TARKILN BAYOU PRESERVE STATE PARK
The preserve is home to four species of endangered pitcher plants, as well as other rare and endangered plant species. The rare, carnivorous white?top pitcher plant is unique to the Gulf Coast and found only between the Apalachicola and Mississippi rivers. Almost 100 other rare plants and animals depend on the wet prairie habitat, including the alligator snapping turtle, sweet pitcher plant, and Chapman?s butterwort. A boardwalk offers visitors a view of the wild and beautiful Tarkiln Bayou. Visitors can enjoy a picnic and then take a hike on the nature trails to observe the rare plants and animals. For a more adventurous outing, visitors can take a day?hike across the park to the Perdido River. Located in Escambia County about 1.5 miles south of the intersection of U.S. 98 and State Road 293.
The original 900 acres of the park was acquired in 1998. Since that time there has been an ongoing active acquisition program. The boardwalk to the bayou was built in 2002 and there is currently a project to build a trail from the parking lot to the boardwalk that will be ADA accessible.