Enjoy the Ultimate Suwannee River Experience

For centuries, Florida's Suwannee River has served as an invaluable resource to area inhabitants as a means for travel and trade. In the 19th century, huge rafts of timber and naval stores were floated downriver to be loaded aboard ships in the lower Suwannee. Trading schooners glided through its waters bringing goods and news from other areas. During the Civil War the Suwannee was a major port for Confederate supplies. The river remained at the center of area commerce until the 1950s when better roads and trucks became more efficient means of transport. Today the Suwannee is still one of the most undisturbed major rivers in the country.

The Suwannee River originates in the Okeefenokee Swamp on the Florida-Georgia border, and flows 240 miles to empty into the Gulf of Mexico. The upper Suwannee is fed by the Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers. Limestone outcroppings and a drop in elevation in this area create Florida's only whitewater rapids at Big Shoals. The middle Suwannee broadens and many of the river's 70 named crystal clear springs are found here. They range from small fissures to behemoths, with an average water flow of over 65 million gallons per day. The lower Suwannee widens further, becoming swampy as it nears the Gulf.

In 1995, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) and the counties, cities, businesses and citizens of the Suwannee River Basin, formed a partnership to develop exciting outdoor visitor experiences, while protecting the river's natural resources and environmental values for generations to come.

Today, the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail (SRWT) runs 207 miles from the river's headwaters in rural north Florida to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, visitors can enjoy camping, canoeing, boating, hiking, biking, birding and horseback riding. The Trail provides a managed wilderness experience while educating visitors about protecting the natural, cultural and heritage resources in the Suwannee River Basin. Visitor opportunities extend outwards from the river to include recreational trails, parks, museums, cultural sites and other nature and heritage attractions in adjacent cities, towns and rural landscapes throughout the area.

Recreational "hubs" connected to more remote recreational or interpretive sites and points of interest create the foundation for the SRWT. Each hub provides opportunity for daytime activities as well as overnight accommodations in cabins, camping areas or private sector lodgings. Primary hubs with cabins include: Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (privately-owned), Suwannee River State Park, Advent Christian Village (privately owned), Lafayette Blue Spring State Park, the Town of Branford, Fanning Springs State Park, and the Town of Suwannee. Cabins are now available at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, Suwannee River State Park, The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, Advent Christian Village and Fanning Springs State Park. Seven river camps at points located between the hubs support multi-day river, hiking, bicycling and riding tours.

To assist those planning a trip to the SRWT, Florida State Parks has provided a website with information on the trail and links to state parks in the area, current package tour offerings and SRWT partners providing services along the trail. A free downloadable video is available at the site for prospective tourists to learn more about the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail and what it has to offer.