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A few words about the
Suwannee River Wilderness Trail 

There are few rivers as famous as the Suwannee.  Take a moment to run through a list of the world's best known rivers.  What you're likely to come up with are examples of bustling thoroughfares of commerce, arteries of trade and travel - flowing pathways linking distant cities together, while cleaving others into discrete settlements of right bank and left.  The Suwannee is different. More than just famous, the Suwannee is iconic.  Merely speak its name and in pour romantic images of simpler times in days gone by -- of belonging, of home.  These images vary for each of us, memory and imagination blending alchemically in our psyches to create a unique tableau.  Those who only know the Suwannee from song and story (or from zooming by on one of the relatively few highways that span its banks) may not realize how akin its true experience is to fancy, to poetry -- even today. 

The Suwannee's meandering path takes it more than 200 miles through eight rural Florida counties on its journey to the Gulf of Mexico.  Development is sparse here, especially along the river's banks.  A strong desire to maintain the region's charming character has motivated state, regional and local leaders to invest substantially in recreational facilities along the river.  The Suwannee River Wilderness Trail (SRWT) is a linear state park that stretches the length of the river from White Springs to the Gulf of Mexico.  Created through multiple public and private partnerships, the SRWT began as an effort to preserve the strong sense of place that has long pervaded the communities along the river.  There are now six river camps, eight state parks and a multitude of public and private facilities that combine to make the SRWT an outstanding recreational experience for visitors, while simultaneously creating an economic engine for the rural communities along the Suwannee River corridor. 

Since physical development of the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail began in 2005, there has been a marked increase in visitation to the state parks already existing along the river corridor.  In addition to the increase in visitation at these pre-existing parks, two new state parks have come on-line, Madison Blue Spring and Lafayette Blue Spring.  Overall, annual attendance at the parks located on the Suwannee River has increased from just more than 500,000 in 2004, to 775,000 in 2008 - a 50% increase in visitation to the region!  This increase in annual attendance provides direct economic benefit through visitor expenditures at the parks and their surrounding communities, as well as increased sales tax revenues.  More importantly, it has allowed the region to maintain its authentic character while inviting an influx of economic activity. 

In total, direct annual economic impact figures for the state parks along the Wilderness Trail have nearly doubled since development began, from approximately 20 million dollars in 2004 to almost 39 million dollars in 2008.  Promotions for the SRWT on a national, and even international level have lead to an increased awareness of the Suwannee Valley's unique appeal. Visitors have flocked from throughout the nation and beyond to paddle, bike, hike, camp and discover the friendly small-town charm here, thanks to the Trail.

By: Brenna Daniels, Manager, Suwannee River Wilderness Trail