Steinhatchee Falls and Steinhatchee Rise are tracts of protected lands in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

named for aquatic features. Steinhatchee Falls includes , and Steinhatchee Rise covers .Steinhatchee Falls, Steinhatchee Rise
Suwannee River Water Management District Steinhatchee Falls is in southeastern

Taylor County, Florida Taylor County is a county located in the Big Bend region in the northern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,796. Its county seat is Perry. The county hosts the annual Florida Forest Festival and h ...

. Steinhatchee Rise is in southwestern

Dixie County, Florida Dixie County is a county located in the Big Bend region of the northern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,759. Its county seat is Cross City. History Dixie County was created in 1921 from the so ...

. The area around the falls is floodplain swamp, bottom land forest, pine plantation, and mixed hardwood forest. The area around Steinhatchee Rise contains also includes floodplain swamp, bottom land forest, pine plantation, and mixed hardwood forest as well as mesic woods and wet flat woods. Animal species in the area include

gopher tortoise The gopher tortoise (''Gopherus polyphemus'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide ...

, wading birds, wild hog,

swallow-tailed kite The swallow-tailed kite (''Elanoides forficatus'') is a pernine raptor which breeds from the southeastern United States to eastern Peru and northern Argentina. It is the only species in the genus ''Elanoides''. Most North and Central American b ...

Swainson's warbler Swainson's warbler (''Limnothlypis swainsonii'') is a small species of New World warbler. It is monotypic, the only member of the genus ''Limnothlypis''. Swainson's warbler was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist. Descriptio ...

, deer, turkey, and squirrel. A trailhead for the Steinhatchee Trail Tennille Trail is on Florida SR 51. Steinhatchee Falls Park is a tourist attraction and viewpoint with water cascading over a small falls on the

Steinhatchee River The Steinhatchee River is a short river in the Big Bend region of Florida in the United States. The river rises in the Mallory Swamp just south of Mayo in Lafayette County and flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-r ...

. The Steinhatchee Trail is a multi-use trail ending at Steinhatchee Falls. Coming off a limestone lip across the river, the height of Steinhatchee Falls ranges from four to five feet down to being almost unnoticeable when the river is high.

See also