Blackwater River State Park

This site is a popular swimming, canoeing and picnicking area in warm weather, but offers nice access to floodplain hiking trails good for Yellow-billed Cuckoos and Hairy Woodpeckers in late spring and summer. Broad-winged, Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks are common and Wood Thrushes and Prothonotary Warblers breed here. The park also hosts host two families of Red cockaded Woodpecker, best viewed from the boat ramp road. Brown-headed Nuthatches can be found in the uplands; these delightful acrobats are a joy to watch. The brief campground trail and the 0.9-mile Chain of Lakes Nature Trail are best for birding. The trails can be wet at times of high water, so wear shoes you don’t mind getting muddy!