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I can’t tell you how many times I have driven past the sign for the Leon Sinks Geological Area
on the
Crawfordville Highway. Every time I would see it I would think “I
really need to stop and see what’s in there”, but I was always in
too much of a hurry. Well, this past Sunday, after being trapped in
the house all day Saturday, I drove the 13 miles from my house to
“see what’s in there”. I was treated to a wonderful afternoon hike
through another beautiful North Florida wilderness area. Leon Sinks Geological Area is located in the Apalachicola National Forest on Highway 319 about 5.5 miles south of Tallahassee. It contains 3 hiking trails totaling 4.7 miles. The trails  wind
through a number of different habitats including Tupelo swamps,
mixed hardwood forest and pine/wiregrass sand hills; but the main
attraction is the sinkholes. There are 18 marked wet and dry
sinkholes on the trails. Sinkholes are formed when rain and
groundwater dissolve the limestone bedrock causing the surface layer
to collapse and form a hole or depression in the ground. The
geologic term for this is karst. The Leon Sinks are located in the
Woodville Karst Plain. There are many different geological features
in this magical place including a natural bridge and a stream that
flows north before it disappears beneath the surface.I arrived at the park in the early afternoon. There is an honor box at the gate for the $3.00 entrance fee. I deposited my fee and picked up a map. The parking lot with restrooms and an information kiosk is located right by the trailhead. The trails are for hiking only (no bikes) but they do allow dogs on a leash. I did see several people with dogs on the trails. The trails form a circle through the property. The Crossover Trail allows you to shorten the total hike and still make a 
circle. I chose to do the larger circle which covers 4.2 miles.
Because other hikers had started out ahead of me on the Sinkhole
Trail, I decided to go counterclockwise and start on the Gumswamp
Trail. All of the trails were well maintained and marked with
signage and colored blazes painted on the trees. While there is some
elevation change, overall it is an easy hike.Going counterclockwise the first sink you come to is Gopher Hole. Named for the gopher tortoise holes that you can see on the property, it resembles a cave rather than a depression in the ground. Continuing on, the trail goes through three marked tupelo gum swamps. Because of the drought that we are experiencing, the swamps were mostly dry and the tupelos were in their bare, winter stage. I also saw a few bald cypresses with their buttressed bases and knees. As I left the swamps behind, the trail started to rise and I could see a change in the plants to pines and saw palmetto. Pines are the dominant trees on the property, but there is also a wide variety of hardwoods. Two white tail deer crossed the trail ahead of me and I was able to watch them for several minutes before they saw me and went bounding off. At the point where the three trails join on the west side, there
are a series of geologic features that are all connected. Fisher
Creek flows north to a point where it disappears into a sink, flows
under a natural bridge, reemerges briefly only to disappear again
for good at Lost Stream Sink. I found this to be one of the
highlights of the hike. From this point on, I was on the Sinkhole
Trail and the land changed again to pine and wiregrass sand hills. A
little farther on, the trail started to descend and I came to
Magnolia Sink. It is surrounded by its namesake trees. I bet in the
late spring when the What a great way to spend an afternoon. I took 60 photographs,
had a great hike and learned about the world of karst and sinks. One
thing that caught my eye today was the variety of fungi, moss and
epiphytes. I took some pictures of some wild looking mushrooms and
now I need to see if I can figure out what they are. I think
sometimes people are disappointed if they don’t see an abundance of
wildlife on a trip like this. It is important to remember that you
are not at the zoo. A glimpse of wildlife in their natural habitat
should be seen as a treat not an expectation. There is always plenty
to see if you open your eyes and your mind. And remember, the
important thing is that you just go outside and play! |
Park Map
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magnolias are in bloom this place is really something special. Big
Dismal Sink has an observation platform that extends out over its
dramatic 130 foot depths. A sign told of the wide diversity of plant
species in the sink. As the trail started to turn back toward the
trailhead, I came to Hammock Sink. The water was an incredible clear
blue/green. A sign at this site said that the water color changes
from blue to brown at different times.