Chuck, Chiisai & Shadow at Falling Waters State Park

Today we visited Florida’s Highest Waterfall in Falling Waters State Park located near Chipley, FL in the northwestern panhandle of the state. Wait a minute – did I just say FLORIDA’S highest waterfall? Yes, I did. Who knew, right? The state of Florida is about as close to sea level as one can get without walking right in the ocean, so obviously, this is a must see road-side oddity. We also learned that this park is the location of Florida’s first attempt to find oil. Guess they weren’t too successful, or we wouldn’t have this beautiful park to visit today.

After a light breakfast outside our pop-up enjoying the fresh morning air, Chuck, Chiisai, Shadow and I took a little hike from the campground to the waterfall. It was an easy and enjoyable walk past huge trees and fern-covered sinkholes that line Sink Hole Trail.

Trailhead from campground

Chiisai & Shadow with huge toppled tree root along trail

The trail became a wooden staircase down to the viewing deck for the waterfall.

Overlook into Sinkhole

We really didn’t know what to expect when we reached the waterfall, but what we saw wasn’t exactly it.

'waterfall' top - trickling stream into sink

It turns out that in order to have a ‘waterfall’ in Florida, you really need to have a sinkhole first. Falling Waters Sink is a 100-foot deep, 20-foot wide cylindrical pit into which flows a small stream that drops 73 feet to the bottom of the sink. That 73 foot drop makes this the Highest Waterfall in Florida. The water’s final destination is unknown.

'waterfall' bottom - sinkhole

On our visit, the stream was barely trickling and not much water was falling into the sink below, so it didn’t look like much of a waterfall at all. I’m sure during or after a good rain, Florida’s highest waterfall must be an interesting sight, but not today.

Here is a video of what the waterfall looked like when we were here:

Here is a video of what the waterfall looks like when the stream is running strong:

After visiting the waterfall, we hiked back down to the park’s two-acre lake complete with a white sand beach. It was a great place to relax, cool off, and get our feet wet. The swimming area of the lake is sectioned off for safety, and has a sand bottom. There are picnic tables, benches, and restrooms under shade trees, which Chiisai, Shadow, and Chuck took full advantage of!

Falling Waters State Park lake

Fishing is allowed at the lake in designated areas with a Florida Freshwater Fishing License. The fish were biting while we were there and a few sunfish were caught and released.

Bluegill

This late in the season, there really weren’t many visitors and we basically had the lake all to ourselves. After resting and enjoying the scenery for a while, we all headed back to our campsite and took a few pictures of our neighbors.

Home Sweet Home - love the flower pot on the trailer tongue

Pop-up camper complete with Satellite Dish - Gotta have TV!

Roughing It

We really enjoyed our visit here. If you’re ever in the area, we recommend you visit Falling Waters State Park so you can tell everyone you know you’ve been to the Highest Waterfall in Florida. It certainly makes for a great conversation starter!

Getting There

Only a few miles south of I-10, Falling Waters State Park is located three miles south of Chipley off State Road 77. Turn left on State Park Road and follow it to the park entrance. From I-10, take the Chipley exit south on State Road 77 and follow signs to the park.

Camping

Campers can spend the night on one of the highest hills in Florida, situated in a pine forest 324 feet above sea level. There are twenty-four campsites equipped with water, electricity, picnic tables, and ground grills. Sites are generally level and heavily treed – good for shade but some sites can be challenging for larger rigs. The park states Maximum RV length = 40 ft.

Our pop-up - Tight Squeeze

Waterfall

The waterfall is fed by a series of seepage springs which are completely dependent on seasonal rains. Under drought conditions, there will be very little water flowing over the falls (guess that was the situation during our visit). If you are specifically interested in seeing the waterfall, contact the office prior to your visit to determine if the falls are flowing.