26 Jan 2026 4 min read Airstreamin'

Florida Caverns State Park

Underground limestone, quiet trails, and one of the most unusual state parks in Florida.

Do you know the difference between a stalagmite vs stalactite?

If you’re expecting beaches, palms, or flat walks through scrub, this place immediately resets that expectation. The terrain has more texture, the forest feels different, and there’s a constant reminder that something interesting is happening underground.

Florida Caverns is a reminder that Florida has layers most people never see. Above ground, it feels like a straightforward panhandle state park. Wooded trails, quiet campground, nothing flashy. But the whole experience is shaped by what is happening underground, and that changes how you move through the park.

Our days here were simple. Camp was easy, nights were quiet, and everything revolved around timing a visit to the caverns. You notice pretty quickly that this park is not about covering distance or stacking activities. It is about understanding one very specific feature. The Caverns.

🗺️ The Lay of the Land

Location: Marianna, Florida · 30.8456° N, 85.2215° W · Google Maps
Official site: Florida Caverns State Park
Landscape: Mixed hardwood forest · karst limestone terrain
Vibe: Social · Relaxed · Quiet
Our stay & conditions: January 2026 · 4 nights · cool winter days with cold mornings and freezing overnight temperatures

🏕️ Camp Setup

Site types: Back-in RV sites · Tent sites · Equestrian sites
Arrival & setup: Moderate
Hookups: 💧 / ⚡ / 🚽 | 🧻
Connectivity: 📶 AT&T ⚠️ | 📶 Verizon ⚠️ | 📶 T-Mobile ⚠️ | 📡 Starlink 🟢 | 📶 Park Wi-Fi ❌
Facilities: Restrooms · Showers · Laundry · Trail access

Legend:
🚽 = sewer at site · 🧻 = dump station
🟢 = solid for work · ⚠️ = usable with limits · ❌ = unusable/unavailable

🚴 On the Ground

Activities available: ● 🥾 Hiking | ● 🚴 Biking | ● 🐕 Dogs | ● 🚣 Paddling | ○ 🎣 Fishing | ● 🐦 Wildlife / Birding | ● 🏊 Swimming | ● 📸 Photography | ● 🏕️ Camp-centric | ○ 🧗 Climbing
Trail mileage available: 🥾 ~6.5 mi | 🚴 ~6.5 Multi-use | 🚣 River Access
Crowd level: Quiet | Steady | Busy

Legend: ● = available · ○ = not available

Park Highlights

Talking with the rangers here changes how you see the park. The caverns are not just something cool that happens to be here. They are the entire reason this place exists.

One of the first things they explained is the difference between a cave and a cavern. Cave is the general term. Cavern usually refers to larger spaces with enough room and stability for public access and visible formations. Florida Caverns fits that description, which is why it can be toured without compromising the system.

The caverns formed through a slow process tied to limestone and water. Rainwater absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and soil, becoming slightly acidic. Over long periods of time, that water moves through cracks in the limestone and dissolves it. Small fractures become passages. Passages become rooms. As water continues to move through the system, minerals are deposited and build the formations people come to see. Nothing about this happens quickly, and that slowness is the point.

What surprised us most is how uncommon this is in Florida. There are caves in the state, but very few that are dry, accessible, and developed enough to support guided tours. Florida Caverns is one of the only places in the state park system where you can walk through a true limestone cavern and see that process clearly.

The rangers also talked about the park’s early history. The caverns were known locally long before they became a state park, but they were preserved and developed during the early days of Florida’s park system. The goal was protection first, access second. That mindset still shows in how the caverns are managed today.

Final Takeaway

Florida Caverns is the kind of park you recommend when someone says, “I didn’t know Florida had anything like that.” It’s not flashy, it’s not overbuilt, and it doesn’t try to be more than it is. What it is, though, is different, and that alone earns it a stop.

If you’re traveling through the Florida panhandle and want a park that feels grounded, educational, and a little unexpected, this one deserves your time.

⚡ TL;DR

Park highlight: Florida’s only state park with publicly accessible limestone caverns and guided cave tours
Best for: Easy trails, river access, cave exploration, and a laid-back, social campground
Skip if: You want elevation, long-distance trail systems, or consistently warm water
Worth planning around?: Yes