Ochlockonee River State Park is a Florida State Park located in Wakulla County, Florida, south of the town of Sopchoppy in the Florida Panhandle. Located off U.S. 319 on the Ochlockonee River, just north of the Gulf of Mexico coast, it is surrounded by the Apalachicola National Forest and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, and provides an important habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

History

Established in 1970, Ochlockonee River State Park is located on the Ochlockonee River where it joins with the Sopchoppy River and Dead River to form Ochlockonee Bay, approximately south of Sopchoppy, Florida, and is accessed from U.S. Route 319. The park covers an area of , while the Apalachicola National Forest and St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge surround the park, producing a net contiguous area of of protected lands. The park was once populated by Native American peoples of the Weeden Island culture in the 300–1000 AD period. During the 1700s, the park area was home to an active turpentine industry, with "cat-faced" pine trees, marked by the turpentine harvesting process, still visible in many locations. The park is considered to be one of the best remaining examples of a natural flatwoods environment in the state, and it contains a significant habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, which nests in longleaf pines. In addition to a large number of other birds,

The park's location at the top of Ochlockonee Bay is within a tidal estuary, with fresh water from the Ochlockonee and Sopchoppy Rivers mixing with tidal salt water from the Gulf of Mexico to produce a brackish environment, inhabited by both fresh and saltwater fish. Largemouth bass, bream, catfish, speckled perch, and other fish are found in the brackish river waters, along with blue crabs.

<gallery>

File:Ochlockonee River SP entr01.jpg

File:Ochlockonee River SP marker01a.jpg

File:Ochlockonee River SP marker01b.jpg

File:Ochlockonee River SP river02.jpg

File:Ochlockonee River SP river04.jpg

File:Ochlockonee River SP01.jpg

File:Ochlockonee River SP04.jpg

</gallery>

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • Ochlockonee River State Park at Florida State Parks
  • Ochlockonee River State Park at State Parks of the United States
  • Ochlockonee River State Park at Absolutely Florida