The Tunnel Cave
One of the park's nature trails
passes through this unusual
natural tunnel of stone.
Blue Hole Spring
Named for water so cold it will
"turn you blue," the Blue Hole
is a natural Florida spring.
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Florida Caverns State Park
Florida Caverns State Park - Marianna, Florida
Florida Caverns State Park
Some of the most beautiful scenery in Florida can
actually be found far removed from the sunshine.
Under the Sunshine State
One of the most beautiful places in Florida is
far removed from the sunshine and pristine
white sand beaches for which the state is
known.

Although few people who flood south each
year for sun and fun realise it, much of
Florida is underlain by some of the most
stunning caves and caverns to be found in
the United States. The most impressive of
these underground wonderlands can be
found at Florida Caverns State Park near the
Northwest Florida city of Marianna.

The park features daily access to the largest
publicly-accessible cavern in the state, an
amazing natural wonder with multiple levels
and a wide array of impressive formations
and chambers. Other caves dot the
landscape of the park and one even forms a
fascinating natural tunnel for one of the
nature trails.

The caves are a result of the unusual karst
topography of the upper Chipola River valley.
Dripping and running water slowly eats away
at the limestone beneath the surface and
over time creates caves and caverns, large
and small. This is also the cause of the
infamous car and house eating sinkholes
that take place in some areas of Florida.

In addition to its famed caves, Florida
Caverns State Park boasts a wide array of
other recreational opportunities and points of
interest. Early Spanish explorers and later
the U.S. Army of Andrew Jackson crossed the
Natural Bridge in the park. Blue Hole Spring
was the scene of a major outbreak of
violence during the Reconstruction Era, but
today is a popular spot for swimming and
sunbathing. There are miles of hiking trails,
spectacular old growth trees, archaeological
sites and the Chipola River is considered
one of the finest canoe streams in the South.

The park also offers camping, a historic
Depression-era golf course, equestrian
trails, picnic areas and access to the Upper
Chipola River Water Management Area, a
massive preserve designed to help protect
the water resources of the Chipola.

Florida Caverns State Park is located on
Caverns Road in Marianna, Florida.
Copyright 2008 by Dale Cox
All rights reserved.
To learn more about Florida Caverns State
Park, please follow the links below:
Google
 
lor.
Natural Bridge of the Chipola
A man made cut once used
by loggers now allows water
to flow across the historic
Natural Bridge.
Visitor Center
The Visitor Center at Florida
Caverns State Park provides
a variety of displays on the
history, archaeology and
geology of the park. It also is
the starting point for the
popular cave tours.