Both above and below ground, Florida Caverns State Park makes for an outstanding destination. Start with its geology and revel in colorful wildflowers each spring.
Created in the 1930s by the hardworking Civilian Conservation Corps, the tour route inside Florida Caverns wraps through more than a dozen rooms.
This park is home to Florida’s only underground trailsEach have their own distinct and colorful landscapes, echoing the aboveground diversity of the rugged karst terrain that tops them.
Despite the destruction of a significant amount of the forest canopy by Hurricane Michael in 2018, the forest floor remains lushly vegetated.
Atamasco lilies in FebruaryResources
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.
Overview
Location: Marianna
Trailhead: 30.808399,-85.212398
Address: 3345 Caverns Road, Marianna
Fees: $5 per vehicle. Extra per-person fee for cavern tours
Restrooms: At the Caverns gift shop and the day use area at Blue Hole
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 850-482-1228
Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed pets welcome aboveground but not in the caverns or the swimming area.
Directions
From Interstate 10 exit 142, follow SR 71 north to US 90. Continue west on US 90 to downtown Marianna, where a large sign points you to make a right on SR 166, Florida Caverns Road. Follow it north, crossing the Chipola River and passing Citizens Lodge Park before you reach the park entrance on the left, just after the Florida Caverns Golf Course (not a part of the state park). Once inside the park, take a left at the fork to drive down to the parking area at the show cave.
About the Park
Most visitors are here to see Florida’s only show cave, and for good reason. It’s a showy live cave, dripping water from the stalactites above.
Landmarks along the tour route have names like Fat Man’s Squeeze, the Wedding Room, and the Cathedral.
Impressive cave formationsGeologic beauty emerges in classic cave formations like rimstone pools, delicate soda straws, pure sparkling calcite, helicitites, and cave bacon.
Cave tours are offered Thursday through Monday, excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tours are limited to 25 people. Built in the 1930s, the tour route is not accessible.
One of many rimstone poolsAs of October 2023, tour tickets cost $15 for ages 13 and up, $8 ages 3 to 12.
Call ahead to ensure the tour isn’t cancelled due to flooding or staffing issues.
John ducking through a tour tunnel. He was permitted to use a hiking stick due to a leg injury.Above ground, the park is just as fascinating. It features Florida’s only hiking trail that goes through a cave, and yes, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
While Hurricane Michael decimated the ancient forest, the hills are still a geologic marvel and bloom with delicate Appalachian wildflowers.
A cluster of trilliumA scenic road connects the caverns and day use picnic area at the south end of the park with features at its north end, passing the campground and paddler’s launch en route.
The road ends adjacent to Blue Hole, a spring to swim in or simply circle and admire. Its clarity varies, so it’s signposted when it is open as a swimming hole.
Swimming platform at Blue HoleAdjacent to its entrance but not a part of the state park is the Florida Caverns Golf Course. Also built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the 9-hole course opened in 1939.
Florida Caverns Golf CourseHiking
Starting from the same parking area as the caverns themselves, the Caverns Trail System includes Tunnel Cave as a highlight.
Accessible paved paths loop around the caverns past colorful wildflowers. The boulder-strewn climbs along natural surface trails along the Chipola River floodplain are a joy.
Florida Caverns Trail System Rugged karst topography, showy spring wildflowers, and Florida's only hike through a cave make this showy loop atop Florida Caverns a compelling hike. From the trailhead at the north end of the park, the 1.2 mile Sinkhole Trail loops through karst terrain between Blue Hole and the riversink of the Chipola River.
It’s part of the multi-use Chipola Trail System, which also includes the 6.8 mile Bumpnose Trail, primarily a destination for equestrians and off-road cyclists.
Florida Caverns Sinkhole Trail Starting near the campground at the north end of Florida Caverns State Park, a simple loop trail provides views of Sugar Mill Run and access to seasonally available trails leading to the Chipola River. Paddling
From a launch point along the park road north of the caverns, paddlers can head upriver on the Upper Chipola River Paddling Trail, a challenging but rewarding route.
Karst defines the Upper Chipola, with showy springs upriver. You can’t paddle downriver, however, as the waterway vanishes beneath a natural bridge.
Baltzell Spring Made up of liquid pools of beauty on the edge of Florida Caverns State Park, Baltzell Spring is a compelling destination for spring hunters along the Chipola River in Marianna.Camping
Set in rugged terrain near the north end of the park, the Florida Caverns campground provides easy access to the Upper Chipola Trails.
The 38 campsites along the loop are available to RVs and tent campers. Each has full hookups and a picnic table and fire ring.
Six equestrian campsites adjoin the Upper Chipola Trailhead at Blue Hole, three primitive sites for tent campers and three with hookups for RVs.
There is also a group camp for youth groups located not far from the caverns. Call the park to arrange a stay for a group. Otherwise, reserve a campsite online.
A connecting walkway leads to Blue HoleTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Florida Caverns
Boulders and blossoms at Florida Caverns Looking for a compelling wildflower walk? One of Florida's showiest parades of wildflowers clings to the bluffs at Florida Caverns State Park.Video
A speedy walk-through of the Florida Caverns tour we did in 2017
Slideshow
See our photos from Florida Caverns State Park (most are pre-Hurricane Michael)
Nearby Adventures
Bellamy Bridge Heritage Trail A shady trail leads deep into the Chipola River swamp to an eerie bridge, where it is said the spirit of Elizabeth Bellamy ceaselessly searches the banks looking for a long-lost love. 
Blue Springs Recreation Area With a developed swimming area surrounding a first-magnitude spring, Blue Springs Recreation Area is a liquid playground in hues of blue, a broad open basin pouring forth a major spring run.
Merritt’s Mill Pond The astounding hues of spring-fed Merritt's Mill Pond make it a compelling destination for paddling and diving.
Florida Trail, Altha 1.7 miles. Following Bauldree Branch to the bluffs of the Chipola River, the Altha section of the Florida Trail is a fabulous destination for spring wildflowers.
- Hal Scott Red Trail - November 13, 2026
- Baseline Trails - November 7, 2026
- Hal Scott Yellow Trail - November 3, 2026