Sandy beaches tempting on every curve of the river. Trails for paddlers and hikers to enjoy.
Blackwater River State Park is the gateway to thousands of acres of public lands stretching northward to the Alabama border.
Resources
Resources for exploring the area
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.
Overview
Location: Harold
Trailhead: 30.704266,-86.880892
Address: 7720 Deaton Bridge Rd
Fees: $4 per vehicle
Land Manager: Florida Park Service
Phone: 850-983-5363
Open 8 AM until sunset daily. Leashed pets welcome but not on beaches or swimming areas. Call ahead regards the current pet policy for the campground.
Directions
Located along Deaton Bridge Rd just three miles north of US 90 in Harold. The parking area on the south side of the bridge provides access for the Chain of Lakes Trail and the Florida Trail in the Hutton Unit.
The parking lot on the left after the bridge is for access to the Juniper Creek Trail and a picnic area atop the bluffs.
The main entrance to the park, which includes the campground, nature trails, and swimming beach, is on the right.
About the Park
Adjoining Blackwater River State Forest, this is the “Canoe Capital of Florida,” well-served by outfitters and cherished by backpackers for trails that showcase the Blackwater River and its tributaries.
Put in at Deaton Bridge and take a leisurely kayak trip upstream to float back along the clear, tannic waterway with its sandy bottom, or relax at the riverside campground and sun on a white sand beach.
Trails enable exploration of both sides of the river. On the southeast side of Deaton Bridge, the Chain of Lakes Trail showcases a series of swamps formed from cutoff oxbow bends on the river.
The Juniper Creek Trail section of the Florida Trail, along with the Hutton Unit section, can be accessed from the parking areas that flank the river at Deaton Bridge.
On the northeast side of Deaton Bridge, the Juniper Lake Trail connects the campground and the main recreation area with a series of boardwalks and footpaths. Along it, enjoy nice views of the river. A plaque points out the Florida Champion Atlantic white cedar.
The deeply forested campground makes for a pleasant place to pull in your trailer, RV, or camper van. We enjoyed being able to walk the boardwalk from it to the main pavilion area.
Explore More!
Activities at Blackwater River State Park
Florida Trail, Hutton
An exceptionally scenic hike, the Hutton section of the Florida Trail navigates distinctive landscapes though clayhills, ravines, and pitcher plant bogs, encompassed in thick stands of pine.
Blackwater River State Park
Blackwater River State Park is the gateway to thousands of acres of public lands stretching northward to the Alabama border.
Florida Trail, Blackwater
45.5 miles. The Blackwater section of the Florida Trail walks you through Atlantic white cedar and longleaf pine forests, pitcher plant bogs and titi swamps en route to the Alabama border.
Florida Trail, Juniper Creek
7.3 miles. Also known as the Juniper Creek Trail, the Florida Trail at Juniper Creek is a gorgeous place to explore, with its panorama at Red Rocks and botanical delights along and above the creek basin.
Camping at Blackwater River State Park
A candid review of the campground at Blackwater River State Park near Milton, where we spent nearly a week, in numerous different sites, in spring 2013.
Chain of Lakes Trail
At Blackwater River State Park, the Chain of Lakes Trail provides access to sandy beaches along the river and meanders along oxbow lakes out to pine flatwoods in a loop
Articles about Blackwater River State Park
A Year with Primrose
It’s been a year since we purchased Primrose, our 1982 VW Vanagon. Here’s a recap of where we’ve been and what we’ve seen.
The Harold Store
Back in camp on Day 3 of the Panhandle Trace Hike, we met up with Gail and Sally. Since we had to move Primrose to our next campsite – and we had to kill time, since someone was still occupying it – we a took detour to the Harold Store. En route I realized that …
Following Juniper Creek
On the third day of the 2013 Panhandle Trace Hike, we followed the Juniper Creek section of the Florida Trail away from the wildfires that burned to the north, experiencing beauty and absurdity along the way.
Converging on the Panhandle Trace
With two hikes behind us, we drove toward west to join the Panhandle Trace Hike. Knowing that after ten years of leading this event long-time Florida Trail Association activity leader Peggy Grantham would be retiring, Sandy wanted to participate this year and fill in a few new spots on the Florida Trail map. We arrived …
Cool down in the Blackwater River
Enjoy a cool dip in the Blackwater River at Blackwater River State Park near Milton. The Florida Trail runs right through the park, crossing Deaton Bridge, but your best access to the least-busy broad sandy beach on a river bend is along the Chain of Lakes Trail, an interpretive trail that follows old oxbows left …