The river that gives the town its name runs 160 miles from the Georgia border to the Gulf, draining the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint basin. It is the largest source of fresh water in the Florida Panhandle, and its flow — diminished by upstream dams and Atlanta's drinking water diversions — is at the heart of decades of legal fights between Florida and Georgia.
In Apalachicola the river is wide, brown, and slow. Several outfitters run guided paddle trips upriver into the floodplain swamps, where cypress, tupelo, and Spanish moss dominate. Multi-day canoe expeditions on the upper river are possible for experienced paddlers; for everyone else a half-day trip is plenty. Bird watching is excellent, especially in winter when migratory waterfowl pass through.