Bethea State Forest
Sanderson 10.0 milesWith nearly 40,000 acres along the Florida-Georgia border, John M. Bethea State Forest provides an important corridor for wildlife migrating between the Okefenokee Swamp and Osceola National Forest.

The county seat of Baker County, Macclenny grew along the Florida Gulf and Atlantic Railroad. It sits east of Osecola National Forest and south of the Okefenokee Swamp.

With nearly 40,000 acres along the Florida-Georgia border, John M. Bethea State Forest provides an important corridor for wildlife migrating between the Okefenokee Swamp and Osceola National Forest.

Starting at the westbound Sanderson rest area along Interstate 10, the Fanny Bay Trail leads you through pine flatwoods into a cypress swamp with ancient cypresses.

In the Osceola National Forest, this short loop along the Florida Trail adjacent to Olustee Battlefield is one of the easiest places in the state to see red-cockaded woodpeckers.

An easy linear hike or round trip with a stop at the Florida Trail’s oldest shelter, this short segment of the Florida Trail in Osceola National Forest is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail.

A highlight of Jennings State Forest, this 3.5 mile loop traverses healthy longleaf pine habitat and showcases a series of cascades above the North Fork of Black Creek.

With elevation changes, streams, and cascades, the Pioneer Trail is as close as you can get to the Appalachian Trail experience without leaving the Florida peninsula.

Protecting the headwaters of Black Creek, one of the northernmost freshwater tributaries of the St. Johns River, Jennings State Forest spans almost 24,000 acres west of Jacksonville.

Providing a peek into an ecologically important area along the eastern edge of Bethea State Forest, the 2.5 mile Maple Set Trail showcases the beauty of the St. Marys River basin.

Along US 90, Maclenny is a quiet Florida town, the county seat of Baker County, with a small historic district, a genealogical library, and a historic courthouse

More than ten thousand soldiers met and fought in the longleaf pine forest at Olustee, the largest Civil War battle on Florida soil.

The hike through Olustee Battlefield is short, but its historical significance is great. More than 2,000 men died in this forest on February 20, 1864, when Confederate and Union forces met and fought Florida's bloodiest battle

The smallest of Florida's national forests, the Osceola National Forest carries the weight of history hidden in its dense stands of longleaf pine.
