Superlative State Parks

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As evidenced by the popularity of books on world records, extremes always fascinate people. A book on the planet’s most interesting features would surely list many locations in Florida. Indeed, my magnificent state boasts four national parks, two national seashores, three national forests, 30 state forests and 161 state parks – all unique in various ways.

Come with me now on a tour of superlatives from Pensacola to Jacksonville to Miami and back. Except where noted, these are supremes and extremes for the state, not necessarily the nation.

Most Visited Ecotourism Destination

More than a million visitors from around the world flock each year to Everglades National Park. Unlike any other place in the world, this expansive, wet grassland park is just a portion of the actual Everglades. Home of the Ten Thousand Islands, this park is one of the few regions in the world where you can see both alligators and crocodiles in the same environment.

Farther west than Key West, Dry Tortugas National Park is a small group of islands you can reach only by boat or plane. Popular with birdwatchers, the Dry Tortugas' remote location in the ocean attracts birds you rarely see elsewhere, especially as our feathered friends migrate from North America to South America.

The Apalachicola National Forest is comprised of 564,961 acres on gently rolling terrain and it’s the largest of the three national forests in Florida. This forest serves as home to the world's largest population of red-cockaded woodpeckers – a bird on the endangered species list.

Largest State Forest

Blackwater River State Forest in Santa Rosa County offers more than 190,000 acres of woodlands, lakes and waterways and is the largest state forest in Florida. It’s a dream-come-true for hikers, campers, kayakers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and nature lovers. The Blackwater River is also one of the purest sand-bottomed rivers in the world.

Largest Sand Pine Habitat

Located in central Florida, Ocala National Forest is the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi. Here, you’ll witness many beautiful springs that look as though they’re lit up from underground. This is also home to some of the largest sand pine habitat in the world. Combined with rivers, streams and a border facing Lake George (the state's second-largest after Okeechobee), Ocala is unbeatable for canoeing and kayaking.

Most Visited State Park

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is unique in numerous ways. The first undersea park in the U.S., John Pennekamp is home to the only living coral reef in the continental U.S. The park may not seem very big, but that's because most of it is underwater. With more than a million visitors per year, it's one of the Florida Keys' most popular destinations. Most of the Keys are too rocky to have much of a beach, but here you’ll find not just a beach, but a boat ramp, trails through a mangrove forest and great underwater viewing – and all public access. Come in late winter or early spring for usually calm waters and a look at its internationally famous underwater statue, Christ of the Deep.

Myakka River State Park in Sarasota spans 57 square miles of backcountry, woodlands and wetlands. Sightseers can cruise a freshwater lake aboard the Gator Gal or Myakka Maiden, the world’s largest airboats.

Smallest State Park

Dead Lakes State Recreation Area in Wewahitchka, covers just 65.5 acres. Despite its size, the park plays home to deer, foxes, alligators, beavers, raccoons, opossums, turtles and many other animals. Visitors can hike trails, canoe or enjoy fishing and camping.

One of the Oldest State Parks

Fort Clinch State Park offers a living history museum complete with costumed re-enactors. On Amelia Island (north of Jacksonville), the fort was occupied by Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War. The buildings are still standing, and you can see how the troops lived. If you're not into history, enjoy the park's nature or bike trails.

Which spring is biggest? The answer depends on how spring flow is measured, where it’s measured from and how many flow points are counted, so three come into the equation.

Silver Springs in Marion County is often called the largest freshwater spring in Florida, if not in the U.S., with an average flow of 820 cubic feet of water per second (cfs). Only about half of this total is from the main spring vent at the headwaters of Silver River, however. The rest of the flow is from other springs as far as 3,500 feet below the headspring. Therefore, the total flow from the main spring at Silver Springs is probably more like 400-500 cfs. These various vents have water with different temperatures, which means the waters come from different depths or directions and are, in essence, different springs.

The three-acre spring at Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park just south of Tallahassee can produce more than a billion gallons of 70-degree water per day at 125 feet deep and flowing with 600,000 gallons per minute. You can see the place where both episodes for “Tarzan” and “Creature from the Black Lagoon” were filmed. It’s said that more than 200 species of birds have been seen here, and that Ice Age fossils remain in the caverns of the spring.

So again, which is the largest single freshwater spring? If river rises are counted, it is Alapaha Rise in Hamilton County. If it is a clear-water spring, the winner is probably Silver Springs, with Wakulla Springs close behind.

The longest river in Florida is the St. Johns River measuring 273 miles. This river is also one of the few rivers (and the second longest) in the United States that flows north instead of south. The St. Johns is home to numerous species of plants and animals. It is not uncommon to see dolphins in the river east of Jacksonville and manatees in the springtime when the water warms up. Alligators, bald eagles, ospreys, stingrays and many species of fish—both salt and fresh water—are found living in the river and on its banks.

Largest Lake

Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake not only in Florida, but the southern United States. The name Okeechobee comes from the Hitchiti words "oki" (water) and "chubi" (big), and literally means "big water." At 700 square miles, it’s also the second-largest freshwater lake wholly within the continental United States and is relatively shallow, with an average depth of only nine feet. The lake covers land in five counties.

Did you know that Florida has caves considered by many to be the most beautiful you can encounter anywhere in the world? Near Marianna in northwest Florida, Florida Caverns State Park has the only dry, air-filled caverns open to the public in Florida. The beautiful Florida cavern available for tours is a series of connected rooms containing formations of stalactites, stalagmites, columns and other amazing features.Visitors can also camp out and hike on trails and canoe on the Chipola River.

One of America's longest underwater cave systems, Peacock Springs State Recreation Area serves as home to endangered cave crustaceans. The park's sinkholes and springs also make up Florida's most extensive underwater cave complex.

Falling Waters State Recreation Area, north of Panama City, has the highest waterfall in the state at 70 feet. Falling Waters cascades into a 100-foot-deep, 20-foot-wide sink. The final destination of this water is still unknown.

Blowing Rocks Preserve is a magnificent barrier island sanctuary located on Jupiter Island, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon. Blowing Rocks protects a variety of natural habitats including beach dune, coastal strand, mangrove wetlands, tropical hammock and oak hammock. Its rocky Anastasia limestone shoreline is the largest on the Atlantic coast. During extreme high tides and after winter storms, seas break against the rocks and force plumes of saltwater up to 50 feet skyward, an astonishing sight to behold.

Longest Beachfront Park

St. George Island State Park has nine miles of undeveloped beaches and dunes – the longest beachfront park in the state of Florida. Sandy coves, salt marshes, oak forests and pines provide shelter for a variety of wildlife, including bald eagles and ospreys. You can also indulge in biking, canoeing and shell gathering on St. George Island.

The Cape Florida Lighthouse in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area was built in 1825. Restored in 1846 after being demolished by Seminoles, you can partake in a guided tour of the lighthouse or just hang out in beach and waters of Key Biscayne near Miami.

Largest Swamp Forest

Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve stretches across an estimated 60 to 100 square miles. It’s the largest parcel of land in the state’s park system. The strand entails North America's largest population of royal palms and largest concentration of wild orchids.

One of the South's Largest Live Oak Trees

The Fairchild Oak is about 800 years old, meaning it’s been living since America’s first settlers arrived. With archeological sites nearby of old sugar plantations, this mighty oak can be found in Bulow Creek State Park on Florida's east coast, between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach.

When Stephen Foster wrote “Old Folks at Home,” he made the Suwannee River a household name. His first line goes: "Way down upon the Swanee River, far, far away." Unfortunately he didn’t spell the river correctly, probably to avoid mispronunciation. The Suwannee River Canoe Trail starts in Live Oak and ultimately divides Dixie and Levy counties at the Gulf of Mexico.

Florida parks and forests have so much to offer naturalists and sporting enthusiasts. Whether a “mosts” or “largest” or “oldest,” every corner of the state presents memorable geography. Choose the ones that most interest you and visit them soon.