Big Bend Scenic Byway
Big Bend Scenic Byway 2-day Tour
| Departure: | City of Tallahassee Regional Airport, Florida |
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| Destination: | City of Tallahassee Regional Airport, Florida |
| Time to allow: | 2 days |
Take this two-day loop drive along the Forest and Coastal Trails: the former rich with pine forests, hardwood hammocks, streams, rivers; the latter full of salt marshes, bays, sand dunes, beaches and springs. Enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing, horseback riding, hunting, birding, and swimming or sit back to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Day 1
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Start: City of Tallahassee Regional Airport
Florida’s capital city of Tallahassee welcomes travelers to the Big Bend Scenic Byway. This 2-day itinerary begins and ends at the Tallahassee Airport, which is centrally located on the byway and easily accessed from Interstate I-10.
The airport is also located on the Cody Escarpment, an ancient early Pleistocene shoreline formed tens of thousands of years ago when the sea level was higher. The scarp runs east to west, separating the Red Hills Region of southwest Georgia from the Gulf Coastal Lowlands of Florida’s Big Bend. Travelers will experience a dramatic shift in scenery on the first day’s drive as the low hills give way to extensive stretches of pine forests, swamps, and hardwood hammocks.
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Stop 1: Tallahassee Museum
Directions from previous place: Exiting the airport, turn left on Capital Circle SW (SR 263), and continue on the byway for 2 miles to the intersection of Capital Circle SW and Orange Avenue. Turn right at the museum sign on Orange Avenue (CR 371 South) and follow signs for 2.8 miles to the Tallahassee Museum.
Distance from Previous Site: 4.8 miles / 7.7 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour A perfect introduction to the natural beauty and rich history of the Big Bend, this museum combines a natural habitat zoo with an interpreted walk through restored farmsteads, buildings, and exhibits of the time when cotton, cattle, and timber were king. Among the collection is Bellevue, the 1840s “cottage” style plantation house and home of the great-grandniece of George Washington. The museum celebrates its Big Bend heritage with a Pioneer Breakfast in March and Big Bend Days in November.
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Stop 2: Silver Lake Recreation Area, Apalachicola National Forest
Directions from previous place: Return to the byway and continue on Capital Circle SW 9SR 263) for 1.1 miles until you reach the intersection with Blountstown Highway (SR 20). Turn left and continue west on Bloutstown Highway for 3.7 miles to the intersection with Silver Lake Road (SR 260). Turn left (south) at the Apalachicola National Forest sign for the Silver Lake Recreation Area. It is located 3.3 miles from the SR 20 turnoff.
Distance from Previous Site: 8.1 miles / 13.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 10 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 35 minutes Longleaf Pines and moss-draped Cypress trees surround this spring-fed lake. White sand is derived from its “sandhill” geological past when this part of Florida was under water. The site is fairly level and easily accessible by wheelchair. An easy one-mile interpretive trail winds around the lake. Notice the Civilian Conservation Corps sign by one of the picnic pavilions. It is the only remaining CCC structure on the byway.
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Stop 3: Luther Hall Landing County Park
Directions from previous place: Return to the byway and continue west on SR 20 for 17.4 miles. Turn right at Leon County Park sign on SR 20 at Luther Hall Landing, and continue four miles to the park.
Distance from Previous Site: 21.4 miles / 34.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes In 1927 construction of the Jackson Bluff Dam on the Ochlockonee River created Lake Talquin, which is 12,000 acres in size and encompasses 14.5 linear miles of the Ochlockonee River floodplain. This picturesque park is perched on a hill overlooking Lake Talquin and offers a handicapped-accessible boardwalk along the lake shore. Many wildflowers on this walk are endemic to this ecosystem.
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Stop 4: Apalachicola National Forest
Directions from previous place: This is a scenic drive that continues on SR 20 for 4.5 miles to the intersection with Smith Creek Highway (CR 375). Turn left (south) on CR 375 for 16.6 miles to the rural town of Smith Creek.
Distance from Previous Site: 23 miles / 36.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 30 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes In the 1800s this was the “Wild West” with cattle rustlers, trappers, and Indians. The historic plaque at Fort Braden Community Center denotes its military past during the Second Seminole War. Horseback riding is offered on the Vinzant Riding Trail, with over 30 miles of wooded countryside to explore. The trail crosses open pinelands interrupted by wet and scenic Titi bays that are studded with a variety of wildflowers and enjoyable for both experienced and beginning horseback riders.
After leaving Lake Talquin, the drive borders the Ochlockonee River, passing through the central portion of the Apalachicola National Forest. Travelers will notice that many pine trees have black trunks, indicating that fire has occurred in the area. This byway—and the state of Florida—is a national model for the use of prescribed fire as a management tool for the longleaf pine and wiregrass habitat that dominates the landscape. The orange Prescribed Fire signs are a reminder of the many ways the practice benefits the forest and wildlife, and protects surrounding areas and residents from destructive wildfires.
Spring and fall are particularly beautiful seasons along this portion of the byway. The roadsides are filled with wildflowers and beautiful butterflies. The broad white bands painted around the trunks of large longleaf pine trees indicate nest clusters of the endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker.
The town of Smith Creek still exhibits its country past with a one-room schoolhouse, old wooden barns, fishing shacks, and Tupelo Honey processing barns.
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Stop 5: Three Rivers Bridge & Porter Lake, Apalachicola National Forest
Directions from previous place: One mile from the town of Smith Creek, Forest Road 13 crosses the byway. Turn west at the sign for Porter Lake and stop in a safe area on the bridge - a favorite local fishing spot.
Distance from Previous Site: 1 miles / 1.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 2 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes Walk the length of these bridges for a beautiful view of the Ochlockonee River and the adjacent floodplain swamp dominated by Tupelo Gum trees and Bald Cypress. The Ochlockonee River Bridge also serves as the route for the Florida Scenic Trail, with a trailhead at Porter Lake, the ANF facility on the western end of the bridge. The bridge is also an excellent area for birdwatching since you are at eye level with the treetops.
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Stop 6: City of Sopchoppy
Directions from previous place: Return to the byway and continue south 16.8 miles to the town of Sopchoppy.
Distance from Previous Site: 16.8 miles / 26.9 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 12 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour 5 minutes Perched on the banks of the beautiful Sopchoppy River, this was one of Charles Kuralt’s favorite stops. Sopchoppy is the Worm Gruntin’ capital of the world, and locals still practice the art of coaxing earthworms from the ground to sell as bait. They go into the “Bait Woods” at dawn, drive a hardwood stob into the ground, and rhythmically rub the top of the exposed wood with a heavy piece of iron, such as a leaf spring from an old tractor. The friction—which resembles the vibrations of Moles digging—causes the earthworms to escape to the surface where they are collected in bait cans. Each year in early April, the town celebrates its tradition of Worm Gruntin’ with a daylong festival, coronation of the Worm Grunters’ King and Queen, and the Worm Grunters’ Ball.
This is a good stop for lunch. Try a restaurant in the small historic district near the old Georgia, Florida, and Alabama (fondly called the Gopher, Frog, and Alligator or GF&A) railroad depot or continue through town to US 319.
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Stop 7: Ochlockonee River State Park
Directions from previous place: Return to Rose Avenue (CR 22) and exit town the way you entered, then take the left fork crossing the river on CR 22. In 1.2 miles turn left on Curtis Mill Road (CR 299), which reenters the Apalachicola National Forest. Continue 7.4 miles to the intersection with Sopchoppy highway (US 319). Turn south for .3 miles to the entrance of this beautiful state park.
Distance from Previous Site: 7.9 miles / 12.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 10 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes This jewel of a park is located where the Ochlockonee and Dead Rivers intersect. Ochlockonee, which means “Yellow Waters,” is a mix of brackish, tidal surge, and fresh water. Wild and deep, the river empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Trails allow visitors to explore the park and view the diverse wildlife including nesting Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers, white squirrels, manatees, alligators, otters, bobcat, coyote, black bear, white-tailed deer, and natural communities such as pine flatwoods and oak thickets. Both freshwater and saltwater fish inhabit the waters around the park.
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Stop 8: Tate’s Hell State Forest
Directions from previous place: Back on the byway this scenic drive continues south on Sopchoppy Highway (US 319) for 6.4 miles to the intersection of Coastal Highway (US 98). Turn right and continue west on US 98 for 9.1 miles. At the Forest Service Fire Tower on the right (north) side of the road, turn left onto CR 30-A. Continue on 30-A, then right on Marine Street back to the intersection with US 98 (1.4 miles). Continue west on US 98 for 10.2 miles, passing the entrance to Tate’s Hell State Forest, to a sign for Tate’s Hell High Bluff Tract-Ralph G. Kendrick Dwarf Cypress Dome. The route through Tate’s Hell State Forest is graded and will accommodate 2-wheel drive vehicles. This route is not recommended for large motor homes and should not be driven in heavy rain.
Distance from Previous Site: 34 miles / 54.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 50 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 50 minutes Local legend has it that a farmer by the name of Cebe Tate, armed with only a shotgun and accompanied by his hunting dogs, journeyed into the swamp in search of a panther that was killing his livestock. Although there are several versions of this story, the most common describes Tate as being lost in the swamp for seven days and nights, bitten by a snake, and drinking from the murky waters to curb his thirst. Finally he came to a clearing near Carrabelle, living only long enough to murmur the words, “My name is Cebe Tate, and I just came from Hell!” Cebe Tate’s adventure took place in 1875 and ever since, the area has been known as Tate’s Hell, the legendary and forbidden swamp.
This drive takes visitors into the heart of “Hell” through a network of unpaved, but well graded forest roads, passing unique and varied natural community types from sandhill ridges to basin swamp. Enjoy a most memorable journey full of rare plant species and wildlife.
Comprising 202,000 acres, this forest land was purchased with the primary goal of hydrological restoration and preservation of Apalachicola Bay. The forest contains 107,300 acres of hydric communities such as wet prairie, wet flatwoods, bottomland forest, and floodplain swamp, as well as many rare plant species. One of the more unique features, the Dwarf Cypress Dome, contains trees over 300 years old, but only reach 6-15 feet high.
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Stop 9: Ralph G. Kendrick Dwarf Cypress Dome
Directions from previous place: Turn at the Cypress Dome sign and park in the designated area.
Distance from Previous Site: 0.1 miles / 0.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 1 minute Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes One of the most unique features of the byway, the Dwarf Cypress—also known as Bonsai or Hat-Rack Cypress—are found throughout Tate’s Hell, but nowhere more pronounced than in the area of this boardwalk. Many of the trees are more than 300 years old, but they grow to a height of only 6-15 feet. The soil in this area is very deep before hitting bedrock, but there is a layer of hard clay that may prevent the cypress roots from growing deeper. The soil here is also very low in nutrients, as evidenced by the many carnivorous plants in the area.
The site includes a boardwalk with observation platforms, interpretive panels, and picnic tables.
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Stop 10: Sand Beach Recreation Area, Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area
Directions from previous place: Leaving the Dome, turn left, following signs along the graded dirt road on Dry Creek Road and later North Road for a total of 4.8 miles through Tate’s Hell State Forest to the byway on SR 65. Turn right (north) on SR 65 and continue west for 3.2 miles crossing scenic creeks to Sand Beach Road. Turn left (west) at the Apalachicola River WEA sign onto Sand Beach Road. Follow Sand Beach Road (a graded dirt road) for 2.8 miles to the small parking lot at the Sand Beach Recreation Area. This route is not suitable for large motor homes and should not be attempted in heavy rain.
Distance from Previous Site: 10.8 miles / 17.3 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes This site is part of a vast ecosystem that begins hundreds of miles away in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia. The 82,554- acre Apalachicola River WEA contains the largest expanse of floodplain forest in Florida. The floodplain forest of the lower Apalachicola River protects, feeds, and nurtures Apalachicola Bay, the site of Florida’s most productive oyster harvesting. This region is also considered one of the most important bird habitats in the southeastern United States: more than 280 species have been identified in the Apalachicola River WEA. The area lies on the eastern fringe of the Mississippi Flyway and hosts large numbers of birds from both the Midwest and the Atlantic seaboard during migratory periods.
Travelers have an outstanding view of the mighty Apalachicola from the tower that also overlooks a beautiful Cabbage Palm hammock and floodplain forest. The site also includes interpretive panels, picnic tables, a short nature walk, and dock.
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Stop 11: Blackwater Creeks Scenic Drive
Directions from previous place: Return to SR 65 and turn south for 8.8 miles to the intersection with US 98.
Distance from Previous Site: 8.8 miles / 14.1 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 15 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes The byway borders the Apalachicola River and passes several scenic creeks, offering excellent opportunities for canoeing and kayaking on the Apalachicola River WEA Paddling Trail. The best times to paddle these pristine blackwater creeks are fall and spring when temperatures are pleasant and bugs are few. The system was awarded the American Canoe Association (ACA) “Recommended Water Trail for 2006” and designated a “National Recreation Trail” by the Department of Interior in 2008.
Swamp lilies, swamp roses, and asters bloom along the creeks in April and October. Look for alligators, Belted Kingfishers, Owls, Anhingas, and Pileated Woodpeckers along the drive. The last creek is Cash Creek with a boat launch on the east side of the road. This is a must photographic spot. The views in both directions from the bridge and picnic area are well worth the entire drive. This wetlands creek is also a good birding spot in the spring and fall and dolphins are often seen playing in the bayou.
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Overnight Point: Apalachicola
Directions from previous place: From SR 65 turn west onto US 98 and continue 3.2 miles on the byway to Eastpoint. At the entrance to town, turn left off US 98 onto Patton Drive (SR 30), cross over to St. George Island, and continue west on Bayshore Drive until it intersects with US 98. Turn west and cross the John Gorrie Bridge into Apalachicola.
Distance from Previous Site: 10.8 miles / 17.3 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 15 minutes This first day’s drive ends with an overnight stay in the Waterfront Florida Community of Apalachicola, where travelers can choose from a variety of accommodations, including historic B & B’s, and sample some wonderful fare.
The town has an exceptionally rich history and its maritime culture reflects the area’s bountiful natural resources. Visitors can watch shrimp boats ply the area waters, sample the famous Apalachicola oysters, visit a museum, or browse through unique galleries and antique shops.
Designated a “Distinctive Destination” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it has over 900 homes and buildings listed in its National Register District, dating as far back as the 1830s. A scenic walking tour of the town acquaints visitors with sites such as cotton warehouses, which supported the city’s once prosperous cotton export trade during the 1800s.
This segment of the byway terminates in Apalachicola at the dock on Market Street, where two facilities of interest are located at either end of the parking lot. The Nature Center of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, the second largest of 25 Reserves in the U.S., and the St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center with displays about this remote 12,300-acre barrier island at the west end of Apalachicola Bay.
The city celebrates its heritage in May with a Tour of Historic Homes and the Florida Seafood Festival in November.
Total Distance Traveled in Day 1: 147.5 miles / 236.0 km
Day 2
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Stop 1: Apalachicola Bay to St. George Island Scenic Drive
Directions from previous place: Return to the byway, crossing the John Gorrie Bridge, then right on South Bayshore Drive for 1 mile to the intersection with SR 300. Turn south over the Bryant Patton Bridge for 5.1 miles to St. George Island.
Distance from Previous Site: 11.1 miles / 17.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 10 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 10 minutes Travelers will experience a major change in scenery from the beautiful forests to the gulf waters and magical springs. Upon leaving Apalachicola, the byway crosses two major bridges with sweeping views of Apalachicola Bay, a State Aquatic Preserve with designated uses such as shellfish propagation and harvesting. The drive also provides a great opportunity to watch Ospreys diving for food, shrimp boats pulling their nets, and oystermen standing in their boats “tonging” for oysters
St. George Island is a 29-mile barrier island that provides access to the seafood-rich waters of Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. During most of its 5,000 years of existence, the island was uninhabited by man. During the early and middle 1900s, the island’s pine forests were turpentined. Many scars are still visible on the larger slash pines. The Cape St. George Island Lighthouse now stands at the main intersection on the island. Constructed in 1848 on Cape St. George, it collapsed following Hurricane Dennis in 2005. It has been painstakingly reconstructed brick by brick for public viewing at this new location.
St. George Island features numerous beach-front rental properties, a bike trail, and celebrates its relationship to the bay in October with an Oyster Spat Festival.
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Stop 2: St. George Island State Park
Directions from previous place: Turn east on Gulf Beach Drive and travel 4.4 miles to St. George Island State Park.
Distance from Previous Site: 4.4 miles / 7.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 8 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour 1,962 acres in area and 9 miles long, this park offers environments from beaches to pine woods and scrub oak hammocks. Rated a “Top 10 Beach” in the country, it offers excellent opportunities for Gulf Coast shelling, fishing and hiking.
This is also a wonderful place for neotropical migrations in spring when strong winds force songbirds to roost in the small oaks near the youth camp area and park campground. It is a Florida Birding Trail site, and the parks' sandy shores and grass flats are home to Snowy Plover, Least Tern, Black Skimmer, American Oystercatcher, and Willet. Sea turtles nest along the park beaches, with loggerhead turtles being the most common.
The park also features handicapped accessible covered pavilions, bath and changing rooms, boardwalks to the beach, interpretation, boat ramps, picnic tables and grills.
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Stop 3: St. George Sound Scenic Drive
Directions from previous place: Return on CR 300, crossing the Bryant Patton Bridge, then right on Patton Drive to US 98 in Eastpoint. Veer east on US 98 for 11.6 miles to the Crooked River Lighthouse and Park.
Distance from Previous Site: 23 miles / 36.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 30 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes This waterfront drive offers unimpeded views of St. George Sound, where at low tide Great Blue Herons stand sentinel as pods of dolphins hunt in the shallows. Stands of coastal scrub habitat unique to this coastline border the land side of the drive, interspersed with hiking trails in Tate’s Hell State Forest. The Crooked River Lighthouse, originally constructed in 1895 to replace the Dog Island Lighthouse, now resides along this stretch of the byway as a park.
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Stop 4: Carrabelle Beach
Directions from previous place: Continue on the byway for 1.9 miles. Picnic pavilions and parking are located on the water side of the road.
Distance from Previous Site: 1.9 miles / 3.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 3 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes This white sand beach on St. George Sound is a good place to stretch your legs and view the barrier islands on the horizon. An historic plaque describes earlier days when this area was part of Camp Gordon Johnston, a WWII amphibious training center for the invasion of Normandy. The island opposite the beach is Dog Island, once notorious as a haven for pirates and a good site for shipwrecks.
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Stop 5: St. James Island and Carrabelle Scenic Drive
Directions from previous place: Continue east on the byway, cross the bridge over Carrabelle River onto St. James Island, turn right on Marine Street, then left on CR 30A to the intersection with US 98. Turn right on US 98 and continue 5.3 miles to Lanark Village.
Distance from Previous Site: 9.8 miles / 15.7 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 12 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 12 minutes Crossing the Carrabelle River onto St. James Island, the byway passes the Waterfront Florida Community of Carrabelle, which is surrounded by the Carrabelle River, Crooked River, Ochlockonee River, and the Gulf of Mexico. Incorporated in 1893, the city flourished during the early part of the 1900s when the lumber and turpentine industries were at their height. Today tourists visit the area to fish, swim, dive, scallop, and just relax. Carrabelle has a growing population of black bears who are drawn each fall by abundance of acorn-producing oak trees. Their arrival is celebrated with a black bear festival in October.
The scenic waterfront features a harbor with pavilions, docks, and walkways backed by pine trees growing down to the water’s edge. The route is interspersed with freshwater ponds and wetlands that serve as rookeries for wading birds. Opposite Lanark Village is Lanark Reef, a nesting site and a feeding ground for many species of terns and shore birds.
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Stop 6: Leonard’s Landing and the Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve
Directions from previous place: Continue east on the byway for 3.6 miles to the intersection with US 319, veer right on US 98 and continue for 6.9 miles passing the St. Teresa beach community.
Distance from Previous Site: 10.5 miles / 16.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 12 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes This small roadside pull-off and boat ramp on Alligator Harbor features an information kiosk on the rich seagrass beds of the aquatic preserve and clam farming. Eagles and Osprey are frequently seen roosting in trees along the water’s edge. The tall stakes in the water mark clam aquaculture sites. Clam farming is increasing in importance in this area and seems to offer a promising alternative to other seafood harvesting practices that are in decline. These clams have a wonderful flavor and can be purchased at seafood houses on the byway in Panacea.
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Stop 7: Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory and Aquarium
Directions from previous place: Travel east on US 98. Cross the bridge over the Ochlockonee Bay and continue for 8.4 miles to Panacea. Turn right at the aquarium sign onto Rock Landing Road, then left on Clark Drive.
Distance from Previous Site: 8.4 miles / 13.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 10 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Located in the Waterfront Florida Community of Panacea, this 25,000-gallon marine aquarium has open touch tanks providing visitors a close look at the enormous diversity of Big Bend sea life, from sand sharks to sea horses.
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Stop 8: Panacea and Upland Forests Scenic Drive
Directions from previous place: From the Aquarium, return to the byway and US 98 and continue through Panacea eastward into the Panacea Unit of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.
Distance from Previous Site: 4 miles / 6.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 5 minutes Founded in 1895, Panacea was named for the healing properties of its many mineral springs. Visitors arrived from far away by buggy and plank road trams drawn by mules to bathe in the springs’ curative waters. The town is also steeped in maritime history, from the early days of catching huge runs of mullet by hand-drawn seine nets to later practices of oystering, shrimping, and crabbing. Panacea celebrates its relationship to nature with a Blue Crab Festival in May and the Mighty Mullet Maritime Festival in October.
Bordered by Dickerson Bay, the route passes the Big Bend Maritime Center, Otter Lake Recreation Area, the Wakulla Visitor Center, and Mineral Springs Park before entering the Panacea Unit of the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge. This Unit is largely dominated by upland pine and oak forests with several fresh water lakes interspersed. About 6.5 miles of the Florida National Scenic Trail traverses this unit of the Refuge. Spring and fall offer beautiful roadside displays of wildflowers in bloom.
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Stop 9: City of St. Marks
Directions from previous place: Continue east on US 98 past the community of Medart to the intersection of Pork Leon Drive (SR 363). Turn right on this byway spur to the City of St. Marks.
Distance from Previous Site: 17.3 miles / 27.7 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 45 minutes A wonderful location for lunch, this quaint Waterfront Florida Community is situated at the juncture of two Outstanding Florida Waters—the St. Marks and Wakulla Rivers—accented by vast stretches of marsh grass.
One of the oldest settlements in North America, the first European to have seen this point was Panfilo de Narvaez in 1528. In 1679 the Spanish started building the first fort in St. Marks, using logs painted with lime to look like stone, but pirates weren’t fooled by the camouflage. They looted and burned the fort a few years later. Forts in St. Marks were later occupied by Spanish, British, Spanish again, then (for five weeks) by a force seeking to establish “the Nation of Muskogee,” and Spanish yet again, before being taken over for the United States by Andrew Jackson in 1818. The fort passed back into Spanish control one more time before U.S. troops occupied it in 1821. In 1861 it was reoccupied by Confederate troops and named Fort Ward, and became a permanent possession of the United States at the end of the Civil War. Now open to the public as Ft. San Marcos de Apalachee Historical State Park, it features a wonderful museum of exhibits and artifacts, and a well-marked walking trail through the ruins.
Located opposite the Fort is Florida’s first designated state trail which follows the abandoned rail bed of the historic Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad. The trail runs 16 miles south from Florida’s capital city, Tallahassee, through the Apalachicola National Forest, ending in St. Marks. Through the early 1900s this historic railroad corridor was used to transport cotton from the plantation belt to the docks at St. Marks for shipment to textile mills in England and New England. Today, as a paved trail, it provides an excellent recreational workout for bicyclists, walkers, and skaters. An adjacent unpaved trail also provides opportunities for horseback riding.
St. Marks celebrates its heritage in October with a Stone Crab Festival and reenactment at the Fort.
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Stop 10: St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
Directions from previous place: Return to US 98 and continue east, crossing the St. Marks River at Newport. Turn right on the byway spur at CR 59 and follow signs to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. The road winds 6.5 miles through a mixed hardwood/pine forest and across a vast salt marsh dotted with large pools for migrating waterfowl, ending at Apalachee Bay and the historic St. Marks’ Lighthouse.
Distance from Previous Site: 14.7 miles / 23.5 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 40 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour Covering more than 68,000 acres of land and 31,000 acres of bay, the Refuge is internationally recognized for its more than 300 species of birds.
The Refuge also has strong ties to a rich cultural past and is home to the St. Marks Lighthouse, which was built in 1832 and is still in use today. There are excellent birding at the Refuge ponds along the road with outstanding nature trails and viewing platforms. There are also excellent migratory waterfowl viewing in fall and winter months with wildflowers in spring and fall plus monarch and other butterfly migration in fall.
The refuge features a guided driving tour, picnic sites, observation platforms, bathrooms, trails, boat ramp, and a Visitor/Nature Center with excellent interpretation.
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Stop 11: Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park and Lodge
Directions from previous place: From the Refuge, return to US 98 (3.4 miles) and turn left (west), crossing the St. Marks River, turn right at the first intersection onto Bloxham Cutoff (SR 267) and continue for 9.4 miles to the entrance of Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park and Lodge.
Distance from Previous Site: 12.8 miles / 20.5 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 14 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour 10 minutes Wakulla Springs is internationally known as one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world and the park is host to an abundance of wildlife, including white-tailed deer, alligators, Suwannee River Cooters, Manatees, Wood Ducks, Anhinga, Yellow-Crowned Night Herons, other birds, and snakes. A nature trail offers a leisurely walk along the upland wooded areas of the park.
Daily guided riverboat tours provide a close encounter with wildlife and glass-bottom boat tours are offered when the water is exceptionally clear. Swimming is a popular activity during the hot summer months but the water temperature remains a constant 69 degrees year-round.
The Wakulla Springs Lodge was built in 1937 by financier Edward Ball and is open year-round. Wakulla Springs State Park and Lodge is listed on the Natural Register of Historic Places and is designated as a National Natural Landmark.
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Stop 12: Leon Sinks Geological Site
Directions from previous place: Return to US 98 and continue west, crossing US 319, and then turn right onto Springhill Road (CR 373). Continue for 6.9 miles, then turn right at the sign for Leon Sinks Geological Area onto New Light Church Road. Continue for 3.1 miles, then turn left onto US 319 for 0.7 miles to the entrance of Leon Sinks.
Distance from Previous Site: 10.7 miles / 17.1 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 13 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 45 minutes Over four miles of marked, interpreted trails running past Longleaf Pine forest, Gum Tree swamps, sinkholes, swales, caverns, a natural bridge, streams, and depressions presents the area’s unique geology known as Karst topography. This term applies to terrain in which rain and groundwater have dissolved underlying limestone bedrock over long periods of time, leading to collapsed surface formations, which often fill with water.
The area has a good variety of trees which are especially photogenic in spring when dogwood and magnolias are in bloom. The site has bathrooms, picnic areas with grills, marked trails, and interpretation.
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Stop 13: Springhill Road Scenic Drive
Directions from previous place: Retrace the route. Return to Crawfordville Highway (US 319), turn right and right again onto New Light Church Road, back to Springhill Road (3.8 miles). Turn north onto Springhill Road and continue through the Apalachicola national Fores to Capital Circle SW (SR 263).
Distance from Previous Site: 14.6 miles / 23.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 17 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 17 minutes The roadway reenters the Apalachicola National Forest at the site of the historic mill town of Helen. Though there is nothing left of the town itself, a raised roadbed on the west side of the byway is the railbed for the Georgia, Florida, and Alabama (fondly called the Gopher, Frog, and Alligator or GF&A) Railroad of 1893. One mile has been converted into a bike trail. The road winds up and down through the forest in a canopy-like setting. There are two major recreation sites along Springhill Road, Trout Pond and Lost Lake. Both have picnic facilities, restrooms, parking, and areas for swimming. Trout Pond is also wheelchair accessible.
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End: City of Tallahassee Regional Airport
Directions from previous place: From Capital Circle SW (SR 263) turn left at the sign for the Tallahassee Regional Airport.
Distance from Previous Site: 0.1 miles / 0.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 1 minute This itinerary ends at the Tallahassee Regional Airport, thereby completing the 2-day loop drive.
