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Blackwater River State Forest | |
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Location | Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, Florida, United States |
Nearest city | Milton |
Coordinates | 30°43′58.44″N86°52′29.1″W / 30.7329000°N 86.874750°W |
Area | 206,900 acres (83,700 ha) |
Other information | Hiking, biking, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, camping, boating |
Blackwater River State Forest is a state forest in the western panhandle of Florida, United States. It is administered by the Florida Forest Service, part of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Blackwater River State Forest is completely contained within Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Counties. The forest is managed from a common headquarters in Munson, Florida. There are local ranger offices in Molino (Escambia County), Milton, (Santa Rosa County), and Baker (Okaloosa County). [1]
The forest shares its name with the Blackwater River, which rises in southern Alabama and flows south dividing Okaloosa and Santa Rosa before emptying into the Blackwater Bay.
Otahite was one of the settlements that preceded the forest. It is now a ghost town but its post office was relocated and is part of a museum. [2] State legislator John Wilkinson Jr. was documented as being from Otahite. [3] Otahite means damp place. [4] It was described in a newspaper 1934 publication as a hamlet near the western boundary of Okaloosa County. [5]
Federal Forest and Department of Defense land was originally donated to the state of Florida in the 1950s to manage for timber and recreation. These tracts of land comprised close to 50,000 acres of primarily Longleaf, Slash, and Loblolly pine plantations with scattered scrub resulting from years of mismanagement. Over time multiple acquisitions have been made to extend the size of the forests. Most of the additions have been from purchasing private timber company land while others have come from smaller private land owners.
The forest offers many recreational opportunities. Multiple camping areas, both developed and primitive are located throughout the forest. Krul Campground has two camp grounds and a day use area. Bear Lake Campground has a campground with water and power and a second campground with only water for tent campers. There is also a pavilion available for use at Bear Lake. To the North is Hurricane Lake with a campground on the north and south shores. The south campground does not have electricity at its campsites. All lakes, excluding Krul lake, are open for fishing and are managed and stocked by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Okaloosa County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Alabama state line. As of the 2020 census, the population was 211,668. Its county seat is Crestview. Okaloosa County is included in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Santa Rosa County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2020, the population was 188,000. The county seat is Milton, which lies in the geographic center of the county. Other major communities within Santa Rosa County are Navarre, Pace, and Gulf Breeze. Navarre is the most populated community with a population of approximately 45,000 residents. Santa Rosa County is included in the Pensacola—Ferry Pass—Brent, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes Escambia County.
Hiawatha National Forest is a 894,836-acre (362,127 ha) National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of the state of Michigan in the United States. Commercial logging is conducted in some areas. The United States Forest Service administers this National Forest; it is physically divided into two subunits, commonly called the Eastside 46°14′N84°50′W and Westside 46°08′N86°40′W.
The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, US. It protects over 921,000 acres of federally managed land within a 1,700,000 acres proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.
The Florida panhandle is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a salient roughly 200 miles (320 km) long, bordered by Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is arbitrarily defined. It is defined by its southern culture and rural geography relative to the rest of Florida, as well as closer cultural links to French-influenced Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Its major communities include Pensacola, Navarre, Destin, Panama City Beach, and Tallahassee.
The Flathead National Forest is a national forest in the western part of the U.S. state of Montana. The forest lies primarily in Flathead County, south of Glacier National Park. The forest covers 2,404,935 acres of which about 1 million acres (4,000 km2) is designated wilderness. It is named after the Flathead Native Americans who live in the area.
Florida's state forests are state forests overseen by the Florida Forest Service. There are 38 state forests in Florida covering more than 1,058,000 acres. The first state forest in Florida was Pine Log State Forest, established on 6,960 acres in 1936. Cary State Forest was established in 1937. Blackwater River State Forest and Withlacoochee State Forest were added in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Black Hills National Forest is located in southwestern South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, United States. The forest has an area of over 1.25 million acres (5,066 km2) and is managed by the Forest Service. Forest headquarters are located in Custer, South Dakota. There are local ranger district offices in Custer, Rapid City, and Spearfish in South Dakota, and in Sundance, Wyoming.
The East Bay River in Florida is a 15-mile-long (24 km) river located in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. It flows from east to west, forming near Hurlburt Field, and empties into the eastern portion of East Bay (Florida) near the towns Holley and Navarre. The river forms part of the southern boundary of Eglin Air Force Base.
The Florida Trail is one of eleven National Scenic Trails in the United States, created by the National Trails System Act of 1968. It runs 1,500 miles (2,400 km), from Big Cypress National Preserve to Fort Pickens at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach. Also known as the Florida National Scenic Trail, the trail provides permanent non-motorized recreation for hiking and other compatible activities within an hour's drive of most Floridians.
Blackwater Falls State Park is located in the Allegheny Mountains of Tucker County, West Virginia, US. The centerpiece of the park is Blackwater Falls, a 62-foot (19 m) cascade where the Blackwater River leaves its leisurely course in Canaan Valley and enters rugged Blackwater Canyon. It is among the most photographed venues in the state and appears on calendars, stationery, and advertisements. The river is named for its tannin-darkened water.
The Blackwater River of Florida is a 56.6-mile-long (91.1 km) river rising in southern Alabama and flowing through the Florida Panhandle to the Gulf of Mexico. The river enters Florida in Okaloosa County and flows through Santa Rosa County to Blackwater Bay, an arm of Pensacola Bay. The river passes through Blackwater River State Forest and Blackwater River State Park. Milton, the county seat of Santa Rosa County, is located on the river.
Promised Land State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Blooming Grove, Greene and Palmyra Townships, Pike County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The approximately 3,000-acre (1,214 ha) park is mostly surrounded by Delaware State Forest. It is in the Poconos and sits at an elevation of 1,800 feet (549 m). The second growth forests in Promised Land State Park are made up of beech, maple, oak and hemlock trees. There are two lakes within the boundaries of the park. Promised Land State Park is 10 miles (16 km) north of Canadensis on Pennsylvania Route 390.
State Road 4 is a 43.705-mile-long (70.336 km) two-lane state highway in Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties in the western corner of the Florida Panhandle. It is signed east–west, but the road is slightly diagonal. The road runs from Century near the Alabama state line at an intersection with U.S. Highway 29 (US 29), to the farming community of Milligan at an intersection with US 90.
The Lake George State Forest is a designated protected area and state forest in the U.S. state of Florida. The 21,176-acre (8,570 ha) forest is located in northwestern Volusia County, Florida, near Lake George and the communities of Pierson, Barberville, and Volusia. It is overseen by the Florida Forest Service within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The Tiger Bay State Forest is in the U.S. state of Florida. The 27,330-acre (11,060 ha) forest is located in Volusia County, Florida, between Daytona Beach and DeLand.
The Withlacoochee State Forest is 157,479-acre (637 km2) in the western central part in the US state of Florida, near Lecanto, Inverness, Floral City, Brooksville, Ridge Manor, and Dade City. The forest was named for the Withlacoochee River, which passes through some of the major tracts within.
The Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) stretches from the St. Marks River Basin in Jefferson County to the Perdido River in Escambia County. The District is one of five water management districts in Florida created by the Water Resources Act of 1972. The District has worked for decades to protect and manage water resources in a sustainable manner for the continued welfare of people and natural systems across its 16-county region. It serves Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla, Walton, Washington and western Jefferson Counties.
North Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida comprising the northernmost part of the state. Along with South Florida and Central Florida, it is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regions. It includes Jacksonville and nearby localities in Northeast Florida, an interior region known as North Central Florida, and the Florida Panhandle. North Florida is considered to be part of the Southern United States.
Clear Creek Wildlife Management Area is a 52,559-acre (21,270 ha) tract of protected area located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) leases the land from Hancock Timber.