Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park in Alachua County, Florida

Photograph: Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park 22.jpg by Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Restored from the credited Wikimedia Commons file, normalized to the consistent attraction-card frame and converted to WebP by 1stFlorida.com. Portrait originals retain their complete composition over a softly blurred extension of the same photograph.

Alachua County attraction

Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park

Alachua County · North Florida & First Coast

A limestone sinkhole 120 feet deep and 500 feet across on the north side of Gainesville, with a boardwalk down into it.

HIGHLIGHTS

Sinkhole stairs & boardwalkNational Natural LandmarkFern-filled ravineForest nature trail

ABOUT THIS PLACE

The hollow is a collapse in the limestone under north Florida's sand, bowl shaped and steep sided, 120 feet deep and about 500 feet across at the rim. Small streams run down the walls and vanish underground partway, which is the whole mechanism of the place made visible. People have been coming to look since the 1880s, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Natural Landmark. The walls are worth the trip on their own. The exposed rock layers have given researchers fossil shark teeth, marine shells and the remains of extinct land animals, and a good deal of what is known about the region's natural history was read out of that face. The temperature drops as a visitor descends, and the shade holds moisture, so the bottom stays green and dense through dry summers while the ground above it is sand and scrub. A boardwalk and stairway carry visitors down to the floor and back. The park is at 4732 Millhopper Road and opens from eight in the morning to sunset, every day of the year

VISIT BASICS

Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year
Admission: $4 per vehicle (up to 8 visitors); $2 pedestrians and bicyclists
Parking: State-park parking is available at the main entrance; arrive earlier on busy weekends
Best time to go: Morning or a cooler part of the day for the stair descent and forest walk
Length of visit: 1-2.5 hours for the sinkhole boardwalk and surrounding nature trail
Accessibility: The signature sinkhole descent uses a long stair system; confirm accessible options with the park before arrival

GETTING THERE

Get Directions ↗Official Website ↗

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