Apalachicola National Forest

The Apalachicola National Forest covers roughly 2,311 km² southwest of Tallahassee, making it the largest national forest in Florida. Established in 1936 under the New Deal and administered by the United States Forest Service, it protects a mosaic of longleaf pine flatwoods, blackwater rivers, and pitcher-plant bogs that few East Coast forests can match. The forest is a stronghold for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and hosts one of the highest concentrations of pitcher plants in North America. Visitors hike sections of the Florida National Scenic Trail, paddle the dark-tannin waters of the Sopchoppy and Ochlockonee rivers, or camp at primitive sites deep enough into the forest to lose cell signal entirely.