Good news! The loop trail at Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park is now open. The bridge reconstruction was recently completed, restoring full use of the 1/2 mile loop trail.

There is 30 million years of history on display here and that’s remarkable because Florida itself is about that old. This is a great place to learn about and see how Florida and the Floridan aquifer formed.

This sinkhole creates its own climate, moderating temperatures and relative humidity. The result is an ecosystem similar to that you’d find in the Appalachian foothills, replete with liverworts and 34 species of warblers. Wildlife corridors to the north and west bring in nearly every animal in north central Florida including bobcats, foxes, deer, coyote and the occasional gator or black bear.

Several reviewers suggested off trail adventures here, but due to the delicate nature of this geological feature and the presence of ground-nesting yellow jackets, that is not advisable. Stay on the trails and you’ll be safe (so will the flora and fauna).

There have been several landslides here in the past year, the most recent of which was a week ago. You can see in real time the process by which steep sinkhole sides reduce to gentle slopes and how plants, which languished in the shade of now toppled trees for decades, are reaching for the light. Falling phosphatic sands and clay turn the normally clear/tannic water a turquoise blue, just like you see in rock pits, until microbes eat it up.

There are a few misconceptions in the reviews I’ve read here. First, this is a drain to the Floridan aquifer, there are NO springs here. Second, the small waterfalls come from the shallow aquifer flowing out the sidewalls. Third, the sinkhole typically holds only a shallow pool of water or just rivulets leading to the drain. It half filled after hurricane Irma came through in 2017, destroying the stairs. The new stairs are safer and shorter (132 steps now, whereas it was previously 230 steps). Last, mosquitoes are no worse here than anywhere else in natural areas; there is very little stagnant water on this site.

I have visited this park nearly every day for the past 30 years and now volunteer as a Tour Guide. Tours are scheduled for Saturday at 10 am, but I’m happy to give a tour to anyone whenever I’m present; so please feel free to ask. We emphasize the geological history of this site, Florida and the Floridan aquifer.

I hope you’ll enjoy visiting this park that nature-loving tourists in the 1800s labeled one of the “Natural Wonders of Florida.”