Ravine Gardens State Park

Blue flag iris at Ravine Gardens

A steephead ravine. Unemployed workers. 250,000 ornamental plants and 95,000 azaleas. Put them together, and you’ve got a botanical garden that, in 1934, was called the “Nation’s Outstanding Citizen Works Administration Project.” Beneficiary? The City of Palatka, with its first serious tourist attraction. Folks flocked from all over to drive the serpentine roadway along the lip and down into the ravine, to stroll the formal gardens, and to venture into the wilds over two exciting swinging bridges.

In 1970, Palatka turned management of the attraction over to the state, and it became Ravine Gardens State Park. My hike #22 in 50 Hikes in North Florida provides a workout by leading you along the precipitous ravine slope trails that let you do a two-mile circuit with great views. For those less inclined to heights, you can walk down to the bottom of the ravine and follow gentle, broad pathways that follow the flow of a run formed from an artesian sulfur spring. Either way, it’s a great half day destination, especially during peak blooming of the azaleas in late February or early March.

Park near the community center (restrooms are inside) and stroll the terraces of formal gardens to enter the park. You’ll see an oddly-forked double-trunked cabbage palm and hear the splash of water in the fountain. A series of staircases takes you down the garden terraces to the start of the trail inside the ravine.