Explore Washington County’s Falling Waters State Park

While this is indeed home to Florida’s tallest waterfall, this ain’t Niagara.

Falling Waters State Park features a waterfall with a 73-foot drop into a natural sink, which more often that not features just a trickle.

To really be impressed, you would have to go in the rainy season, when you might get the impressive wall of water that the park features on its brochure.

The flow of water, though, is actually managed to some degree by a man-made twoacre lake upstream of the sink, so there’s always at least some hydrological action.

While the water drops 73 feet, the hole itself is 100 feet deep and 20 feet wide, a giant cylinder into which the water drops and disappears into a terrastial cave system that is part of the recharge system for the Floridan Aquifer.

The park itself, though, is a lovely 171-acre park with a white-sand beach on the lake with swimming area, and boardwalk trail that takes you to the sink and through upland pine and fern-covered forest grounds as well as hardwood hammock.

Campers will enjoy one of the highest campsites in Florida at 324 feet above sea level. The park has 24 campsites for $18 a night. Each site has water, electricity and picnic tables.

While a visit to Falling Waters might not take up the entire day, a visit to nearby Chipley might be in order. It’s a great place to grab some barbecue. Try Skins and Bubba’s or Hog Pound BBQ. Or for a Southern “stick-toyour-ribs good” buffet, try the Colonial Restaurant. 24,569 Vernon visitwcfla.com Mexican Grill: Cancun’s facebook.com/cancunsmexicangrillandrestaurant; Colonial Restaurant: facebook.com/ Colonial-Restaurant-Catering; Javier’s Mexican Grill: facebook.com/JaviersMexican-Grill-802045583199694/

Falling Waters State Park: floridastateparks.org/park/fallingwaters; Seacrest Wolf Preserve: seacrestwolfpreserve.org

Super 8 Chipley: wyndhamhotels.com/ super-8/chipley-florida/ super-8-chipley/overview