The wildness that epitomizes North Florida and its natural beauty is on full display. Originally named Peacock Springs State Park, the Nature Conservancy purchased the land in 1985, and the State acquired it in 1993. The park’s name was amended in 2011 to honor the late Wes Skiles for his documentary filmmaking, springs advocacy, and contributions to cave exploration.

Madison Blue Spring is world famous for underwater cave diving and exploration, while the Withlacoochee River provides ample opportunities for paddling adventures. The spring’s clear blue waters originate from the lower Oligocene Suwannee Limestone, part of the Floridan aquifer system.

The sinkhole basin is important in the development of the park’s signature landforms - the steephead ravines.

The geologic story of the park begins with a mix of sand, clay and carbonates (limestone and dolostone) deposited between 23 to 12 million years ago.

Why do rapids and shoals (shallow places in streams) exist in Big Shoals? The answer is geology!

Visitors to Weeki Wachee Springs enjoy geologic wonder as they watch the park’s famous mermaid shows, take a scenic river boat tour or splash into the clear water of the park’s namesake spring.

Most people who visit Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park are surprised to discover that a place labeled a prairie, with herds of bison and horses roaming free, is at times completely submerged by water.

The headwaters of the Hillsborough River are in the Green Swamp to the northeast of the park near Zephyrhills. Just three 3 miles upstream from the park is Crystal Springs, a magnitude two spring system that discharges 30 million gallons per day into the Hillsborough River.

Although sinkholes are common in Florida, Devil’s Millhopper is unique because it is one of the few places in Florida where more than 100 feet of geologic rock layers are exposed. The park is also unique because it is an important and beautiful example of how ecosystems develop in response to geological features. 

Silver Springs offers one of Florida’s premier views of clear groundwater flowing to land surface and an excellent example of the connection between rocks and water over geologic time. More than 30 springs that have been documented in the upper part of the Silver River. 

O’Leno State Park is one of the few places in Florida where a river disappears underground and reappears a few miles away. Within the park, the Santa Fe River flows underground via Santa Fe River Sink, becoming part of the Floridan aquifer system. 

Rock Bluff is a steep, tall limestone bluff within Torreya State Park that has been exposed by erosional activity of the Apalachicola River. As this large river moves across the landscape, it erodes the underlying rocks creating the broad valley it occupies. 

Falling Waters State Park is the only place in Florida where visitors can see a 70-foot-tall waterfall! When there is sufficient rainfall, surface water cascades over the rim of a large, circular depression before disappearing into a cave.

Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park provides a beautiful exposure of a geological unit known as the Key Largo Limestone. Fossil corals and other ancient marine life are preserved in these rocks and record a unique part of Florida’s geologic history.

Wakulla Spring is located in a region known as the Woodville Karst Plain because the area contains numerous springs, sinkholes and submerged cave systems formed by the dissolving of limestone over thousands to millions of years. 

Rocks, sediments, landforms, and water across the state tell a fascinating story. Have you ever wondered why Florida has so many lakes, springs, beaches, and sinkholes? The answer lies within Florida’s vast geological past, which intertwines human history, earth history, ecosystems and economic development.