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The Ocala National Forest is the second largest National Forest in Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
 and covers approximately in central Florida. It is located three miles east of Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida

Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida, Florida, United States. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491....
, southeast of Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville is the largest city in ? and county seat of ? Alachua County, Florida, Florida, United States. Gainesville is also home to the University of Florida, which is the largest university in the State University System of Florida and the List of largest United States universities by enrollment in the United States....
. The Ocala National Forest (established in 1908) is the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
 and the southernmost national forest in the continental U.S. The word Ocala is thought to be a derivative of a Timucuan Indian term meaning fair land or big hammock.






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Encyclopedia


The Ocala National Forest is the second largest National Forest in Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
 and covers approximately in central Florida. It is located three miles east of Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida

Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida, Florida, United States. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491....
, southeast of Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville is the largest city in ? and county seat of ? Alachua County, Florida, Florida, United States. Gainesville is also home to the University of Florida, which is the largest university in the State University System of Florida and the List of largest United States universities by enrollment in the United States....
. The Ocala National Forest (established in 1908) is the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
 and the southernmost national forest in the continental U.S. The word Ocala is thought to be a derivative of a Timucuan Indian term meaning fair land or big hammock. The forest is headquartered in Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee is the Capital of the Florida, USA, and the county seat of Leon County, Florida. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida in 1824....
, as are all four National Forests in Florida, but there are local ranger district offices located in Silver Springs
Silver Springs, Florida

Silver Springs is a United States populated place and Spring in Marion County, Florida, Florida, just to the east of the city of Ocala, Florida....
 and Umatilla
Umatilla, Florida

Umatilla is a city in Lake County, Florida, Florida, United States. It was named after Umatilla, Oregon. The population was 2,214 at the 2000 census....
.

Geography and ecology

The Ocala National Forest lies between the Ocklawaha
Ocklawaha River

The 110 mile long Ocklawaha River flows north from Central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka, Florida. Its name is a corruption of ak-lowahe, Creek language for "muddy"....
 and St. Johns River
St. Johns River

The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida, stretching 310 miles from Indian River County, Florida to the Atlantic Ocean in Jacksonville, Florida in Duval County, Florida....
s in central Florida. In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Marion
Marion County, Florida

Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The United States Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala, Florida....
, Lake
Lake County, Florida

Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 210,528. With a Census-estimated population of 290,435 in 2006, it is the 23rd fastest-growing county in the United States....
, Putnam
Putnam County, Florida

Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 70,423. The United States Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county was 73,568 ....
, and Seminole
Seminole County, Florida

Seminole County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and part of the Orlando-Kissimmee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the central part of Florida between Orlando, Florida to the south and DeLand, Florida/Daytona Beach, Florida to the north....
 counties.

The Ocala National Forest receives more visitors than any other national forest in the Sunshine State. Millions annually visit the forest, which is one of Central Florida
Central Florida

Central Florida is the central region of the United States state of Florida, on the East Coast. The region enjoys a hot but stormy climate, with many thunderstorms, and hurricanes threatening often....
's last remaining traces of forested land. The Ocala National Forest contains a high proportion of remaining Florida Scrub
Florida scrub

Florida Scrub is an endangered temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the state of Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by a Xerophyte plant community dominated by shrubs and dwarf oaks....
 habitat and is noted for its Sand Pine
Sand Pine

The Sand Pine is a small, often shrubby tree from 5-10m, exceptionally to 21m tall, found in two separate locations, one across central peninsular Florida, and the other in the western Florida panhandle and the Alabama coast; there is a range gap of about 200km between the populations ....
 scrub
Scrubland

Scrubland is a plant community characterized by scrub vegetation. Scrubland consists of shrubs, mixed with grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Scrublands may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity....
 ecosystem. The forest contains the largest concentration of sand pine in the world as well as some of the best remaining stands of Longleaf Pine
Longleaf Pine

The Longleaf Pine is a pine native to the southeast United States, found along the coastal plain from eastern Texas to southeast Virginia extending into northern and central Florida....
 in Central Florida
Central Florida

Central Florida is the central region of the United States state of Florida, on the East Coast. The region enjoys a hot but stormy climate, with many thunderstorms, and hurricanes threatening often....
. The forest’s porous sands and largely undeveloped character provide an important recharge for the Floridan Aquifer
Floridan Aquifer

The Floridan Aquifer is a portion of the principal artesian aquifer that extends into Florida and is composed of carbonate rock and located beneath the coastal regions of the Southeastern United States and is one of the world's most productive aquifers....
. The Rodman Reservoir system forms most of the northern and north western border as part of the Ocklawaha River
Ocklawaha River

The 110 mile long Ocklawaha River flows north from Central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka, Florida. Its name is a corruption of ak-lowahe, Creek language for "muddy"....
 Basin.

The Ocala Forest is also known for having over 600 natural lake
Lake

A lake is a terrain feature , a body of liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the bottom of basin and moves slowly if it moves at all....
s and pond
Pond

A pond is a body of water smaller than a lake, both being examples of terrain feature. Although the term pond is universally used to describe waterbodies that are smaller than lakes, an internationally recognised size cutoff has not yet been agreed, with values ranging from 2 hectares to 8 hectares used to distinguish the smaller from...
s. The forest is riddled with slow-moving rivers and wet "prairies". They are sunny, shallow expanses of water, usually ringed by cypress
Taxodium

Taxodium is a genus of one to three species of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. Within the family, Taxodium is most closely related to Glyptostrobus and Cryptomeria ....
 trees and filled water lilies
Nymphaea

Nymphaea is a genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. There are about 50 species in the genus, which has a cosmopolitan distribution....
 and other with aquatic plant
Aquatic plant

Aquatic plants — also called hydrophytic plants or hydrophytes — are plants that have adapted to living in or on aquatic environments....
s. Between the river boundaries of this Forest lie central highlands, coastal lowlands, swamp
Swamp

A swamp is a wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land, by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a substantial number of hammock , or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation....
s, springs
Spring (hydrosphere)

A spring is a point where groundwater flows out from the ground, and is thus where the aquifer surface meets the ground surface.Dependent upon the constancy of the water source , a spring may be ephemeral or Perennial stream ....
 and hundreds of lakes and ponds. Near the Juniper Prairie Wilderness
Juniper Prairie Wilderness

The Juniper Prairie Wilderness is a protected U.S. Wilderness Area in the Ocala National Forest in Florida, USA....
 and Juniper Springs
Juniper Springs

Juniper Springs DescriptionThe springs, set in a semitropical woods, is in an oval-shaped pool with limestone caves present on the bottom along with areas of sand and Aquatic plant....
 is "The Yearling Trail", the location where The Yearling was filmed.

Ocala has a wide variety of wildlife. The Florida Black Bear
American black bear

The American Black Bear is the most common bear species native to North America. It lives throughout much of the continent, from northern Alaska south into Mexico and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean....
 population has its highest concentration here. American Alligator
American Alligator

The American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, is one of the two living species of Alligator, a genus within the family Alligatoridae....
s, white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer

File:Wtdfishwild.jpgThe white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer, or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to all but five states in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and northern portions of South America as far south as Peru....
, wild boar, and numerous small animals, including bat
Bat

Bats are mammals in the order Chiroptera. The forelimbs of all bats are developed as wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of sustained flight ....
s, Coyote
Coyote

The coyote , also known as the prairie wolf, is a species of canid found throughout North America and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States, and Canada....
, Gray Fox
Gray Fox

The Gray Fox is a mammal of the order Carnivora ranging throughout most of the southern half of North America from southern Canada to northern Venezuela and Colombia....
, Red Fox
Red Fox

The Red Fox is a mammal of the order Carnivora. In the British Isles, where there are no longer any other native wild canids, it is referred to simply as "the fox"....
, Virginia Opossum
Virginia Opossum

The Virginia Opossum , commonly known as the North American Opossum, is the only marsupial found in North America north of the Rio Grande River....
, Raccoon
Raccoon

Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most widespread species, the Raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are considerably lesser-known....
, North American River Otter, Bobcat
Bobcat

The Bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family, Felidae. With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern east Mexico, including most of the continental United States....
, Striped Skunk
Striped Skunk

The Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis, is an omnivorous mammal of the skunk family Mephitidae. Found over most of the North American continent north of Mexico, it is one of the best-known mammals in Canada and the United States....
, Southeastern Pocket Gopher
Southeastern Pocket Gopher

The Southeastern Pocket Gopher, Geomys pinetis, is the only pocket gopher in its range. It occurs in Alabama, Georgia , and Florida....
, and Nine-banded Armadillo
Nine-banded Armadillo

The nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or just nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus , is a species of armadillo from North America, Central America and South America....
 can be found as well. The sandy soil is home to the Gopher Tortoise
Gopherus polyphemus

The Gopher Tortoise is a tortoise species native to the coastal plains of the United States. They are most common to the U.S. state of Florida, but their Range also extends to Georgia , Alabama, and Mississippi, as well as the extreme southeastern corner of South Carolina....
.

The United States Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
's Pinecastle Bombing Range in the Ocala National Forest is the only place on the East Coast where the Navy can do live impact training. The Navy drops nearly 20,000 bombs a year at the site, a few hundred of which are live. The Pinecastle Bombing Range is an un-fenced 5,760 acre (23 km²) area, with the eastern edge of the range located about 2 miles west of State Road 19 and the Camp Ocala campgrounds, and one-half mile (800 m) west of the Farles Lake campground. F/A-18 Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet

The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather carrier-capable Multirole combat aircraft jet, designed to attack both ground and aerial targets....
 jet fighters and other aircraft take off from Naval Air Station Jacksonville
Naval Air Station Jacksonville

Naval Air Station Jacksonville or NAS Jacksonville is a military airport located four miles south of the central business district of Jacksonville, Florida, in Duval County, Florida, Florida, United States....
, fly low over the forest, and drop their bombs in the middle of the range. All air-to-ground exercises using conventional ordnance up to and including MK 82 bombs and five-inch (127 mm) Zuni rockets are authorized. Napalm
Napalm

Napalm is the name given to any of a number of flammable liquids used in warfare, often jellied gasoline. Napalm is actually the thickener in such liquids, which when mixed with gasoline makes a sticky incendiary gel....
 and High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) are prohibited. Live ordnance is restricted to the Live Ordnance Impact Area; inert ordnance is used on all other targets. Pinecastle targets have also been certified for laser operations. The Navy has used the area for target practice for 50 years under a special use permit from the National Forest Service.

The ghost town
Ghost town

A ghost town is a town or city that has been completely abandoned by human inhabitants, usually because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as flood, government action, uncontrolled lawlessness or war....
 of Kerr City
Kerr City, Florida

Kerr City is a ghost town located in Marion County, Florida, USA. It lies on Marion County, Florida Road 316 and Florida State Road 19, just north of Lake Kerr....
 is in the forest. It is located on County Road 316 just west of State Road 19.

Activities

The Ocala National Forest offers an accommodating climate for year round recreation. The mild winters are fine for family camping while a summer canoe trip down a palm-lined stream is a cool way to spend an August day. The temperatures for the dry months of November through February range from a daily average of to a high of . The summer season is much warmer and wetter. Short afternoon thundershowers often raise the humidity to about 90% while the temperatures range from to . The average rainfall is approximately 55 inches per year.

Water plays an important part in a variety of recreational opportunities in the forest. Activities range from canoeing, boating, fishing, skiing, snorkeling, swimming and the use of personal watercraft. Several boat ramps are available in the forest.

Many hiking trails run through the forest including the Florida Trail, Salt Springs Observation Trail, Lake Eaton Sinkhole
Sinkhole

A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock, often both, by water....
 Trail, St. Francis Trail, and Yearling Trail.

Bicyclists can travel along a challenging long ride on the Paisley Woods Bicycle Trail. Because this trail is not paved, bicycles need to be suited for rough terrain. Mountain bikes are ideal.

The Ocala National Forest offers many locations to ride Off Road Vehicles. Currently, two trail systems offer a variety of recreation experiences: (1) the Ocala North OHV Trail System offers a longer experience with six distinct trail loops totaling 125 miles and (2) the Wandering Wiregrass OHV Trail in the Southeast portion of the forest offers shorter day-use riding with a trail length of 17 miles. There are areas that are restricted to off road vehicles; a detailed forest map can help provide information on areas open to off road vehicles.

There are many trails for horseback riding in the forest. Forest riding trails are actually old roads six to eight feet wide, marked at intervals with painted spots – called blazes – on the trees. Some of the best trails include the One Hundred Mile trail and the LAM trail.

The Ocala National Forest is a wildlife management area, in which hunting and fishing activities are managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. A permit is required for all hunters (except those indicated as exempt) to hunt in this area. A Quota Hunt Permit may also be required during certain time periods or certain game.

Lakes

The following is a list of lakes in or on the border of the forest:
  • Lake Dorr
  • Lake Woodruff
  • Lake Dexter
  • Lake George
    Lake George (Florida)

    Lake George or Lake Welaka is a broad and shallow lake on the St. Johns River in the United States state of Florida. It is six miles wide and eleven miles long, with an average depth of 8 feet ....
  • Lake Ocklawaha
  • Lake Delancy
  • Orange Lake
    Orange Lake, Florida

    Orange Lake is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Florida, Florida, United States. It is located on U.S. Route 441, on Orange Lake south of McIntosh, Florida....
  • Lochloosa Lake
  • Halfmoon Lake
  • Lake Bryant


Campsites


  • Doe Lake – western part of the forest, five miles east of Lake Weir by the Ocklawaha River
    Ocklawaha River

    The 110 mile long Ocklawaha River flows north from Central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka, Florida. Its name is a corruption of ak-lowahe, Creek language for "muddy"....


  • Big Bass Lake – southernmost campsite in the forest, known as a halfway mark between Weirsdale
    Weirsdale, Florida

    Weirsdale is a town in Marion County, Florida, Florida, United States. It is located near the intersection of State Road 25 and State Road 42 ....
     and Altoona
    Altoona, Florida

    Altoona is a census-designated place in Lake County, Florida, Florida, United States. The population was 88 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Orlando, Florida–Kissimmee, Florida Greater Orlando....


  • Big Scrub – two miles northeast of Doe Lake campsite, nearest town is Moss Bluff


  • Clearwater Lake – easternmost major campsite, close to Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge
    Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge

    The Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located in north central Florida, twenty-five miles west of Daytona Beach, Florida, off U.S....
    , named after nearby Clearwater Lake
    Clearwater Lake

    Clearwater Lake may refer to:*Clearwater Lakes, the English name of the Lac ? l'Eau Claire, a pair of impact craters in northern Qu?bec*Clearwater Lake , a lake and campsite in the Ocala National Forest, Florida...
     – nearest town to this campsite is Paisley
    Paisley, Florida

    Paisley is a census-designated place in Lake County, Florida, Florida, United States. The population was 734 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Orlando, Florida–Kissimmee, Florida Greater Orlando....


  • Buck Lake – three miles north of Altoona, six miles north of Umatilla
    Umatilla, Florida

    Umatilla is a city in Lake County, Florida, Florida, United States. It was named after Umatilla, Oregon. The population was 2,214 at the 2000 census....
    ; located about 100 feet above sea level, where State Road 19 and Lake County
    Lake County, Florida

    Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 210,528. With a Census-estimated population of 290,435 in 2006, it is the 23rd fastest-growing county in the United States....
     road 445 meet.


  • Alexander Springs – about four miles northeast of Buck Lake, close to Route 445, ten miles southwest of Astor
    Astor, Florida

    Astor is a census-designated place in Lake County, Florida, Florida, United States. It is located along the St. Johns River between Lake George and Lake Dexter, across from the town of Volusia, Florida....


  • Halfmoon Lake – named after nearby Halfmoon Lake.


  • Lake Delancy – northernmost major campsite, three miles east of Rodman Reservoir, 10 miles southeast of Orange Springs
    Orange Springs, Florida

    Orange Springs is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Florida, Florida, United States. The community is part of the Ocala, Florida Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area....


  • Juniper Springs – lies near the junction
    Junction

    Junction may refer to:*Junction where several traffic routes cross:**junction , a railroad/railway junction**Intersection , a road junction...
     of State Road 19 and State Road 40
    State Road 40 (Florida)

    State Road 40 is an east-west route across central Florida, running from U.S. Route 41 in Rainbow Lake Estates, Florida eastwards through Ocala, Florida over the Ocklawaha River and bridge and through the heart of the Ocala National Forest to State Road A1A in Ormond Beach, Florida....


  • Camp La-No-Che – a Boy Scout
    Boy Scout

    A Boy Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and Developmental psychology span, many Scouting associations have split this Age Groups in Scouting and Guiding in a junior and a senior section....
     camp located on the south side of the forest in the town of Paisley


See Also

  • Apalachicola National Forest
    Apalachicola National Forest

    The Apalachicola National Forest is the largest List of U.S. National Forests in the U.S. state of Florida. It contains and is the only national forest located in the panhandle of Florida....
  • Osceola National Forest
    Osceola National Forest

    Osceola National Forest is an United States National Forest located in Florida.Osceola National Forest was created by President of the United States Herbert Hoover's proclamation, on July 10 1931....


External links