Return to Wakulla County RECREATION   Established in 1931 to provide wintering habitat for migratory birds St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is one of the oldest in the National Wildlife Refuge System and covers 68,000 acres of land and 31,000 acres of bay.  There are over 300 species of birds with 98 species nesting on site.  Ducks, hawks, falcons and shorebirds migrate through the refuge and bald eagles nest along side the least tern and red-cockaded woodpecker.

St. Marks Unit Location: 25 miles south of tallahassee. Take Hwy 363 tourhg Woodville to intersection of Hwy 363 and Hwy. 267. Turn left onto 267, go 4 miles to end at Hwy 98. Turn left onto Hwy 98 and drive about 1/2 mile (cross St. Marks River) and take first right onto Lighthouse Road. The Visitor Center and most public facilities are in the St. Marks Unit.  Visitor's Center is open Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm; Saturday and Sunday 10am-5pm (closed most federal holidays).  A 6.8 mile wildlife drive goes from the Visitor Center to the St. Marks lighthouse on apalachee Bay.  A $5.00 entrance fee is collected at this unit. Wakulla Unit Location: Off Hwy 98, west of St. Marks Purify Bay Road, in Medart Shell Point Hwy, north of Shell Point Wakulla Beach Road, east of Shell Point Use of launch point and access to trails free to public. Panacea Unit Location: West of Wakulla Unit on Hwy 98, just inside the town of Medart, along Hwy 329 south. Otther Lake, in Panacea Bottoms Road, in Panacea Skipper Bay Road, south of Medart Use of picnic facilities, trails and launch point free to public.

Loons • Grebes • Herons • Ibises, Spoonbill, Stork • Waterfowl • Vultures, Hawks, Quail, Turkey • Rails, Gallinules, Coots, Cranes • Shorebirds • Pigeons, Doves Cuckoos • Owls • Nightjars • Swifts, Hummingbirds • Kingfishers • Woodpeckers • Flycatchers • Martins, Swallons • Jays, Crows • Kinglets, Gnatchatchers • Finches, Warblers, Starlings   CLICK HERE FOR ST. MARKS BIRD CHECKLIST