The Ocala National Forest is the second largest nationally protected forest in the U.S. State of Florida. It covers 607 square miles (1,570 km2) of North Central Florida. It is located three miles (5 km) east of Ocala and 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Gainesville. The Ocala National Forest, established in 1908, is the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River and the southernmost national forest in the continental U.S. The word Ocala is thought to be a derivative of a Timucuan term meaning "fair land" or "big hammock". The forest is headquartered in Tallahassee, as are all three National Forests in Florida, but there are local ranger district offices located in Silver Springs and Umatilla.
Farles Prairie in Ocala National Forest
Juniper Springs in the Ocala National Forest
Hidden Pond in the Juniper Prairie Wilderness portion of the Ocala National Forest.
Yearling Trail sign within the forest.
Ocala is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census, making it the 43rd-most populated city in Florida. Ocala is the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 375,908 in 2020.
A reconstruction of Fort King
Downtown Ocala in 1883
Fort King Street c. 1920
A portion of the Silver River located in Silver Springs State Park