Ravine Gardens State Park - Palatka, FL

[kinzyjr]

I recently went to this state park and wanted to share some of the sights here.  It was an enjoyable day trip, didn't cost much, and mixed just enough native, untouched Florida with some nice landscaping.  If you would like to visit yourself, you can get more information  here: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/ravine-gardens-state-park

The courtyard at the entrance:

Rock garden at the Civic Center:

Bismarckia and large podocarpus:

Pavilion:

Sagos near the Civic Center:

[kinzyjr]

Walkways and the fountain:

Chamaerops and sabals:

Sagos near pavilion:

You can see the grade of the land...:

[kinzyjr]

Looking up at the Civic Center:

Looking up at the Civic Center from another level down:

Can you spot the banana?:

[kinzyjr]

Hard to beat the palms and the blooms together:

A picnic area at the bottom of the ravine:

Possibly the largest pine I've ever seen.  Couldn't even put my arms around it:

[kinzyjr]

Footbridge over the spring at the bottom of the ravine:

On the road toward the bridge:

One set of stairs up to the bridge... a bright day out for sure!:

A newer set of stairs...:

[kinzyjr]

On the infamous bridge:

With the way the sun shines through the clearing, makes it look like a "stairway to heaven":

A stairway to a picnic area:

Naturalized phoenix palms:

[kinzyjr]

Palms and rocks... everyone knows I love hardscaping:

An outdoor workout area:

Erosion closed the loop to cars:

[kinzyjr]

Looking down into the ravine from the road:

A butia in the ravine:

Bamboo at the bottom of the ravine... there was lots of it!:

[kinzyjr]

A philodendron next to a stone retaining wall:

Washingtonias on the way out:

Butia with some character on the way out:

[bubba]

Kinzy,

Great spot! Adjoining the Ravines and the amazing azaleas is a Donald Ross golf course in Palatka built around 1923. There is a tremendous Par 3 that uses the elevation and mountainous drop for Florida (probably 80 feet) to great effect. Many large Live Oaks are well placed on the jewel of a golf course!

[kinzyjr]

4 hours ago, bubba said:

Kinzy,

Great spot! Adjoining the Ravines and the amazing azaleas is a Donald Ross golf course in Palatka built around 1923. There is a tremendous Par 3 that uses the elevation and mountainous drop for Florida (probably 80 feet) to great effect. Many large Live Oaks are well placed on the jewel of a golf course!

I really enjoyed it.  If anyone else happens to go, just make sure you are healthy enough to get back up the hills should you go the whole way to the bottom.  Having an extra set of clothes might not be a bad idea either since the bottom is pretty damp most of the time. 

Some guy made it to the bottom of the hill the quick way; he slipped and rode on his butt all the way down the hill and into the mud.  As we were exiting, he was coming back from the car with a new set of shorts.

As we were coming into the park by the civic center, we noticed the baseball field had the power alley facing the parking lot.  I parked my car outside the park and walked in to avoid an insurance claim.  Not much of a golfer unfortunately.  The baseball swing doesn't seem to translate that well.