Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway
Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Florida. Within Florida it covers roughly 130 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway runs about 60 miles along State Road 40 through the Ocala National Forest. Florida gave it a state scenic designation in 2008, and the Federal Highway Administration made it a National Scenic Byway the following year. The route connects Silver Springs in Marion County to Ormond Beach in Volusia County at Interstate 95, with a spur along State Road 19 reaching into Putnam and Lake counties, touching four counties in all. Along the way it passes Juniper Springs Wilderness Area, Silver Springs State Park, the Cross Florida Greenway, and a stretch of the Florida National Scenic Trail, through the same longleaf pine and sand scrub habitat that supports one of the state's largest Florida black bear populations, the animal that gives the byway its name.
- ~60 miles, SR 40 through Ocala National Forest
- National Scenic Byway (2009)
- Silver Springs to Ormond Beach
- Juniper Springs Wilderness Area
- Florida National Scenic Trail access
Designated for its natural qualities
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Places to stop along Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway
Silver Springs State Park
Home of the glass-bottom boat since the 1870s, gliding over huge clear springs where rhesus monkeys roam the riverbanks.
WebsiteMill Dam Recreation Area
A shady swimming beach and picnic area on Mill Dam Lake under live oaks.
Juniper Springs
A spring-fed pool walled in stone with a 1930s CCC mill house, and a narrow, jungle-like canoe run downstream.
WebsiteThe Yearling Trail
A walk through the Big Scrub to the homestead of the family whose life inspired Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' novel The Yearling.
Salt Springs Recreation Area
Mineral springs bubbling into a swimming area, with a campground and boat access to Lake George.
WebsiteAlexander Springs
A wide, sandy-bottomed spring that's ideal for swimming and snorkeling, with canoe rentals and a link to the Florida Trail.
WebsitePioneer Settlement
A living-history village in Barberville with a turpentine still, blacksmith, and a historic train depot.
Website
Where to Stay along Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway
10 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway.
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Photos of Florida Black Bear 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.