"Florida has 175 state parks covering over 800,000 acres — and they've been voted the best state park system in the nation multiple times. That's not a coincidence. Florida sits at the meeting point of temperate and tropical climates, which means it hosts an extraordinary variety of habitats found nowhere else on Earth together in one place. If you live in Florida and haven't explored the state parks, you're sitting on one of the greatest natural treasures on the continent."
Why Florida's State Parks Are World-Class
Florida's state park system by the numbers: 175 state parks, trails, preserves, and recreation areas. Over 800,000 acres of protected land. More than 100 miles of pristine beaches. Over 2,900 miles of trails. More than 700 freshwater lakes and springs. 47 natural springs — more than any other state in the nation. Over 30 million visitors per year. Florida State Parks have been voted America's Best State Park System by the National Recreation and Park Association. Why does Florida have such incredible parks? Florida's unique geography places it at the crossroads of North American temperate species and Caribbean tropical species. The peninsula juts into the subtropics while the Panhandle shares species with the American Southeast. This means a single Florida park might contain species from three different climate zones. Florida also has one of the highest concentrations of endemic species — plants and animals found ONLY in Florida — of any state in the US. Much of this biodiversity exists today only because state parks protected land from development. Without them, many of Florida's unique habitats — the scrub, the dry prairie, the freshwater springs — would be subdivisions.
