I decided to do a bit more exploring before leaving the Panhandle last weekend. I was lured to Ochlockonee River State Park by the possibility of sighting an endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, or their piebald squirrels, or even river otters.

No luck with any of those but I still had a great time in this section of the Apalachicola National Forest. The park’s main waterway (and namesake) is a unique blackwater river, the water isn’t murky but it is a dark, burnt orange from all the tannins. No surprise that Ochlockonee in native Hitchiti means yellow river.

The park protects a small remnant of a Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) forest. Pre-European settlement there was an estimated 90,000,000 acres of these trees in the South. Longleaf Pines were prized by early settlers not only for their wood but for their resin. Collected by hatching the bark, resin was processed into turpentine used to waterproof boats, an important part of the naval stores industry.

Much of the state park land was purchased from the Phillips Turpentine Company in the early 1930s, as demand for turpentine waned. Sadly, because of deforestation and overharvesting only about 3% of the original Longleaf Pine forest remains in the US.

A short drive later I entered St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. For me, the main draw of the refuge’s 83,000 acres was the St. Marks Lighthouse, the second-oldest one in the state. First lit in 1831, the tower weathered many hurricanes and even withstood a Confederate attack in 1865 before finally being deactivated in 2016.

The refuge is best accessed from the water but I enjoyed wandering the few trails, pleasantly surprised by the Spring flowers I encountered. All the leg-stretching came in handy on my long drive home that evening.

It was a quick visit but I’m glad I made the trip up to the Panhandle, it’s been on my list of places to see for a few years now. There’s always so much to see and discover!