Sinkholes in Florida

Updated 2026-07-08: The Florida Park Service has announced that the boardwalk at Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park in Gainesville has been temporarily closed since June 25, 2026. The official notice does not state why the boardwalk was closed and does not provide an anticipated reopening date. The park’s official webpage continues to list regular operating hours of 8 a.m. to sundown, seven days a week, but visitors hoping to descend into the sinkhole should check the current park notice before traveling.

The closure affects the wooden stair-and-boardwalk system used to enter Devil’s Millhopper, a bowl-shaped limestone sinkhole approximately 120 feet deep and 500 feet across. The National Natural Landmark is especially significant because more than 100 feet of geological rock layers are exposed along its walls. Although visitors cannot presently use the boardwalk to descend into the sinkhole, Florida State Parks reports that the nature trail along the upper portion of the sinkhole remains open as an out-and-back trail. It cannot presently be completed as a loop because a separate bridge over Deer Run is also closed for repairs.

The current closure should not be confused with the lengthy boardwalk shutdown that followed Hurricane Irma in 2017. WUFT reported on the storm damage and reconstruction, and the replacement boardwalk reopened in June 2019, according to announcements from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and WCJB TV20. No official source has attributed the new 2026 closure to storm damage or another specific cause. Visitors may obtain the latest information from the park’s official webpage or by calling Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park at 352-955-2008.