It's not a canyon – it is a sinkhole, 120 feet deep.
News 13's own Scott Fais climbed to the very bottom, and so can you in Florida on a Tankful.
Sinkholes can destroy an entire city block and eat cars -- like one that opened up in Winter Park back in May 1981.
Yet, there is one Florida sinkhole that says, "Come On Down."
The Devil's Millhopper State Geological Site in Gainesville is one pit people started flocking to in the 1880s.
"I sort of call it a reverse mountain for Florida. You go down, instead of climbing up a mountain," said Randy Brown, the park's manager.
"This sinkhole has collapsed into what was a cave at one time," Brown said. "We built a boardwalk system to prevent the erosion from occurring," Brown said.
Brown spent the past 22 years traveling up and down the steps in the sinkhole -- 236 steps to be exact. A long staircase leads 120 feet into the earth, where visitors can take in pure Mother Nature.
Yet, with something so peaceful, just how did the Devil's Millhopper get its name?
"The idea was that since the sinkhole heads towards the subterranean and down into the depths of hell, this is where devil takes his victims and grinds them up and send them into hell," Brown said. "That was a settlers' belief."
Fais said the hole is humid, although the temperature is always a few degrees cooler than the surface temperature. That makes the sinkhole a perfect place for Ruth Perraud who is getting set to climb mountains in Europe.
"I think it is spectacular. I can't believe it. I am really surprised. I am going to come back and walk up and down the steps to practice," Perraud said.
There just might be no place better.
"Something about hearing a waterfall is a peaceful thing," Brown said.
According to Fais, you should pack a bottle of water and wear a comfortable pair of shoes.
You can find the Devil's Millhopper Sinkhole n Gainesville, just outside the campus of the University of Florida.
If you would like to see an extended version of this adventure or other Tankful stories with Scott, check out News 13 On Demand at no extra cost. Visit channel 313 on your digital cable and select Florida on a Tankful.
Where:
Gainesville, Alachua County
Hours:
The park is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The park is closed Monday and Tuesday.
Address:
4732 Millhopper Road
Gainesville, Florida 32653
Phone:
(352) 955-2008
Admission:
$2 per car (for the first 8 people crammed in your vehicle)
$1 per person if you walk into the park or arrive on a bike
Web site:
http://www.visitgainesville.com/photogallery/millhopper.htm
http://www.floridastateparks.org/devilsmillhopper/
Central Florida Directions:
Expect a 2 hour, 15 minute drive when using Orlando as a reference point.
From your part of Central Florida, make your way to the Turnpike and head north towards Ocala.
When the Turnpike ends, transfer onto 75 North.
From 75 North, take C.R. 222 (Milepost Exit 390 - Old Exit 77) and drive east 3.8 miles.
At 43rd Street, turn left.
At the next traffic light, turn left onto Millhopper Road.
Park entrance is located approximately 1,000 feet on the right.
Be sure to pay by sticking the cash into the pole. You’ll see.