Known best for its hillsides of blooming azaleas each February, Ravine Gardens State Park melds historic planted public gardens with the intriguing setting of a deep steephead ravine above the St. Johns River in Palatka.
Resources
Resources for exploring the area
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Overview
Location: Palatka
Trailhead: 29.638003,-81.646824
Address: 1600 Twigg St, Palatka
Fees: $4-5 per vehicle
Land Manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 386-329-3721
Open 8 AM until sunset daily. Leashed pets welcome.
Directions
Ravine Gardens State Park sits in the middle of Palatka. All major roads have signs directing you to the park. From the intersection of SR 19 and SR 100, drive 1.4 miles east to Mosley Avenue. Turn right. Watch for the signs. Turn left on Silver Lake Road.
From SR 19, you can also take SR 20 east for 1.7 miles to Mosley Avenue. Turn right, following Mosley Avenue 0.5 mile to the traffic light at Silver Lake Road. Turn left. The park entrance is 0.1 mile down Silver Lake Road, on the right.
About the Park
In 1933, the Works Progress Administration put unemployed Americans to work carving a formal botanical garden out of a steephead ravine near the St. Johns River.
250,000 ornamental plants and 95,000 azaleas later, the city opened its first real tourist attraction, dubbed the “Nation’s Outstanding Works Administration Project.”
The City of Palatka turned Ravine Gardens over to the State of Florida in 1970, and it became a state park.
Despite the massive numbers of non-native plants added to the natural ravine landscape, the forest has had the last laugh.
Ornamentals still thrive just behind the visitor’s center in a set of formal gardens, and azaleas spill over some of the steep slopes.
But a natural hardwood forest, lush with ferns fed by the seepage slopes, thrives at one end of the ravine; a freshwater marsh fills another. Tall loblolly pines climb up some of the hills.
The park has pools at the bottom of the ravine where blue flag iris thrive. The main entrance is through a set of formal gardens.
You can walk more than two miles of footpaths over swinging bridges and on steep hillsides, or walk or bicycle the 1.8-mile scenic drive – closed to vehicles until repairs are done to deal with a landslide – around the top of the ravine.
Take the time to stop and sample the botanical delights, and to enjoy the two swinging bridges that cross the ravine.
Ravine Gardens Hiking Trails
A steeply sloped ravine. Tunnels of azaleas. Bubbling springs. Two swaying suspension bridges. That’s what makes the loop at Ravine Gardens State Park so much fun.
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Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Palatka Water Works
On the grounds of the Water Works Environmental Education Center, explore the historic Palatka Water Works and a short interpretive trail dedicated to William Bartram’s travels as Puc Puggy, the Flower Hunter.
Palatka Riverfront Park
Recently re-imagined to showcase the beauty of the St. Johns River, Palatka Riverfront Park offers a quarter-mile riverfront walk with panoramic views.
St. Johns River Center
A destination for environmental education with a dash of regional history, the St. Johns River Center in downtown Palatka tells the story of Florida’s longest and most storied river.
Palatka to St. Augustine Trail
Connecting two of North Florida’s most historic cities, the Palatka to St. Augustine Trail follows the route of Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railway through rural farming communities