By Deborah Swerdlow

As an avid reader of this blog and a keeper of my own Gainesville bucket list (largely completed just in time for graduation six months ago), I’d like to contribute one of the items from my list: a visit to Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park.

About a 15-minute drive northwest of campus, Devil’s Millhopper is, quite simply, a sinkhole. What makes this geological depression worth a visit is that you can descend into the 120-foot-deep, 500-foot-wide sinkhole and admire the limestone-covered rocks and babbling brooks while you learn about the ecosystem and environmental processes that created this natural landmark. There is also a half-mile nature trail around the top of the sinkhole.

All photos courtesy of Deborah

I went in January with my boyfriend and another couple. It made for a great double-date, and this way each couple had someone else to take pictures of them! We had planned to munch on vegetables, crackers and hummus in the park, but then discovered a “No food past this point” sign at the trailhead.  Fortunately, there were picnic tables right at the entrance, so we still had a lovely snack that fueled us up for our walk.

After eating, we headed straight for the 220-step boardwalk staircase that winds down to the bottom of the sinkhole. Enjoy it on your way down because it’ll be quite the climb on the way up! As you walk, you can read about where the water comes from and what animals you might catch a glimpse of in the park.

The trees were pretty barren, probably because it was January. If you want to see more lush vegetation, I recommend going in the spring or summer. Still, it was impressive to walk so deep into the earth.

After snapping a few pictures and climbing back up the staircase, we opted to skip the nature trail. I blame our thin Florida blood, which made us all too ready to go back to the warm indoors!

Devil’s Millhopper was one of the outdoor highlights of my bucket list, which also included Ginnie Springs (to which I didn’t make it) and Ichetucknee Springs (to which I did make it). I’d say it belongs on any decent bucket list because it’s 1) slightly off the beaten path, 2) a state park and 3) an enjoyable day trip for any season, no matter how much I bashed the January weather. Believe me, now I live in Washington, D.C., and I’d give almost anything to wander around Devil’s Millhopper during a Gainesville winter!

Ed note: A visit to Devil’s Millhopper has been sitting on my list for years.  Anyone else wishing they could go right now? And that it wasn’t 37 degrees outside?! Thanks again for the post and pics, Deborah!

And keep the guest posts coming.

Advertisement