A small, quiet out-of-the-way Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) park in the Florida panhandle overlooking the Apalachicola River, the nearest town is Bristol, FL. Come here with sufficient provisions and fuel. Friendly and helpful camp host and rangers. There are plenty of overnight and day trip fun opportunities. Campground, 3 Primitive Backpack sites, 2 Youth Camps, Picnic Area with Pavilions and 16 miles of hiking trails.
The campground has 29 sites of which 12 are 50 amp sites. Some sites on one side of the loop are rather close together, but all the others have a fair amount of privacy due to distance and foliage. All the sites are packed sand and pretty level. OK, two sites, ADA, are concrete.
At the entrance to the loop is one yurt, about 20' diameter that overlooks a valley,
and midway in the loop is one 2 bdr cabin.
In the middle of the loop is the CCC built (1935) barracks converted to the park office, small camp store, game/meeting room, and museum of sorts.
At the loop's turn is an observation deck providing a grand view of the horizon and valley below.
There are several trails to hike in the park ranging from about a quarter mile to two challenge trails (orange hash) of 5.75 miles and 6.8 miles, easy to rugged. The terrain on the challenge trails ranges from easy to rugged. Rocks, roots and steep elevation changes prevail on the challenge trails especially. The shorter trails, labelled connector trails (blue hash) are less a challenge, but still can be a workout.
You don't want to get off the trails. Those fallen leaves are slippery.
American Lady? Not sure.
Phaon Crescent
Along a trail. At first I thought someone carved a butterfly from stone, closer inspection proves it to be a broken stone wheel.
Detouring around a fallen pine.
At the end of Weeping Ridge Trail one will find the results of the weeping...a 25 foot water fall. Small today because of a serious drought in the area.
One can only imagine this water fall in a good rainy spring. Pretty area none the less.
Tall Spruce Pines tower throughout the area. The forests also include the rare Florida Yew and the endangered Torreya. You'll also see White Oak and Southern Magnolia.
The leaves of the Torreya. A tree found only in the forests of the Apalachicola River bluffs. Unfortunately, it has declined in numbers due to fungal blight.
My stump of the day. Once proud.
New life from a decayed, fallen tree.
Along a connector trail stands a CCC built stone bridge.
On a bluff overlooking the Apalachicola River stands the Gregory House, a fully restored plantation home built around 1849. With the end of the Civil War and slavery abolished the plantation declined. The house, which originally stood across the river at Ocheesee Landing was sold to the CCC in 1935, dismantled, moved across the river and reconstructed in its current location. The house normally has dark green shutters which today lie in the back yard, being repainted.
The living room (parlor?) with nice hardwood floors and a beautiful tuned piano.
A view of the river from the bluff upon which the Gregory House currently stands.
No comments:
Post a Comment