Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park is one of Florida’s earliest state parks, encompassing nearly 2,400 acres of sandhills, marshes, ravines, lakes, and scrub near Keystone Heights. Its historic character is tied to Civilian Conservation Corps work in the 1930s, when features such as cabins were built, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. The park’s varied landscape supports wildlife including fox squirrels, kestrels, hawks, bald eagles, wild turkeys, gopher tortoises, deer, and water birds, while wildflowers brighten its natural communities. It remains a popular destination for camping, hiking, horseback riding, fishing, canoeing, swimming, and wildlife viewing.