Florida’s Rarest Geological Formation Hides Beneath The Surface Of This Overlooked State Park

Florida Caverns State Park

70 feet beneath Florida’s panhandle lies one of the most state parks in the US.

Inside Florida Caverns State Park are cathedral-sized rooms filled with thousand-year-old rock formations and rare cave creatures you won’t find anywhere else in the state.

A Labor of Love from CCC

This 1,319-acre park sits three miles north of Marianna in Jackson County, where 200 young men from the Civilian Conservation Corps transformed it in the 1930s.

They worked tirelessly with pickaxes to make these caves accessible to visitors.

Cavern Tours

Expert rangers guide 25-person groups through twelve remarkable cave rooms, including the dramatic Cathedral Chamber with its 35-foot ceiling and the delicate Fairy Chamber.

The caves maintain a steady 65-degree temperature and 90% humidity year-round, offering a cool retreat from Florida’s heat.

Explore the Historic Museum

Building 3, an original 1934 limestone structure, houses a treasure trove of CCC Company 1445’s history. The building showcases unique ‘parkitecture’ style with local limestone blocks and hand-carved timber beams.

Paddle the River Cave Run

The 4.5-mile Chipola River trail flows past seven limestone bluffs and three underwater cave entrances. The highlight is Carter’s Cave spring vent, pumping 15 million gallons of crystal-clear water daily into the river.

Golf Among Ancient Rocks

Scottish architect Donald Ross designed this unique nine-hole course in 1930, using natural limestone outcrops as hazards on holes 3, 5, and 7. The famous 4th hole challenges golfers to drive over a 15-foot sinkhole, while the 9th green perches atop an ancient limestone shelf overlooking the cave entrance.

Blue Hole Spring Swimming

This limestone-rimmed spring pumps 42 million gallons of water daily, staying at 68 degrees year-round. Twenty-five feet below the surface, underwater cave formations house rare blind cave salamanders and cave crayfish.

Camp by Limestone Cliffs

Twenty full-facility campsites nestle beneath 30-foot limestone walls, featuring natural rock shelters and seasonal waterfalls. Each site includes an original CCC limestone fire ring and easy access to the Caverns Trail.

Photograph Cave Life

The cave system hosts three species of cave-adapted salamanders, including the rare Georgia Blind Salamander. You’ll also find five bat species, cave crickets with six-inch leg spans, and the Florida Cave Isopod – found nowhere else globally.

Hunt for Ancient Fossils

From November through March, low water levels reveal 40-million-year-old fossils in designated Chipola River limestone beds. Visitors frequently find Eocene-era shark teeth, dugong rib fragments, and perfectly preserved sand dollars.

Join the Cave Festival

Every second Saturday in October, the park hosts its signature festival featuring carbide lamp-lit twilight cave tours and historic cave mapping demonstrations. Watch limestone carving demonstrations and participate in hands-on geology activities.