Crooked River

Crooked River is a tidal waterway in Franklin County, Florida. It connects the tidal estuary of the Ochlockonee River with the Carrabelle River and the New River where they meet above the town of Carrabelle. The channel is 25 miles long, although its two ends are only 15 miles apart. Some sources call it a principal tributary of the Ochlockonee River. The geographer G.H. Dury described it as a tidal channel that separates St. James Island from the mainland. Both ends of the river connect to the Gulf, and its water levels depend mostly on the tides. The direction of flow reverses near the river's midpoint, about 1 mile east of the County Road 67 bridge. Above Carrabelle the river is almost entirely undeveloped and runs along the southern boundary of Tate's Hell State Forest.

The Florida Forest Service runs the public access points along the river inside Tate's Hell State Forest. These include Rock Landing, Loop Road, Sunday Rollaway, Oxbow and two primitive Crooked River campsites. Pine Log Boat Ramp is a Franklin County ramp. Segment 5 of the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail follows the full length of the river. During extreme high tides or long periods of heavy rain, boats may have trouble passing under the CR 67 bridge, and portaging may be needed. The Sunday Rollaway and Loop Road campsites are also hunting campsites, occupied from mid-November through early February. The Florida Forest Service closes state forest recreation areas when the county is under a tropical storm or hurricane warning.

In 2003 the state approved buying 13,000 acres of marshland along the river from the St. Joe Company for $14.5 million to help protect Florida black bear habitat. The land was added to Tate's Hell State Forest. Of all the areas along the paddling trail, the Crooked River offers the best chance of seeing a Florida black bear.