From the small parking area at Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park, a paved barrier-free trail winds through dense pine flatwoods.
A delicate lacy trumpet rising from the grasses beckons just beyond the boardwalk’s edge.
Its network of thin veins of white help you in identifying a white-topped pitcher plant, Sarracenia leucophylla.
Found only along the Gulf Coast, this tall carnivorous plant is one of four rare pitcher plant species that thrive in these swampy prairies between the pines near the Alabama border.
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Overview
Location: Pensacola
Trailhead: 30.37294,-87.402347
Address: 2401 Bauer Rd, Pensacola
Fees: $3 per vehicle
Restroom: Vault toilet at trailhead
Land Manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 850-492-1595
Open 8 AM until sunset daily. Leashed pets welcome, but for the sake of other visitors please don’t take them on the boardwalk.
Directions
From interstate 10 and US 29 in Pensacola, head south on US 29 S for 1.4, before turning right onto North W St. In 1.7 miles, turn right onto SR 296, continuing for 4.3 miles to N Blue Angel Parkway. Turn left, continuing for 7.7 miles, then make a right at SR 292. In 3 miles, turn left onto Bauer Rd, and the park entrance will be on the right in 1.7 miles.
About the Park
Protecting one of the largest stands of white-topped pitcher plants in Florida, Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park encompasses a botanical wonderland known as the Perdido Pitcher Plant Prairie.
A mosaic of wet prairies amid pine flatwoods that is a haven for carnivorous plants of critical concern, its biodiversity includes more than a hundred species of plants.
Open bog area along the boardwalkAdjoining wetlands had been bulldozed for housing (we grimaced at “Pitcher Plant Circle”), so protecting this gem became a critical project for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Starting in 1998, The Nature Conservancy assisted the with the purchase of land along Tarkiln Bayou, part of the Perdido River along the Alabama border.
Tarkiln BayouOf 6,800 acres targeted for acquisition, 4,400 have been protected thus far between the Perdido River floodplain and Big Lagoon.
In addition to conservation, access for recreation was a consideration. The park is a passive preserve for botanical study.
Gulf fritillary clinging to a blazing starA boardwalk across the wetlands offers some of the most up-close views of pitcher plants you’ll find in Florida without getting your feet wet.
While there is no camping on site, a campground is fifteen minutes away at nearby Big Lagoon State Park.
View of Alabama across the Perdido River on the Perdido Bay Trail (Chris Stevens)Hiking Tarkiln Bayou
While the old forest roads of Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park provide a place for amateur botanists to roam, three marked hiking trails are established.
The most prominent is the Tarkiln Bayou Trail, a wheelchair-accessible path. It heads directly from the parking lot into the pine flatwoods.
Start of Tarkiln Bayou Trail (Chris Stevens)It leads to the Emma Claire Boardwalk of Hope, which crosses a spectacular pitcher plant bog on its way to an overlook over the bayou. The round trip is 1.5 miles.
Branching off the Tarkiln Bayou Trail, the 5.8-mile Perdido Bay Trail loops through the coastal forest around the Perdido Pitcher Plant Prairie to Perdido Bay.
Tarkiln Bayou Trail A gentle introduction to Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park, the Tarkiln Bayou Trail starts as a sidewalk but ends as a boardwalk to view the glowing gems of this botanical area and the bayou itself.
Perdido Bay Trail Traverse a loop through coastal forests at Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park, featuring sweeping views of Perdido Bay and a dynamic mix of wet and dry ecosystems.A third trail, the Wet Prairie Trail, makes a 2-mile loop through wet pine flatwoods on the east side of Bauer Rd.
Tarkiln Bayou Wet Prairie Trail Across the street from the more popular Tarkiln Bayou Trail, this sometimes-soggy loop treads into the heart of a pine prairie with pitcher plants.
Entrance to the Wet Prairie TrailRelated Articles
Florida Hikes for Botanical Beauty (3/17/2014) Enjoy Florida's botanical bounty with this handpicked selection of walks in the woods to see spectacular wildflowers, big trees, and unique habitats throughout the state of Florida.
Pitcher plants at Tarkiln Bayou (4/7/2009) At Tarkiln Bayou State Park, the showy blooms of pitcher plants are on parade each spring. The boggy Perdido Pitcher Plant Prairie is ground zero for these beauties.
Picture of Beauty (4/10/2006) I spent a weekend seeking out Florida’s most uncommon and unusual flora - pitcher plants - in their stronghold of the Western Panhandle. Here's what I found.Trail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking the Perdido Bay Trail at Tarkiln Bayou Preserve
Slideshow
Our photos of Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park
Nearby Adventures
Big Lagoon State Park Explore a sweep of coastal forest and wetlands along one of Florida's largest lagoons, with panoramas that stretch to Perdido Key and the Gulf of Mexico.
Perdido Key Discovery Trail Showcasing the habitat diversity of Perdido Key at Johnson Beach, the accessible Perdido Key Discovery Trail is a gentle boardwalk over wetlands, forests, and dunes.
Perdido River Water Management Area Fifteen miles of riverfront public land buffers a sinuous Outstanding Florida Waterway that forms the state line with Alabama at Florida's western border. 
Perdido Riverwalk Walk the banks of the Perdido River after a steep plunge down the bluffs on this short, scenic loop within earshot of Interstate 10.
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