New River is in the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...

. It originates in the far north of the

Apalachicola National Forest The Apalachicola National Forest is the largest U.S. National Forest in the state of Florida. It encompasses and is the only national forest located in the Florida Panhandle. The National Forest provides water and land-based outdoors activities ...

and joins with the

Crooked River (Florida) Crooked River is a waterway in Franklin County, Florida, that connects the tidal estuary of the Ochlockonee River to a junction with the tidal Carrabelle River and the New River above the town of Carrabelle, Florida. The Crooked River channel is ...

above

Carrabelle, Florida Carrabelle is a city in Franklin County along Florida's Panhandle, United States. The population was 2,778 as of the 2010 census. Carrabelle is located east of Apalachicola at the mouth of the Carrabelle River on the Gulf of Mexico. Geography ...

to become the

Carrabelle River Carrabelle River is located in Carrabelle, Florida, and flows into St. George Sound in Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely ...

, which opens onto St. George Sound and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

. The New River watershed drains a large part of

Liberty County, Florida Liberty County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,974, making it the least populous county in Florida. Its county seat is Bristol. Liberty County is one of only two dry counties in Florida ( ...

with the

Apalachicola River The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 160 mi (180 km) long in the state of Florida. The river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin, drains an area of approximately into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its fa ...

to the west and the

Wakulla River The Wakulla River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 18, 2011 river in Wakulla County, Florida. It carries the outflow from Wakulla Springs, site of the Edward ...

to the east. New River is used by paddlers south of Carr Bridge along a corridor of the

Mud Swamp/New River Wilderness The Mud Swamp/New River Wilderness is part of Apalachicola National Forest, located in the Florida panhandle. The refuge was established on September 28, 1984. Mud Swamp consists of very poorly drained clay-rich soil, holding more water than ne ...

and, year-round, further south where it is wider with fewer obstructions. It leaves the national forest and enters

Franklin County, Florida Franklin County is a county along the Gulf of Mexico in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,451, making it the third-least populous county in Florida. The county seat is Apalachicola. The ...

, passing through

Tate's Hell State Forest Tate's Hell State Forest is 202,000 acres (819 km²) of land in Franklin County, Florida, Franklin and Liberty County, Florida, Liberty counties in Florida. The forest is located near Carrabelle, Florida, Carrabelle off U.S. Route 98 in Florid ...

References

External links

A paddler's webpage about the New River accompanied by tortured musak
Bodies of water of Liberty County, Florida Rivers of Franklin County, Florida Rivers of Florida {{Florida-river-stub