Tallahassee: Big Shoals Loop
Pick one or both of these short, scenic loops to see limestone bluffs, cypress and palmetto forests, and maybe a gator in the marshes of the Suwannee.
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Trail Facts
- Distance: 8.7
Waypoints
BSL002
Location: 30.3511695861816, -82.6868362426758
R @ wooden walkway; follow trail to L
BSL003
Location: 30.3491706848144, -82.6857070922852
Head L, then R past live oaks and saw palmettos draped in Spanish moss
BSL004
Location: 30.3400497436523, -82.6839065551758
Hear the rush of Big Shoals, a class 3 rapid; white ibises pose in the shallow water. Go L @ Y following blue blazes along the Suwanee River to the loud rapids
BSL005
Location: 30.3345203399658, -82.6980361938476
R @ Y away from river into pine stands. Deer, woodpeckers, and wild turkeys inhabit this quiet space
BSL006
Location: 30.3402996063232, -82.6950531005859
R @ T; take Road 18E through fl oodplain forest of cypress, tupelo, hickory, and maple
BSL007
Location: 30.3416805267334, -82.6848831176758
Forest road narrows, crosses cypress swamp on bridge. Return to WPT 4, retrace route to WPT 1. Loop #2: This 1.9-mile loop heads N from lot on Long Branch Trail
BSL008
Location: 30.3554401397705, -82.6856002807617
Climb to bluff. Trail doubles back to R three times, then switchbacks L. Stay alert: Gators Sometimes stalk in river
BSL009
Location: 30.3585605621338, -82.6820831298828
Head inland past a flooded cypress forest
BSL010
Location: 30.3593692779541, -82.6892700195312
L @ bridge; ahead, trail twists and turns along a small depression where pointy-faced armadillos sometimes dart past
BSL011
Location: 30.3570308685303, -82.6885833740234
Bear L @ gopher tortoise display; trail widens
BSL012
Location: 30.353120803833, -82.6889877319336
L @ T then L again onto paved road to return to parking area