Three Rivers State Park Three Rivers State Park is located in the upper part of Florida where the state line goes up a notch separated from the state of Georgia by a river and a very large lake called Lake Seminole. You can literally look at Georgia across the lake. The other thing about this place is that there is no cell phone service and thus no internet available. We talked to several campers and the park personnel and they confirm that only one company had any kind of service in this area and that was Verizon. One of the Rangers in the little Registration Office told me they have to use an “Air Card” to communicate with the reservation system, and that is sporadic at best and that Verizon had a tower in the area but closed it down because they were not getting enough business. However, according to their coverage map, the park is one of the few spots it no longer covers. So those of us trying to save money with Metro PCS and Virgin Mobile we are just out of luck. You have to drive into the center of Sneads to get any kind of reception. There is no place, really, to sit for a while and read emails, text family members and turn in my daughter’s homeschooling assignments. That is our main gripe about the place otherwise we would have stayed the whole week here. The camping sites are close together, so there is really no privacy, but they are maintained really well. For the most part, the sites have clay and rock driveways with large portions of old tree trunks separating each site. There is a clothesline, a fire pit with a grill, water, electricity and a picnic table. Quite a few of the sites look like they are recent additions and the current camp host couple is building brand new picnic tables for the sites. They are a lovely couple from Marion County Florida. There are at least three different volunteer couples who maintain the park, pick up trash, clean the bathrooms and showers and work at the Welcome Station at the beginning of the park. Volunteers are given a camping site with water, electricity and a sewer for services rendered. Generally, most of these Camp Hosts, Camp Volunteer Maintenance, etc people are couples who agree to work about 20 to 30 hours a week and commit to anywhere from 1 to 3 months depending on the needs of the state park. You can apply online. If you are interested in something like this you will need to apply at least 6 months to 12 months in advance. The park’s volunteer coordinator will contact you about available openings, requirements, and times that are available. You will have to have a basic background check, of course. The roads all look to be recently paved in the park except for the picnic/day use area which still has the old rocks in asphalt road with a few potholes. The Youth camping area is still a dirt road too. There is a day use boat ramp area with a small dock. The camping area has its own boat ramp however it looks like that only smaller “two-seater” boats, canoes and kayaks actually put in here. The Picnic/Day Use area has lots of picnic tables and barbecue grills spaced throughout the area right next to the lake. There is NO SWIMMING in any area of the park because of the alligators. There is also a covered pavilion that can be rented out next to the bathrooms with about 10 picnic tables lined up in about 4 or 5 rows. There is a playground area in the middle and the equipment looks to be in decent repair. The park has 4 marked trails you can walk along with a copy of a brochure that explains each of the markers (self-guided tours). The only thing to really do in the park is fish, walk the trails, or visit with your family. There are smaller camping sites next to the water, however, pets are discouraged from going on any of the paths or sites along the banks. There is also a large dock in the camping area that you can bring a chair and your fishing pole and pass some time looking out on the water. There are several benches next to the water to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet. Someone even put in a horseshoe area off to the side. We didn’t get a chance to walk on any of the trails or fish this time out. There are a number of different kinds of birds that live in the area including Osprey and Bald Eagles. The bad news is that the Bald Eagles have already migrated further south while we were there. The best thing we saw during our short stay was two sets of deer families. We saw two off in a little hollow around the public boat ramp and another family just before the camping area on the left along a service road. Again, the ranger told us that they have a routine of walking along that path every morning and late afternoon. Now for the not so good news. The shower rooms are clean but they are very small and have very little water pressure. The good news is that the hot water lasts as long as you want. There is one ADA Shower with a pull-down, plastic covered, cushioned seat. The camping area bathroom/shower buildings are closed from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm every day for cleaning. The camping registration office is only opened from 9:00 am to 9:30 am and again from 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm every day. The office is located in the middle of the camping area and has informational pamphlets of the park and surrounding area, is where you check in, has a little library, will check out binoculars for your bird watching, and has a little souvenir display. For those of you looking for the State Park Passport Books from last year’s 75th Anniversary celebration they still have a few of those. They have a phone outside the office that you can use for local calls or toll-free numbers. The main road into the camping area is paved around the comfort station and camp host site but access to most of the other sites is a rock and dirt road and is a little bumpy. There are a couple of sites along the paved road portion that have concrete pads and are considered ADA certified. The dump station is situated on the paved portion of the campground with a hose and concrete pad. The concrete pad doesn’t have very good drainage. There is a large dumpster across the road from the dump station area with extra bins for recycling aluminum cans and plastic bottles. For those of us with pets, you will have to bring your own waste bags. There doesn’t seem to be any in the park. Three Rivers State Park 7908 Three Rivers Road Sneads, Florida 32460 (850) 482-9006 https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Three-Rivers FEES: Admission Fee: $3.00 per vehicle. Please use the honor box to pay fees. Correct change is required. Limit 8 people per vehicle. $2.00 Pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in the vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass. Camping Fee: $16.00 per night, plus tax. Includes water and electricity. Florida residents who are 65 years of age or older or who hold a social security disability award certificate or a 100 percent disability award certificate from the Federal Government are permitted to receive a 50 percent discount on current base campsite fees. Proof of eligibility Cabin Fees: $65.00 plus tax, per night. Picnic Pavilion Fees: $30.00 per day, plus tax: Seats 30 to 60 people. Water and electric are available. The pavilion overlooks Lake Seminole. TYPES OF CAMPING SITES: 24 back-in 3 up to 50amp 35 back-in 1 up to 50amp 40 back-in 2 up to 50amp 45 back-in 1 up to 50amp 50 back-in 17 up to 50amp 40 pull-through 1 up to 50amp 45 pull-through 1 up to 50amp 50 pull-through 2 up to 50amp OTHER THINGS OF INTEREST IN THE AREA: There is not a whole lot of other things you can do in this area but fish, canoe, birding and walk the trails. We did drive around a little bit in the area to check out other things that might be of interests. We came across two county parks but again only if you are interested in camping, walking, canoeing, and fishing. One was Buena Vista Park and the other was Neal’s Landing Park. They are both located a little north of Three Rivers on the road outside the main entrance and according to the Florida Map are Recreational Areas with Camping. Buena Vista 7583 Buena Vista Landing Road Bascom, Florida 32423 Is basically a boat ramp area now. There are two picnic tables and parking but that is about it. You can see all you need to know from the pictures. Neal’s Landing State Road 2 just before the bridge going into Georgia Bascom, Florida 32423 We visited the park in the middle of the week. There only had a permanent host and one other camper there. It has several picnic tables and a camping area. But there is no electricity of water available at the sites. Short review of amenities can be found by CLICKING HERE and there is a historic news item about the park: http://www.twoeggfla.com/cox1912neals.html “Neal’s Landing on the Chattahoochee River is not far from Marianna and is a fishing and camping area. Neal’s Landing is where the old Indian village of Ekanchattee once existed.” From the Wiki page on Marianna, Florida WHERE TO GET WHAT YOU NEED: Sneads, Florida is a fairly small town but they do have the majority of what you will need should you run out of something or have forgotten something. For the most part, we would head west on U.S. 90/10 into Marianna, Florida (it is the county seat for Jackson County) which is just down the road about 17 miles or so from the park or you can go east on U.S. 90/10 and go into historic Chattanooga, Florida. Gas: Shell Mart 7953 U.S. 90 Sneads, FL 32460 (850) 593-0156 Seminole Outdoor Supply (BP Station) 2022 River Road and U.S. 90 Sneads, FL 32460 (850) 593-5410 Food and Other Supplies: Tom Thumb 8049 Highway 90 Sneads, FL 32460 (850) 593-6776 Lakeside Food Mart 8141 Highway 90 Sneads, FL 32460 (850) 593-5000 Dollar General 8126 Highway 90 Sneads, FL 32460 (850) 593-6691 Laundromat: Giles Cleaners 8182 Highway 90 Sneads, FL 32460 (850) 593-0202 Restaurants: El Jalapeno Mexican Restaurant 8178 U.S. 90 Sneads, FL 32460 (850) 593-6160 Pappy Tom’s 2023 River Road and U.S. 90 (across from BP Station) Sneads, FL 32460 (850) 593-0333 Propane: Chipola Propane Gas Co Inc 8177 U.S. 90 Sneads, FL 32460 (850) 593-6070 Medical Care Jackson Hospital 4250 Hospital Drive Marianna, FL 32446 (850) 526-2200 Map of the Area We have made a movie of the pictures we took while visiting the Three Rivers State Park. We hope you enjoy it: