Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway
Places to Visit
-
Alexander Springs Recreation Area (FL)
Discharging cool, clear freshwater at a rate of 107 cubic feet per second, Alexander Springs is one of the favorite destinations on the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway, particularly during the warmer months when the springs become one of the region’s favorite swimming holes.
Location: Approximately 6.4 miles south of the intersection of Lake County Road 445-A and State Road 40. (N 29.0782, W -81.5778)
-
Caravelle Ranch Wildlife Management Area (FL)
The 13,000-acre Caravelle Ranch Wildlife Management Area is located at the confluence of the Ocklawaha and St Johns Rivers.
Location: North-central part of Florida.
-
The Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest, the “crown jewel” of the Florida Trail System, is certified as part of the Florida National Scenic Trail.
Location: Trailhead is seven miles south of the intersection of County Road 314 and State Road 40.
-
Heart Island Conservation Area (FL)
The 12,000 acre Heart Island Conservation Area is a mosaic of pine flatwoods and basin wetlands of varying size. The conservation area is also an important wildlife corridor. Heart Island offers opportunities for hiking, horseback riding, seasonal hunting, biking, wildlife viewing, birding and primitive camping.
Location: 3.7 miles east of the intersection of State Road 40 and US 17 in Barberville.
-
Juniper Prairie Wilderness Area (FL)
The 14,283 acre Juniper Prairie Wilderness is the largest of the four designated Wilderness Areas within the Ocala National Forest. The area was the setting for Rawling’s novel the “Yearling” and the 1949 Gregory Peck movie.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: In the Juniper Springs Recreation Area on State Road 40 approximately 4.5 miles west of the intersection of State Road 40 and State Road 19.
-
Juniper Springs Recreation Area (FL)
The Juniper Springs Recreation Area is one of the oldest and most popular National Forest Recreation Areas and boasts semitropical scenery not found on any other national forest in the continental United States.
Location: 26701 East Hwy 40
Silver Springs FL 34488 -
The 19,650 acre State Forest is comprised of slash pine, longleaf pine, bottomland hardwoods, and interspersed cypress and bay depressions.
Distance from byway: 0.75 mi / 1.2 km Travel time: 5 minutes Directions: Turn north on Riley Pridgeon Road from State Road 40 and go 0.72 miles north to the forest entrance. Travel time is less than 5 minutes. Access to the portion of the forest lying south of the byway is from the St Johns River Road, which intersects the byway 0.6 miles east of the St Johns River Bridge at Astor. The traveler will turn south on the St Johns River Road from State Road 40 and go 0.75 miles south to the forest entrance. Travel time is less than 5 minutes.
-
Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge (FL)
Established in 1964, Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge provides safe habitats for several bird species, with thousands of acres of freshwater marshes, Cypress and hardwood marshes, uplands, and more.
Distance from byway: 9 mi / 14.5 km Travel time: 13 minutes Directions: From Barberville, head south on Highway 17 to DeLeon Springs. In DeLeon Springs, turn right onto Katrina Street and go one block to Grand Avenue. Turn left on Grand and go approximately 3 blocks to Mud Lake Road. Refuge directional signs are prominently displayed on both U.S. 17 and Grand Ave. to direct the way to the refuge and headquarters office.
-
Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway (FL)
The 78,946 acre Greenway runs for 110 miles from the St. Johns River to the Gulf of Mexico and includes the Ocklawaha River, which is designated as an Outstanding Florida Water.
Location: Central part of the state.
-
The 389,000-acre Ocala National Forest contains the world’s largest sand pine forest known as the “Big Scrub”, a rare natural community that is home to many plants and animals found nowhere else.
Location: Central part of the state
