devil's millhopper geological state park

Great spot for a short, but strenuous hike. The best example of a sink hole that I have ever seen! The area is heavily forested (shade) and great plant diversity for nature lovers. There are stairs to the bottom of the sink hole, and you must come back up them, but the hike is well worth it. There is almost always water at the bottom with numerous small waterfall/cascades along the sides of the sinkhole. Well worth a visit and it's not too long a hike. Give yourself an hour if you hike fast, two hours for slow hikers who look at bird and plant life.

Love the place.Imressive stairway going through time.People were nice park helpful.I want to go back many times

It's a sinkhole with steps to the bottom. Watch out for poison ivy growing through steps. Short nature trail with abundant poison ivy throughout. There's no way this is a top 10 place to visit in the area. Save $4 and and hour by doing something else.

Over 150 steps to the bottom of this ancient sink hole with a variety of trees, ferns, moss and several small streams flowing down into the sink. A really cool experience for the whole family. A park ranger also conducts guides and study throughout the year.

We visited here with family from Gainesville. It is a nice hike down 200 plus stairs to the bottom of the sinkhole, but worth the effort. It can get crowded here, especially on the weekends, but we enjoyed it none the less. There are picnic tables near the parking area and another trail above the sinkhole. Make sure to arrive a minimum of 45 minutes before closing so as to have time to enjoy the area. If you arrive too close to closing time, a ranger will not let you onto the trail and you will have to return another day!

Lots of stairs, can be chilly due to mostly tree covered, small fee per car for parking to help keep up grounds

If you are sweating in the Florida heat in the summertime, head "down" into this famous staired sinkhole. The temp drops and the land is all around you. It almost feels Luke you're in the mountains. A great escape in the middle of the city.

We walked around and then walked down the stairs reading the descriptions as we went. When I was first told about this place I was like, ok, what's so special about a sink hole? Florida is known for them. This sink hole is really neat and has some good history behind it. We could not go to the bottom though because it was flooded out. It is good exercise and beautiful hike! If you visit Gainesville you should come here.

I loved spending time here with my family. Not only is this place unique, it's very serene. We went on a self guided tour, but you can go on tours as well, which is what I should've done. There is a nice, flat trail that goes around the top of the sinkhole and then a long set of stairs reaching to the bottom.*Don't go if you can't climb several flights of stairs. Its an unforgettable place with a mysterious local folk legend around it. If you are in Gainesville, its worth an hour!

This is really an unusual place a giant sinkhole. The attraction here is the lushness of green at the bottom and the sound of many small waterfalls falling into the sinkhole. It is better without a lot of people there but the sound of the falling water from all directions is very peaceful to me and one of my favorite places. Excellent board walkway down with over 200 steps down to this 120 foot deep sinkhole. It will catch your breath on the way up. There also is a trail around the sinkhole. The sinkhole is so unique it contains some plants that are normally found up north like in North Carolina. During the summer the temperatures can run 4-5 degrees below the temperatures on the surface. It is a National Landmark due to its unique geological features.A visit here will probably take you less than an hour. There is limited parking and it can get crowded sometimes. Note there is not a way to get to the bottom of the sinkhole with strollers or if you are handicapped but you can use them around the trail. There is an interpretive center that provides excellent information about the formation of this sinkhole. There are restroom facilities.

Our family has been here a few times through the years:) Its like a huge sink-hole with a cave with water...A Beautiful Staircase to the bottom...where the temperature drops quite a bit! Great place to go on a hot Florida Day:)

I love going into this sinkhole. It is really magical. The plants and all the waterfalls add intrigue. The trail around the rim is also really nice. I wish that the visitor's center was a little better maintained, but other than that, it's great.

This is a beautiful park to spend a few hours walking. We took our dogs and they enjoyed it also. There are a lot of steps and it takes some energy to walk the entire path but worth it to see the beautiful foliage.

Nice walk. We went in December and the weather was perfect. Took our dog and it was a great after outing.

If you're looking to get outside in the fresh air, this is a nice little diversion. Be advised of the steps--over 230 to get down to the bottom!