Marianna Area
in the early 1800s, the town of Marianna in the Florida Panhandle was formed on the banks of the Chipola River, and quickly grew, because many farmers/plantation owners from North Carolina moved here due to more fertile soil. John Milton, Florida's Confederate governor, lived in Marianna and led the Sylvania Plantation. Milton committed suicide in 1865 after learning that the Confederacy was once again reunited with the rest of the United States. He left the final words "Death would be preferable to reunion".
Today, Marianna is the largest town in the sparsely populated land in the northern sections of the Florida Panhandle around where Georgia, Florida, and Alabama meet. The area lacks large-scale hiking opportunities that a lot of regions in Florida do have, but there are several notable conservation areas in the region that would prove ideal for hiking. Florida Caverns State Park is located just outside of Marianna - the park has Florida's only hiking trail through a cave, as well as some other hiking trails near the Chipola River. There are several other conservation areas along the Chipola River. To the east of Marianna, a number of small tracts of land have been purchased for hiking access on the shores of Lake Seminole. To the west of Marianna, one of the most notable landmarks in Florida is located: Florida's tallest waterfall in Falling Waters State Park, dropping into a sinkhole. Further west, there are some hiking trails in conservation areas in the Choctawhatchee River Valley.
Today, Marianna is the largest town in the sparsely populated land in the northern sections of the Florida Panhandle around where Georgia, Florida, and Alabama meet. The area lacks large-scale hiking opportunities that a lot of regions in Florida do have, but there are several notable conservation areas in the region that would prove ideal for hiking. Florida Caverns State Park is located just outside of Marianna - the park has Florida's only hiking trail through a cave, as well as some other hiking trails near the Chipola River. There are several other conservation areas along the Chipola River. To the east of Marianna, a number of small tracts of land have been purchased for hiking access on the shores of Lake Seminole. To the west of Marianna, one of the most notable landmarks in Florida is located: Florida's tallest waterfall in Falling Waters State Park, dropping into a sinkhole. Further west, there are some hiking trails in conservation areas in the Choctawhatchee River Valley.