Scenic Byway
Overview and Background
Apalachee Savannahs Scenic Byway (Liberty and Franklin Counties)
Overview: This Forest Service Scenic Byway is part of a nationwide program to provide viewing opportunities of well-managed and pleasing forest landscapes, and is an excellent way to see the forest. It begins 9 miles south of Bristol, Florida at the boundary of the Apalachicola National Forest on State Road 12. The Byway follows SR 12 for almost four miles before taking the left turn onto State Road 379, where it showcases the grassy, open savannahs sporting the most diverse collection of wildflowers in the panhandle. These savannahs, often holding water all year long, host a stunning display of pitcher plants, sundews, wild orchids, asters, black-eyed susans, blazing star, Harper's Beauty, sneeze weed, and meadow beauty, among others. The Byway also offers excellent glimpses of cypress swamps, magnolia bays, creeks, sloughs, groves of oak hammocks, and some of the largest remaining natural stands of longleaf pine - wiregrass in the south. Passing through Sumatra, the Scenic Byway takes State Road 65 south to the southernmost tip of the forest. Total length: 32 miles
Directions:
Driving west from Tallahassee on State Highway 20 to Bristol takes about an hour; turning left onto State Road 12 and taking the Scenic Byway to the southern end of the forest should take about 45 minutes. From there, State Road 65 will take you down to Highway 98 on the coast, where you can loop back to Tallahassee, making a beautiful day's drive with the added bonus of possibly spotting deer, turkey, hawks, raccoons, fox or alligators along the way.
Fees: none.
General Information:
No gas stations on the byway.
Pitcher plants bloom in the spring.
Recreation Site Amenities: available at recreation areas along the byway.
Big Bend Scenic Byway (Franklin, Wakulla, and Leon Counties)
Overview: Whether you visit the Forest Trail rich in pine forests, hardwood hammocks, savannahs, streams, and rivers, or the Coastal Trail of salt marshes, bays, sand dunes, and beaches, the state designated Big Bend Scenic Byway is the natural place to be. Over 200 miles of wonderland inhabited by birds, butterflies, animals, and wildflowers are yours to explore. Trace the footsteps of Apalachee and Creek Indians, Spanish Conquistadors, British and American Troops, Pioneers, Cowhunters, Cotton or Timber Barons, and Hollywood Producers through historic markers, interpretive displays, parks, museums, forts, depots, lighthouses, and historic buildings. Experience the diversity of scenery, small towns, farms, and rural countryside that is Old Florida. Go horseback riding, hiking, kayaking, biking, or birding in two National Wildlife Refuges, Florida's largest National Forest (the Apalachicola National Forest), two State Forests, a State Wildlife and Environmental Area, or six State Parks.
Directions: From Tallahassee, you can join the byway on State Route 20 west of Capital Circle. Combining the Apalachee and Big Bend Scenic Byways makes a nice driving loop through the Apalachicola National Forest and Florida's Big Bend countryside.
Fees: none
Recreation Site Amenities: amenities available at developed recreation sites and towns along the byway
Click here for a map of the Big Bend Scenic Byway