Florida National Forests

Florida has three national forests today, the Ocala, the Osceola and the Apalachicola, all run by the USDA Forest Service from a supervisor's office in Tallahassee.

The Ocala is the oldest: President Theodore Roosevelt signed it into existence in 1908 as the third national forest east of the Mississippi, created to protect the world's largest contiguous sand pine scrub (Forest Service, About the Area). Roosevelt created a fourth Florida forest the same year, the Choctawhatchee, but it was transferred to the Armed Services in 1940 and became Eglin Air Force Base. President Herbert Hoover established the Osceola in 1931 to protect 229,185 acres of wetlands and pine flatwoods.

The Apalachicola, established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, is both the youngest and the largest at 567,742 acres, according to the same Forest Service page. The agency adds that all three forests have grown since they were founded through land purchases. The Supervisor's Office is at 325 John Knox Road, Bldg F, Suite 210, Tallahassee, FL 32303, phone 850-523-8500 (Forest Service).

The Ocala National Forest is known for its water: the Forest Service counts more than 600 lakes and rivers, and its developed springs charge a day-use fee collected by the concessionaire Naventure.

The forest page lists swimming, fishing, snorkeling, canoeing and boating, and asks that dogs stay leashed and off the beaches at swimming areas (Forest Service, Ocala National Forest). Juniper Springs, between Ocala and Ormond Beach on SR 40, was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and has 79 tent and RV campsites bookable on Recreation.gov; it is operated by the concessionaire Naventure, its hours vary by season, and alcohol and pets are barred from the day-use area (Forest Service, Juniper Springs). Backpackers use it as a stop on a 72-mile unbroken segment of the Florida Trail. The Juniper Springs page, last updated May 21, 2026, says the boardwalk area is closed to the public for renovations.

Alexander Springs, also in the Ocala, has a spring pool that the Forest Service says holds a constant 72 F, and it is the only place in the forest where scuba diving is permitted (Forest Service, Alexander Springs). The same page notes that only 27 first-magnitude springs exist in Florida and that the site may close when capacity is reached; it tells visitors to expect full sites on weekends and to have backup plans. The Ocala forest page adds that several campsites, day-use areas and trails remain temporarily closed for hurricane damage assessment and recovery (Forest Service, Ocala National Forest).

Developed springs in the Ocala charge a day-use fee, and federal America the Beautiful passes are sold at five Forest Service offices in Florida.

The federal passes are sold at the Wakulla Ranger District office for the Apalachicola, the Osceola Ranger District office, the Lake George and Seminole Ranger District offices for the Ocala, and the Supervisor's Office in Tallahassee; Access, 4th Grade and Volunteer passes are free, and the page warns that some passes and discounts may not be accepted at concessionaire-managed areas (Forest Service passes).

The two Springs Hopper Pass rows are not a typing slip: when both were read on October 19, 2026, the Ocala forest page (last updated March 12, 2025) priced the pass at $75 plus tax for 12 months (Ocala page), while the Alexander Springs page (last updated August 4, 2025) priced it at $80 plus tax through the end of the year (Alexander Springs page). Both name Juniper Springs, Alexander Springs, Silver Glen Springs, Clearwater Lake and Wildcat Lake; the Juniper Springs page lists Salt Springs instead of the last two (Juniper Springs page). The Forest Service sends fee questions to the concessionaire and warns that fees are subject to change without notice.

Campers may stay no more than 14 days in any 30-day period in the Ocala, Apalachicola and Osceola national forests unless a site is posted otherwise.

The limit comes from forest order 08-05-FL-13-01, executed in Tallahassee on February 3, 2014, which also bars public nudity and leaving food or other bear attractants out in violation of its storage rules (Forest Service, 14-day camping order). A violation is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for an organization, or up to six months in prison, or both.

The Forest Service camping page adds the practical rules for dispersed camping away from campgrounds in the Florida forests: it is not allowed near developed recreation areas or less than 100 feet from streams and other water sources, establishing residency is against federal regulation, groups of over 75 people need a special use permit from the nearest national forest office, and during general gun season camping is allowed only in designated campsites (Forest Service, Camping and Cabins). The same page lists primitive hunt camps such as Cobb Hunt Camp in the Osceola and East Tower Hunt Camp, which is used mainly during general gun season.

Yes: Florida requires a state license for all fishing in its national forests, hunters need a state license, and hunting rules vary by forest.

The Forest Service says the Osceola National Forest covers much of the 266,000-acre Osceola Wildlife Management Area, which stretches from northwestern Baker County to northeastern Columbia County and credits its wildlife and habitat management to the Forest Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Forest Service, Osceola WMA). The page sends hunters to the FWC page for that WMA for licenses, permits and stamps, notes that hunting rules vary by forest, and says boating in the forests is regulated by the state of Florida.

The Apalachicola is promoted by the Forest Service for fishing, hunting, hiking and trail riding, and its page carries active alerts on alcoholic beverages and camping in excess of 14 days (Forest Service, Apalachicola National Forest).

The Florida National Scenic Trail runs through the forests, and the Osceola is the Florida end of a wildlife corridor reaching the Okefenokee Swamp.

Congress placed the Florida National Scenic Trail under Forest Service management in 1983 through an amendment to the National Trails System Act (Forest Service, About the Area). The same page describes the O2O Corridor, which connects the Osceola National Forest through Pinhook Swamp to the Okefenokee Swamp so that larger animals such as black bears and panthers have room to roam and breed. It also distinguishes the Osceola from Olustee Battlefield, a site that dates to 1865 and became the first Florida State Historic Site in 1912, even though the two are often treated as one.

Last verified: October 19, 2026, with fresh reads of nine Forest Service pages for the National Forests in Florida, including the passes list, the 14-day camping order, the Ocala, Apalachicola and Osceola pages, and the Juniper Springs and Alexander Springs fee notes.