Big Bend Scenic Byway
Big Bend Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Florida. Within Florida it covers roughly 240 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Big Bend Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Big Bend Scenic Byway is a 220-mile National Scenic Byway across Florida's Gulf Coast panhandle, linking Apalachicola to Tallahassee. Along the way it threads through the Apalachicola National Forest. The route splits into two connected legs: a Coastal Trail that follows US 98 along the Gulf from Apalachicola east to Newport before turning north to Tallahassee, and a Forest Trail that heads west on State Road 20 into the Apalachicola National Forest, south through the small town of Sopchoppy, and back to US 98. Along the way the byway threads together a national wildlife refuge, three state parks, three historic lighthouses, and a stretch of undeveloped Florida beach island, giving it a mix of longleaf pine forest, blackwater rivers, and open Gulf coastline rarely found together on one drive. As a federally designated National Scenic Byway, it's one of only a handful in Florida, and its length means most travelers plan it as a multi-day loop rather than a single afternoon out.
- Apalachicola to Tallahassee
- ~220 miles (Coastal + Forest Trails)
- Apalachicola National Forest
- 3 historic lighthouses
- national wildlife refuge & 3 state parks
- National Scenic Byway
Designated for its natural qualities
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Places to stop along Big Bend Scenic Byway
Tallahassee Museum
A wooded lakeside site with native wildlife habitats, an 1880s farmstead, and treetop zip lines.
WebsiteWakulla Springs State Park
One of the world's largest and deepest freshwater springs, with river boat tours past alligators and manatees, a 1937 lodge, and a famous diving platform.
WebsiteSt. Marks Lighthouse
An 1840s lighthouse at the end of the wildlife refuge road, past marshes full of wading birds and wintering waterfowl.
WebsiteSopchoppy
A tiny town in the Apalachicola National Forest best known for its spring Worm Gruntin' Festival, where locals coax earthworms from the ground.
Crooked River Lighthouse
A 103-foot iron skeleton lighthouse from 1895 near Carrabelle, with a small museum and a climb to the top.
WebsiteSt. George Island State Park
Nine miles of undeveloped white beach and dunes on a barrier island across the bay from Apalachicola.
WebsiteApalachicola
An old cotton port at the river mouth with brick warehouses and shrimp boats, famous for its oysters.
Fort Gadsden Historic Site
Site of the 1816 destruction of the Negro Fort at Prospect Bluff, where hundreds of free Black and Native defenders died when a cannonball hit the powder magazine.
Where to Stay along Big Bend Scenic Byway
1 campground or RV park sits within about 5 miles of Big Bend Scenic Byway.
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Photos of Big Bend Scenic Byway
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.