Falling Waters Trail

Falling Waters Trail leads to the most dramatic geological feature in Florida, a 73-foot waterfall that plunges vertically into a perfectly cylindrical sinkhole, the highest waterfall in the state. The sinkhole is approximately 100 feet deep and 20 feet in diameter, creating a stunning natural amphitheater where water free-falls into darkness below. The destination is genuinely surprising in flat Florida, where few visitors expect to encounter such a dramatic vertical landscape feature.

The trail winds through longleaf pine sandhills and mixed hardwood forest before arriving at a series of boardwalks and viewing platforms that allow safe observation of the sinkhole and waterfall from multiple angles. Interpretive signs explain the geological processes that created the sinkhole and the watershed that feeds the falls. The flow of the waterfall varies dramatically with rainfall; during dry periods a trickle drops into the dark void, while after heavy rains a robust cascade thunders down. Ferns and mosses colonize the moist walls of the sinkhole, and the cool air rising from the cavity supports a microclimate distinct from the surrounding upland. The loop returns through shaded sandhill habitat where gopher tortoises are commonly encountered.