Torreya State Park in Florida Has One of the Rarest Trees in the World — and It's a Must-visit for Hikers
"One of Florida’s original state parks, opened to the public in 1935 and created by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, this 13,000-acre expanse feels more like Georgia or North Carolina with high plateaus, steep ravines, waterfalls, and seasonal foliage. Ranger Brian Brown, one of three full-time rangers at the park, captures the atmosphere: "When you come to [the park], the world shuts off and being in nature is the only thing that matters," he said. Open 8 a.m. until sunset, 365 days a year, entry is free for state park pass holders or $3 via the honor-envelope box at the entrance (there is no ranger station on site, so come with a pass or the fee already secured). The one road in — NW Torreya Park Road — dead-ends at the Gregory House; from Tallahassee it’s about an hour, and roughly 1.5 hours from Panama City Beach. The park offers 16 miles of challenging hiking trails: the Weeping Ridge Trail is a one-mile round-trip that dips into a ravine and reveals a 25-foot waterfall; the Torreya Hiking Trail (established by the Florida Trail Association in the 1970s) includes the Rock Creek Loop (~7 miles) of ravines, creeks and footbridges and the six-mile Torreya Challenge Loop, which steadily climbs and follows a ridge where mountain laurels bloom in spring. Brown recommends looking out for tulip trees with pale green and orange flowers, and he notes evidence of Hurricane Michael’s destruction alongside new growth. History-minded visitors can follow a short trail from the Gregory House to the Hammock Landing Battery, where Confederate cannon emplacements are still visible, and learn that the 3,000-square-foot Gregory House was dismantled brick by brick, brought across the river by barge, carried over the stone bridge, and reconstructed by hand — a process that took seven years; rangers lead tours (10 a.m. Monday–Friday; 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays). Most visitors come for the rare torreya tree (discovered by botanist Hardy Bryan Croom in 1835); only around 200 of these conifers remain and Hurricane Michael damaged about 80 percent of them, but a recovery project with the Florida Park Service and the Atlanta Botanical Garden is growing and planting seeds in the ravine habitat. Other important species include the critically endangered Florida yew (an evergreen shrub 10–20 feet tall found on bluffs and ravines in a restricted area of the Panhandle), more than 100 bird species (including brown-headed nuthatch, mourning cloak and yellow-throated vireo), and the rare Barbour’s map turtle. A special spring Candlelight Tour at the Gregory House features artisans, botanists and historians demonstrating cedar-shingle making, turpentine and tallow-candle production and discussing the park’s rare flora and fauna. For overnight stays, reservations are available through the Florida State Parks system: the full-facility Weeping Ridge family campground has 29 sites with electricity, water and picnic tables (each site fits two tents and two vehicles or one RV); there are two rugged yurts (sleep up to five, with A/C, heat, skylight and a deck) and a Cracker cabin (sleeps up to six with a queen bed and four bunks); bring your own linens. Facilities include two air-conditioned bathhouses with single showers, a water-bottle filling station, an on-site registration office with visual displays about the park, a Little Free Library, firewood for purchase and full accessibility; pets on leash are allowed but not in buildings. There are no restaurants or grocery stores within at least 20 minutes of the park entrance, so Brown advises stocking up in nearby Bristol (about 20 minutes away); campsites and the pavilion provide picnic tables and charcoal grills. "If you like to hike, there are plenty of rare flowers like the blazing star along the trails," Brown said." - Carrie Honaker Carrie Honaker Carrie Honaker is a Florida-based writer who has hauled oyster cages off the Forgotten Coast of Florida, made Guavaberry Liqueur with a 7th generation distiller on St. Maarten, and stomped cacao pods in Grenada. She writes about food, drink, travel, and culture for Bon Appetit, Conde Nast Traveler, Wine Enthusiast, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
