Boats and watercraft utilize the lock, which also functions as a fish ladder, allowing aquatic species such as manatees, eels and fish to traverse the lock in order to migrate between the river and reservoir.
Hundreds of manatees make this park their home for the winter, and viewing these gentle giants from the spring's overlooks is a rare experience.
Blackwater River boasts an incredible array of activities for the outdoor enthusiast, many centered around the park's namesake waterway.
Big Shoals State Park features the largest whitewater rapids in Florida. Limestone bluffs towering 80 feet above the banks of the Suwannee River afford outstanding vistas not found anywhere else in Florida.
Atlantic Ridge Preserve is a tropical paradise of sabal palms, live oak and wild coffee. The park provides habitat for a variety of plants and animals.
Located along the beautiful Lake Wales Ridge, Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park covers more than 8,000 acres of scrub, sandhill and flatwoods in addition to 65 acres of submerged land.
A masterpiece of floral architecture, the gardens feature a picturesque brick walkway, secret garden, reflection pool, walled garden, and hundreds of camellias and azaleas.
The unique topography boasts some of the most radical elevation changes in the state and attracts mountain bikers from around the world to tackle the mountain bike-only trails.
Occupying more than 70,000 acres of land formerly known as the Cross Florida Barge Canal, the Greenway is a 110-mile linear park that is more than a mile wide in places. It hosts more than 300 miles of trails of all types: paddling and hiking.
Located deep in the rolling hills of the Berkshires, Windsor State Forest is known for its beauty. Visitors can experience the cascading waterfall at Windsor Jambs, and the Windsor Jambs Brook winds through a wide gorge with 80-foot granite walls.
