Merritt's Millpond Public Boat Ramp

First, a warning: Google’s pin for Merritts Mill Pond routes you to a dead-end private road with no water access. Navigate to this ramp at the end of Hunter Fish Camp Road instead — from US 90 in Marianna, SR 71 north about 1.2 miles, right on Blue Springs Road for 1.6 miles, then right on Hunter Fish Camp Road to the water.

Free, year-round, and the only improved public ramp on the pond — which means the small lot fills fast on warm-season weekends, with paddling groups taking a big share of the spaces. There's a portable toilet and trash cans on site, and not much else. The playbook is simple: go early.

A single paved lane with a small dock, recently improved. The water off the ramp is shallow with a sandy bottom — perfect for sliding in kayaks, paddleboards, and jon boats, workable for modest trailer boats, and not the place for a big rig. Bug spray earns its keep here — the gnats are real.

Hydrilla is the pond's ongoing battle. After a drawdown knocked out the grass carp, growth ran hard — late-summer paddlers find grass within a foot of the surface. State treatments and channel harvesting have cycled since 2022: the main channel generally stays open, but expect vegetation off the edges, and remember it hides the stumps.

This ramp sits just north of mid-pond — Jackson Blue Spring is about 1.5 miles northeast through moss-draped cypress. It's the signature paddle on the pond and an easy out-and-back for beginners. The water runs 68–72°F year-round — bracing for a swim, wetsuit territory for snorkeling — and there's no lighting after dark, so time your return.