Econfina Creek, this protected segment of the Florida Trail provides a gorgeous weekend backpacking experience, particularly in springtime when the mountain laurel and azalea are in full fragrant bloom. The upper [...]
Garden of Eden Trail - This is one hike that’s no walk in the park. In fact, I’d rate it the second most difficult day hike in Florida, right after a day-long wade through Bradwell Bay on the Florida Trail. [...]
Lake Talquin State Forest – Fort Braden Trails - Showcasing bluff forests and deep ravines above Lake Talquin – a dammed reservoir in the Ocklochnee River west of Tallahassee – the Fort Braden Trails offer enough hiking for a weekend in the woods. Built [...]
Lake Talquin State Forest – Ravine Trail - If you think Florida doesn’t have steep trails, this one will dispel the myth. To the west of Tallahassee, The Ravine Trail at Lake Talquin State Forest is part of the Terry Rhodes Trail System [...]
Ponce De Leon Springs State Park - What a delight to find a cool pool of bright blue water beneath tall cypresses—and a trailhead at the same time! Just off I-10 in the eponymous town of Ponce De Leon, this first-magnitude spring [...]
Spring Creek Park - Along US 90 in Marianna, a highway pulloff provides a quiet place to duck into the woods and sit a spell along the shores of a crystalline waterway—Spring Creek. The creek begins at Blue Spring, [...]
Three Rivers State Park - Defined by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers creating the Apalachicola River, Three Rivers State Park includes Lake Seminole, a top-notch bass fishing destination, as well as a large lakeside campground with a [...]
Torreya State Park – Torreya Hiking Trail - One of the most rugged hikes in Florida, the Torreya Hiking Trail treats you to an billowing landscape of bluffs and ravines, rising to 300 feet above the Apalachicola River at Logan’s Bluff. The unusual [...]
Trail of Lakes - By itself, the Trail of Lakes is a 3.9-mile blue blazed connector between two portions of the Florida Trail around Camel Lake, a soggy, boggy walk in the Apalachicola National Forest. To enjoy it as [...]
