2021-10-16: Red Clay Cliffs of Florida

For my once-monthly trip off campus this October, I headed northeast to Blackwater State Forest in western Florida. As I look at maps and plan trips and hikes in the area, I've often been intrigued at an attraction called The Red Clay Cliffs of Florida, so I finally put aside the time on a chilly fall day to head out and investigate them for myself. As Florida is a state notorious for its flatness, I was curious as to how impressive - or disappointing - these cliffs might really be.

Afternoon sunlight falls through slash pine forest characteristic of west Florida on the trail to the cliffs.

My first view of the cliffs from along the trail. The impressive structures are probably at least thirty feet tall.

A view from the base of the cliffs, which constitute a clearing in otherwise unbroken forest.

The sandy shores and dark murky waters of the Big Juniper Creek run parallel to the trail.

One of the rockslides in the cliffs reveals the colorful red stones, half-buried in sand eroded from the rock.

Looking along the cliffs, which run for a short distance. Note the pine trunk that had somewhat recently fallen from above.

The northern section of the cliffs is characterized by the odd, rounded hoodoo-like structures.

The most prominent prominence was around ten to fifteen feet tall, and was isolated such that I could walk all the way around it.

A few pine seedlings jut out from the cliffs, where fallen needles and dirt belie their constant state of erosion.

A view looking up the odd structures towards the top of the cliffs. Graffiti carved into the rocks indicated that some have been brave enough to climb this all the way to the top.

A pearl crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos) rests on the walls of the cliffs, whose reddish clay coloring provides good camouflage for the orange insect.

One section of cliff was filled with these degraded holes, possibly drilled into the clay and sand by birds nesting or hunting for insects.

Some of these holes plague one of the highest points of the cliffs.

A knob with a rather well-defined top stood out dramatically in the late afternoon shadows and clear blue sky.

A view looking down multiple layers of the exposed rock and soil.

One area of the cliffs was covered by these incredibly fine structures and a dusting of fine sand.

A much closer view of the tiny pinnacles and dust, looking like its own tiny landscape.

Another shot of a ridge of those odd structures, which separates the north and south sections of the cliffs. Note the graffiti on the cliff wall at left.

One of the dividing ridges, seen from above on my way out.

A partial view of the cliffs from about halfway up the trail, where the pine trees and distance provide some limited sense of scale.