You hear them well before you can see them: a burble of water that rises to a roar as you approach the Big Shoals of the Suwannee River, Florida’s largest series of rapids complete with hydraulics and holes and Class III whitewater at certain times of year.
Suwannee River Wilderness Trail
Public lands, trails, campgrounds, communities, and access points along the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, a signposted and waymarked paddling route the length of the Suwannee River.
Chiefland
Not far from where the Suwannee River flows out into the Gulf of Mexico, Chiefland is a major community with access to public lands along the Suwannee River and Goethe State Forest.
Fanning Springs State Park
One of the Suwannee River’s largest swimming holes is the clear, cool reflecting pool of Fanning Springs, located along the edge of its namesake town.
Hart Springs
A beauty spot along the Suwannee River north of Fanning Springs, Hart Springs offers swimming, hiking, camping, and cave diving in a rural setting near Trenton.
Lafayette Blue Springs State Park
Lafayette Blue Springs was an old swimming hole for folks in Mayo and the rural communities west of Live Oak, a hidden beauty spot along the Suwannee River that is now a state park.
Lake City
With the Suwannee River to the north and Osceola National Forest to the east, Lake City is a hub for hiking, paddling, and off-road biking along the Suwannee basin.
Live Oak
A historic city in rural North Florida, Live Oak is circled by the Suwannee River to the north, south, and west, about a 20 minute drive in each direction.
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge
One of Florida’s more remote National Wildlife Refuges, the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge spans two counties, protecting a sweep of more than 53,000 acres and 30 miles of coastline along the Big Bend
Madison
Nestled against the Georgia border, the easternmost corner of Northwest Florida is Madison County, with its county line defined on one side by the Suwannee River.
Manatee Springs State Park
Showcasing the topography of the lower Suwannee River, Manatee Springs State Park has trails leading around deep sinkholes, walks through ancient forests, and a spring run so clear you can see schools of fish racing down it to the river.