Contents Foreword xvii 1. Florida as an Ecotourism Destination 1 Part 1. Northwestern Florida 2. The Panhandle’s Pitcher Plant Prairies 11 Blackwater River State Park, Blackwater River State Forest Sidetrips: Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park, Garcon Point, Clear Creek Nature Trail, Eglin Air Force Base, Blackwater Heritage Trail State Park 3. Emerald Coast 20 Gulf Islands National Seashore, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Grayton Beach State Park, St. Andrews State Park Sidetrips: Perdido Key State Park, Big Lagoon State Park, Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park, Point Washington State Forest, Pine Log State Forest, Deer Lake State Park 4. Forgotten Coast 34 T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park, St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge Sidetrips: Dead Lakes Recreation Area, St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve 5. Apalachicola National Forest 44 Sidetrips: Tate’s Hell State Forest, Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area 6. Apalachicola River Lands 52 Three Rivers State Park, Torreya State Park, Florida Caverns State Park Sidetrips: Falling Waters State Park, Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve 7. Big Bend Territory 60 St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, Big Bend Wildlife Management Area Sidetrips: Econfina River State Park, Ochlockonee River State Park, Bald Point State Park, Aucilla Wildlife Management Area Part 2. Northern Florida 8. Upper Suwannee River 71 Suwannee River State Park, Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, Big Shoals State Park Sidetrips: Osceola National Forest, Ichetucknee Springs State Park, O’Leno State Park/ River Rise Preserve, Ginnie Springs Outdoors 9. Lower Suwannee River 82 Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, Manatee Springs State Park Sidetrips: Fanning Springs State Park, Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve, Andrews Wild- life Management Area 10. First Coast Islands 92 Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve, Little Talbot Island State Park, Big Talbot Island State Park Sidetrips: Amelia Island State Park, Fort Clinch State Park, Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park, Huguenot Memorial Park, Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park 11. Matanzas River Lands 102 Faver-Dykes State Park, Washington Oaks Gardens State Park Sidetrips: Pellicer Creek Corridor Conservation Area, Moses Creek Conservation Area, Anastasia State Park, Fort Matanzas National Monument 12. Land of the Caves, Sinks, and Ravines 110 Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, Ravine Gardens State Park Sidetrips: Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park, San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park, Lochloosa Wildlife Conservation Area, Gum Root Swamp Conserva- tion Area, Newnans Lake Conservation Area, Morningside Nature Center 13. Ocala National Forest 122 Sidetrips: Silver River State Park, Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area, Sunnyhill Restoration Area Part 3. Central Florida 14. Space Coast 133 Canaveral National Seashore, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Sidetrips: Spruce Creek Park, Enchanted Forest Nature Sanctuary, Smyrna Dunes Park 15. St. Johns River Country 143 Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, DeLeon Springs State Park, Blue Spring State Park Sidetrips: Hontoon Island State Park, Tiger Bay State Forest, Lake George State Forest 16. Upper St. Johns River 152 William Beardall Tosohatchee State Reserve, Seminole Ranch Conservation Area, Blue Cypress Conservation Area Sidetrips: Lake Monroe Conservation Area, Canaveral Marshes Conservation Area, River Lakes Conservation Area, Three Forks Marsh Conservation Area, Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area, Lake Proctor Wilderness Area, Geneva Wilderness Area, Little-Big Econ State Forest, St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge, Orlando Wetlands Park 17. Nature Coast 162 Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Withlacoochee State Forest Sidetrips: Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, Crystal River Preserve State Park, Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area, Potts Preserve 18. Green Swamp 174 Green Swamp, Lake Louisa State Park Sidetrips: Withlacoochee River Park, Upper Hillsborough Water Management Area, Richloam Wildlife Management Area, General James A. Van Fleet State Trail, Hilochee Wildlife Management Area 19. Central Lakes and Springs 183 Wekiwa Springs State Park, Seminole State Forest Sidetrips: Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park, Rock Springs Run State Reserve, Lake Norris Conservation Area, Sabal Point Sanctuary, Emeralda Marsh Conserva- tion Area, Lake Griffin State Park 20. Florida’s Bay Area and Gulf Islands 192 Honeymoon Island State Park, Caladesi Island State Park, Fort DeSoto Park Sidetrips: Egmont Key State Park, Shell Key Preserve, Boca Ciega Millennium Park, Weedon Island Preserve, Upper Tampa Bay Park, E.G. Simmons Park, Emerson Point Park, Hillsborough River State Park 21. Highland Ridge 205 Lake Wales Ridge State Forest, Highlands Hammock State Park, Lake June-in-Winter Scrub State Park Sidetrips: Archbold Biological Station, Avon Park Air Force Bombing Range, Tiger Creek Preserve, Jack Creek Preserve, Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmen- tal Area 22. Cracker Lakes 214 Lake Kissimmee State Park Sidetrip: Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area Part 4. Southern Florida 23. Southern Prairie Lands 222 Myakka River State Park Sidetrips: Myakka Prairie, T. Mabry Carlton Reserve, Oscar Scherer State Park 24. Southwestern Barrier Islands 232 J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Cayo Costa State Park, Lovers Key Carl E. Johnson State Park Sidetrips: Stump Pass Beach State Park, Don Pedro Island State Park, Gasparilla Island State Park, Delnor-Wiggins State Park 25. Lake Okeechobee Lands 244 Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Dupuis Reserve Sidetrips: Fisheating Creek, Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest 26. Indian River Lagoon Lands 254 Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Savannas Preserve State Park, Sebastian Inlet State Park, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park Sidetrips: Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, Jack Is- land Preserve State Park, Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area, Indrio Savannahs, St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park 27. Loxahatchee River Lands 268 Jonathan Dickinson State Park Sidetrips: Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, Blowing Rocks Preserve 28. Eastern Everglades 276 Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, Royal Palm Visitor Center, and Flamingo Visitor Center of Everglades National Park Sidetrips: Biscayne National Park, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park 29. Big Cypress National Preserve 289 Sidetrips: Shark Valley Visitor Center of Everglades National Park, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park 30. Western Everglades 300 Gulf Coast Visitor Center of Everglades National Park Sidetrips: Collier-Seminole State Park, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Rookery Bay Na- tional Estuarine Research Reserve, Tigertail Beach, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge 31. Lower Keys 309 Bahia Honda State Park, National Key Deer Wildlife Refuge Sidetrips: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Dry Tortugas National Park, Curry Hammock State Park Appendix 1. Resources 319 Appendix 2. Common Florida Wildlife 325 Appendix 3. Activity-Based Destination Recommendations 337 Index 341.