Where to go, and when · with the homework done
GULF ISLANDS · NATIONAL SEASHORE · THE 12-MONTH VERDICT Between January and July the average afternoon on this stretch of the Gulf climbs 27.8°F, from 63.1 to 90.9, and the water makes a 25.5°F swing of its own, from 60.4 to 85.9. A barrier island in February and the same island in July are not … Read more
BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE · FLORIDA · THE 12-MONTH CALENDAR January brings 1.83 inches of rain to this corner of South Florida across the whole month. June brings 10.51. Nearly everything a visitor decides about Big Cypress, when to fly into Miami or Fort Myers, when to put a tent on the Tamiami Trail, which … Read more
BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK · FLORIDA · THE 12-MONTH VERDICT Almost all of Biscayne National Park is water, which is why the month decides more here than the packing list does. The NOAA station immediately north, at Miami, records 1.83 inches of rain in an average January and 10.51 inches in June. The sea off the … Read more
FLORIDA · WES SKILES PEACOCK SPRINGS · SUWANNEE COUNTY Wes Skiles Peacock Springs is a patch of north Florida hardwood with holes in the floor. Peacock I, Orange Grove Sink and the karst windows between them link up underground, and most people who make the drive arrive with tanks in the trunk. The rest come … Read more
DE LEON SPRINGS · FLORIDA · THE 12-MONTH VERDICT De Leon Springs sits in the quiet middle of Florida, just north of DeLand, where a spring run pools under live oaks and the park’s Old Spanish Sugar Mill hands you batter to cook at your own griddle. Most visitors come for those two things, a … Read more
FLORIDA · GILCHRIST BLUE SPRINGS · BEST TIME TO VISIT Between the average January high and the average July high at Gilchrist Blue Springs sits a spread of 24.0°F: 67.1°F against 91.1°F. That gap tells you what to wear and almost nothing about when to come. Rainfall and daylight do the real sorting, and they … Read more
