Slow day at Falling Creek
Yes, Florida does have waterfalls! Every time I’m up near White Springs or Lake City, I make a detour to Falling Creek Falls, a little gem of a natural destination right near the I-10 and US 41 interchange. Head east on Falling Creek Road for a mile to find the park, which has two historic structures and a playground. Falling Creek was the original settlement in the region, where folks from South Carolina came down and started a small community in the early 1800s.
A wheelchair-accessible sidewalk and boardwalk lead you less than a quarter mile through the lush floodplain forest to an overlook of the falls, which are about 15 feet high and deeply undercut by erosion. Waterfalls in Florida are highly rain-dependent, and this one’s no exception. I’ve seen it gushing and frothing in full force, with tannic water bubbling like a root beer soda, but yesterday it was almost dry, a slender, clear cascade as transparent as glass. It’s the easiest waterfall in Florida to get to, and the boardwalk and footpath along the creek are less than a mile to walk, so c’mon out and see one of Florida’s geologic wonders!