Forget Blue Spring State Park, visit Florida's Underrated Oasis With Campsites, Unique Wildlife, And Lake Fun

Florida is home to an immense number of areas for outdoor recreation and adventure. In addition to the 11 sites operated by the National Park Service, the state of Florida maintains 175 state parks that cover over 815,000 acres of Sunshine State land. Among the most popular of these is Blue Springs State Park. Located near Orlando, Blue Springs State Park welcomes about 700,000 visitors annually. While there is certainly plenty to see and do at Blue Springs, you can have many of those same experiences on the other side of the state at Three Rivers State Park. Even better for those looking to enjoy solitude while adventuring outdoors, this underrated, waterfront state park only has about 5% of the visitor traffic of Blue Springs.

Located along the Florida/Georgia border in the Florida Panhandle, Three Rivers State Park offers a variety of water and land-based outdoor activities. Given the name, you may be expecting to find a trio of rivers here. However, it's actually tucked on the southwest shore of Lake Seminole. The name was derived from the fact that the lake sits at the confluence of the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint rivers. When the dam was constructed in the 1950s, over 37,000 acres were flooded to form the lake.

The lake, as well as the land surrounding it, is home to a variety of unique wildlife. This is a large part of what makes Three Rivers State Park so appealing to outdoor enthusiasts. It's also part of the Great Florida Birding Trail and home to numerous avian species. However, the resident American bald eagles are the headliners on the birding checklist. Alligators, gray fox, and white-tailed deer are among the other animals you are likely to see while visiting here.

As one might expect at a state park situated along the shores of a lake, water plays a pivotal role in outdoor recreation at Three Rivers State Park. Chief among those is fishing. Lake Seminole is a freshwater paradise with world-class fishing and is well known for its plethora of largemouth bass. It also has a good number of catfish, bluegill, crappie, and white bass. Additionally, the lake is stocked with striped bass on a regular basis. Within the state park, anglers can fish from shore or the pier. They also have access to a kayak and canoe launch, boat ramp, and fish cleaning station in the day-use area.

Whether fishing, wildlife watching, or just looking to enjoy a day on the water, paddling and boating are ways many state park visitors like to spend time on Lake Seminole. Paddlers who bring their own canoes and kayaks can utilize the shore launch site. Paddling along the shores of the state park and adjacent land is a great way to spot a variety of birds and animals. Boaters can spend a relaxing day cruising both the Florida and Georgia portions of the lake, taking in the scenery or towing water skiers.

Not all the outdoor fun to be had at Three Rivers State Park involves water. The park has 9.7 miles of multi-use trails for hiking and mountain biking. In addition to the multi-use trails, bikers are also able to traverse the paved roads in the park. Trailheads for each of the trails are located within the day-use area. Most of the trails take hikers less than an hour to complete and are more scenic than difficult. The Lakeview trails follow along the shoreline of Seminole Lake. Both the Eagle and Orange trails cut away from the lake before looping back down towards it. Each of these trails feature gradual inclines and declines along with tremendous scenery.

There are also options for camping in Three Rivers State Park. Visitors can rent the rustic lakefront cabin or reserve a tent or RV campsite. Each site within the campground has water and electric hookups, picnic table, and fire ring. The campground also has a boat ramp, fishing pier, restrooms, and a central dump station. Tent campers also have the option of primitive group camping within the park. 

Getting to Three Rivers State Park is relatively easy. It is just a few minutes north of the tiny town of Snead on Highway 271 (River Road). The historic lakeside getaway of Chattahoochee is just a few miles further away, while the closest commercial airport and large city is Tallahassee, the underrated southern capital.