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Hinson Trail Alamo Cave

Hinson Trail

Circling Hinson Conservation and Recreation in Marianna, the Hinson Trail offers rugged hiking, scenic views, and historic sites along its 4 mile circuit.

Marianna      ( 30.757621,-85.213923 )      4.5 miles

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6/2023 UPDATE: The preserve’s trails have not been restored since Hurricane Michael


Hiking through the most rugged hills this side of the Apalachicola River, you’d think you’d stumbled across a long-lost piece of the Appalachians as you climb uphill from Alamo Cave towards a cabin surrounded by trillium.

Circling the perimeter of Hinson Conservation and Recreation in Marianna, the Hinson Trail was designated a National Recreation Trail in 2013.

It offers not just rugged hiking and scenic views but a variety of habitats and historic sites to explore along its 4 mile circuit.


Resources

Resources for exploring the area

Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

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: Marianna
Length: 4 mile loop
Trailhead: 30.757621,-85.213923
Fees: Free
Restroom: None
Land manager: Department of Environmental Protection

Cross trails enable you to adapt the length of your hike to the amount of time you have to explore. The trails nearest the river are the most rugged; those to the southwest of the Chipola River Greenway can be swampy and muddy. Use plenty of mosquito repellent when hiking near the river.


Directions

 
From Interstate 10 exit 142, Marianna, drive south on SR 71 for 0.4 mile to Magnolia Rd. Turn right. Continue 2.9 miles, crossing the Chipola River at Bear Paw Adventures, to SR 73. Turn right. Drive 2.8 miles north to the entrance to Hinson Conservation & Recreation Area, marked with a large sign at Gator Hole Lane on the right. Follow the limerock road for 1.1 miles downhill into the preserve to where it ends within sight of the Chipola River and trailhead kiosk under the trees.

Hike

Start your hike at the canoe launch area on the Chipola River. Walking counterclockwise, you first tackle a portion of the trail that rambles along a peninsula, with the Chipola River to your right at all times.

After 0.8 mile you reach Alamo Cave, where the first cross trail comes in. This cave is a large natural bridge, as you can see sunlight right through it.

Here’s where the trail gets rugged, climbing up a steep and rocky slope to guide you above a segment of caves along the river known as “The Ovens.”

Passing the old cabin, the trail levels out but remains well above the river, with deep sinkholes on your left.

Once the trail drops back to river level you pass a small spring and start to loop back after viewing a railroad trestle over the river.

Leaving the river, the trail meanders through dense deciduous forest before climbing up a limestone escarpment at 1.5 miles and popping out into an open grassy meadow with a bench and pecan tree.

After another stretch of hilly trail in the forest – where we missed the next cross trail – you cross the park entrance road and continue west along open grassy areas and stands of planted pines.

The next cross trail is at the remains of the old M&B Railroad, a track filled in with forest.

From here, the trail continues into open areas and old pecan groves over the next mile, with stretches of woods providing shade.

Looping all the way up towards the front entrance before returning to the railroad tracks, you begin the descent back towards the Chipola River.

Here’s where things can get muddy, as we found standing water throughout depressions in the forest for the next half mile, en route to the Chipola Greenway.

When you reach the river again, turn left to follow the broad Chipola Greenway back to the canoe launch to complete the 4-mile circuit.


Trail Map

Hinson Trail


Related Articles

Steep slopes along the Hinson Trail

A ramble on the new Hinson Trail

April 9, 2013//  by Sandra Friend

Hiking along the Chipola River

Hinson Trails completed

May 19, 2012//  by Sandra Friend

Hinson Preserve a hiker’s hideaway

January 11, 2012//  by Sandra Friend


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of the Hinson Trail


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Florida Caverns State Park

Florida Caverns State Park

A dip into Florida’s only show cave at Florida Caverns State Park brings on an instant sense of cool.

Chipola River

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.

Merritt's Mill Pond

Merritt’s Mill Pond

Fed by first-magnitude Jackson Blue Spring and nearly a dozen smaller springs, Merritt’s Mill Pond is a waterway unlike any other in Florida, its unusual hues trapped between rocky slopes and edged with moss-draped cypress trees.

Jackson Blue Springs

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

Category: Biking, County Parks, Day Hikes, Hikes, Loop Hikes, Northwest Florida, Trails, Water Management AreasTag: Big Trees, Birding, Botanical, Caves, Chipola River, Geology, Historic Sites, Marianna, Riverfront, Sinkholes, Wildflowers

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